DOUBLE SPLURGE!: 4th of July Craft and Recipe

Happy SPLURGE! Dreamers! Today we are featuring a double SPLURGE! for you: a craft AND a recipe to gear you up for this holiday weekend!

Fourth of July Craft for Kids: American Flag Stick Project

by Glue Dots

Designed by: Dawn Barrett
Time: About 1 hour (without dry time)
Level: Intermediate

Here’s what you need:

• Glue Dots® Advanced Strength Dispenser
• 10 old paint sticks (or 1/4″ board stock cut to size)
• Wood stars
• Acrylic paint (red/white/blue)
• Twine
• Saw
• Drill
• Sponge brushes (one for each color)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Acrylic fixative if hanging outside

Here’s what you do:

1. Cut the handle end off of 3 paint sticks so that they measure 8″. Note: If you purchase the 1/4″ board stock from The Home Depot, they will cut your pieces to size.
2. On another paint stick, drill two holes at 3″ and 9″ using a small drill bit.
3. Arrange 7 paint sticks into rows, making sure the top one has the two holes drilled in it.
4. Lightly sketch a pencil line at 4.75″ for the top 4 sticks. Use a sponge brush to paint this section blue. Let dry before adding another coat of paint.
5. Using a sponge brush, paint the first stick red, then use a new brush to paint the next stick white. Allow each stick to dry before adding another coat of paint. Remember to paint along the edges, but do not paint the back. Continue painting the sticks until they are all painted with the appropriate colors.
6. Use a new sponge brush to paint the stars white. Again, do not paint the back.
7. When all of your pieces are dry, line up your flag and flip each stick over, as if you were turning a page in a book. Spread the sticks slightly apart.
8. Three 8″ sticks will lay across the long sticks. Once everything is in place, use Glue Dots Advanced Strength Dispenser to adhere the sticks together, pressing everything firmly into place.
9. Then, flip the entire flag back to the front. Use more Advanced Strength adhesive to adhere the stars onto the blue field in the upper left.
10. Thread twine or sisal through the drilled holes and tie off to hang.
11. *Note: If you are going to hang this flag outside, spray it with an acrylic fixative to protect it.

Fourth of July Recipe: Firecracker Dogs

By Handmade in the Heartland

Ingredients

• 1 can refridgerated breadstick dough
• 2 packages -16 hot dogs
• 16 thick slices colby cheese
• 16 skewers

Cooking Directions

1. First take your skewers and stick them all the way through your hot dogs leaving about an inch and a half exposed out of the top of each hot dog. Then take a piece of breadstick dough and carefully wrap it around the hot dog until you get to the top. Place the wrapped dogs on a silpat (non stick baking liner) or parchment paper and bake according to the package directions for the breadstick dough. It took us about 20 minutes at 350. 
2. While the hot dogs are cooking take out your cheese slices, the key to this step is to go to your grocers deli counter and ask for them to slice you pieces of cheese that are 1/4"-3/8" thick. Then using a small star cookie cutter cut out your stars. Depending on how big or small your cookie cutter is will determine how many stars you get out of each slice of cheese. We could only get one star out of each slice. 
3. After your dogs have cooled for 2-3 minutes stick the star through the skewer at the top. 
4. We used a pail with a styrofoam ball hidden by crinkly papers to display them here, which would also be a great way to display them at a gathering. You can also just layer them on top of each other on a plate. Enjoy!