An All-American centerpiece for an All-American celebration!
The Fourth of July celebrates the best thing about living in America: the freedom we hold so dear, and our Independence Day is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. We have parties, shoot fireworks and get misty-eyed when we hear the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful or God Bless the USA. This simple Fourth of July centerpiece will take care of your holiday décor in short order. The colors of our flag make it beautiful, and Kool Tak™ products make it durable, withstanding the heat of embossing as well as keeping it all together. Supplies 
- Kool Tak™ Premium Pro, 1/4”
- Kool Tak™ Ultra Clear Sheet
- Kool Tak™ Punch Adhesive Sheets, 8 1/4″ x 11 1/2″
- Kool Tak™ Sparkles – Red Bonus Pack
- Kool Tak™ Sparkles – Silver Bonus Pack
- Embossing Powder, red and blue
- Chenille Stems, red and blue
- Card stock, red and white, 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, one piece of each
- Foil Sprays, red, white and blue
- White box, 6” x 6” x 6”
- Computer and printer
- Star Punch, 2” (Stampin’Up!)
- Crinkled paper filler, red
- Smoothfoam Block, 4 x 4’x 4”
- Sturdy floral wire, 6 pieces, approximately 6″ long
Tools: Heat gun, craft knife, fine tip permanent marker, wooden skewer Instructions Print out the patterns for the box, two of each. Centerpiece Box Side 1 line art Centerpiece Box, side 2 line art For each pattern, place the pattern on top or underneath of the Kool Tak™ Ultra Clear Sheet. Tape it in place and trim it with a craft knife.
Cut right through the paper pattern with a craft knife.
Remove the release paper from the portions of the Kool Tak™ Ultra Clear Sheet that you will be embossing.
Remove the release paper from the pieces you will be embossing. Removing the first piece and then positioning it onto the box will make it easier to line up. You can just flip the remaining piece over to remove the rest of the release paper.
Apply the entire pattern to the box. Carefully remove the portions of the Kool Tak™ Ultra Clear, including the release paper, that will remain white.
Remove the Kool Tak Ultra Clear Sheet including the release paper from the portions that you want to remain white.
Remove the red film from the remaining elements, applying and embossing all of one color before removing the film from the second.
This is what the box will look like before you remove the remaining film.
Remove red film from the pattern.
Sprinkle on the embossing powder and emboss, being sure to move your heat tool and keep it 6″ from the surface. Repeat for the remaining box sides, alternating the patterns.
Add embossing powder and tap off.
Clean any stray powder with a makeup sponge or dry paint brush.
Heat emboss, keep the heat tool 6″ from the surface.
Place a strip of Kool Tak™ Premium Pro across the bottom of the smoothfoam cube and adhere it to the inside box bottom. Chenille Stems, 7 red and 7 blue For each stem, apply Kool Tak™ Premium Pro to one end of the wire, about 2″ from the end.
Apply Kool Tak Premium Pro to the end of the sturdy floral wire.
Remove the release paper and wrap a chenille stem around the taped area.
Remove release paper.
Wrap the stem over the tape.
Wrap the remaining portion of the stem around the wooden skew to create a cork screw effect.
Wrap the remaining stem around the wooden skewer.
Stars: Apply Kool Tak™ Punch Adhesive Sheet to each sheet of cardstock, front and back. Punch 6 red and 6 white stars. This will make 3 of each color to be attached to the ends of 6 of the stems. Use the remaining corkscrew stems as filler. For each star: Remove the release paper from one side of a star and press it to the end of the chenille stem. 
Remove the release paper from a second star and place it on the back of the first, covering the chenille stem end. 
Remove the 2 remaining pieces of release paper and sprinkle with glitter (red on red, silver on white).
Glitter both sides of the star.
Note: You can use chipboard or any color cardstock for the stars, but using red and white with red and silver glitter will mask any imperfections. Assembly Place the crinkled paper filler in the box to cover the smoothfoam block and box insides. Insert the foil sprays into the Smoothfoam block first, trimming the length as necessary and angling four of them toward the sides and one straight up in the center. Insert all the chenille stems into the block center. Add additional crinkled paper filler if needed. That’s it. Place one on each table for your star-spangled celebration, then sit back and reflect on how blessed you are to live in the world’s greatest country. We may not be perfect, but no one is fighting to leave. Happy Independence Day! – Candice