Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of the summer season for a lot of locations, even if it’s a little early. Some of the pools start to open, the festivals are starting, and everyone gets to enjoy a long weekend. However, Memorial Day is much more than an excuse for sales and cook outs—it’s actually a holiday meant to remind us of the lives lost in American military history. It’s a patriotic holiday, and that means it’s also a fine opportunity to put together some bright creations to mark the occasion. Here are five ideas for rhinestone projects for your Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Star Bouquet

If you’re hosting a gathering, centerpieces are a great, simple way to decorate for your party. One idea that we love that provides the perfect backdrop for rhinestones is a star bouquet. To get started, you’ll need:

• Styrofoam stars of various sizes
• Wooden dowels, small
• Acrylic paint (red, white, blue, silver)
• Rhinestones
• Clay flower pots (you can often find these in craft stores)
• Foam used for flower arrangements
• “Filler” for pots, like confetti strips and tinsel

To make the bouquet, you’ll want to paint the stars and dowels of various base colors—get creative! You’ll also want to paint the outside of the clay pot. From there, you’ll then start placing your rhinestones on the stars and on the pot in whichever pattern you prefer. Red, clear, and blue rhinestones of various shapes would all be appropriate for this project.

Once you have your stars and pot completed, you can then place the stars on the ends of the dowels. Use craft glue to hold it in place. From there, place the foam base in the pot and stick the star “flowers” in the foam. Arrange your tinsel or other filler around the top of the clay pot.

Patriotic Pillow

If you like mixing crafts, this pillow project may be the way to go. For the pillow project, you’ll first need to create a flag base and stitch a simple pillow. You’ll then finish off the pillow with sew-on rhinestones.

Flagg sewing patterns are easy to find, and we recommend using one. If you prefer, you can omit fabric stars and use rhinestones instead. Sew your rhinestones to the flag before you stitch the pillow together. Once the rhinestones are on, you can then stitch the flag to what will be the back of the pillow. Just before you’re done stitching, stuff the pillow with batting, then stich the pillow closed.

Alternatively, if you’re not handy at flag sewing, you can find your favorite patriotic print fabric and create a pillow out of that. Use red and blue rhinestones to accentuate the pattern and then follow the same process for constructing the pillow. The pillow will look great as an accessory in your living room or on the porch.

Lanterns

You can turn old canning jars into lanterns. They can be personalized and painted and have star cutouts for the light to shine through. With the addition of rhinestones and glitter, your lanterns will sparkle in the night.

To start, you’ll need:

• Glass canning jars
• Acrylic paint (red, white, blue)
• Contact paper (red, blue, clear)
• Rhinestones
• Glitter glue (red, white, blue)
• Star stencils

Use a pencil and your star stencils on the contact paper and cut out the stars. Peel off the back and place the contact paper where you want on the jar, preferably on a flat surface. Place as many stars as you would like on the jar—varying sizes look better. Then paint the jar with acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry and then you can peel away the contact paper. Use glitter glue and rhinestones to outline the stars. Use tea lights or battery candles for your lanterns and watch how they flicker and glow in the warm May evening.

Recycled Can Flower Pots

Turn ordinary materials into a repurposed life as a vase. The best part about this project is that kids can easily get involved. You’ll first want to get several tin cans. Wash them thoroughly and remove the labels. Then you’ll want to paint the entire outside of the can white. Paint red horizontal stripes on the can. For other cans, paint a coat of blue over the white coat, then use a star stencil to paint white stars. For the finishing touches, add rhinestones to the stars and stripes—the pattern and distribution is up to you! Paint multiple sets of you need a couple of centerpieces for your weekend cookout. If you like a more secure flower arrangement, feel free to use flower foam inside the can to keep all of your arrangement in place. The rhinestones will naturally sparkle in the sunlight, and when that’s mixed with the beauty of flowers, it’s an unbeatable combination.

Starry Wreath

Create a simple wreath made of stars and rhinestones that will be a bright decoration for your house. It will be easy for kids to participate in this one as well. You’ll need a flat wreath base, preferably wire or wooden. You’ll also need flat wooden stars of assorted sizes—you can find these at craft stores. Paint the stars with red, white, and blue acrylic paint.

Decorate and paint the stars in different patterns and color combinations to create variety. Add glitter glue and rhinestones to the stars and let everything dry completely.

In the meanwhile, if the wreath base is wooden, paint it white to blend in. When everything is completely dry, start placing your painted stars on the wreath base. Use hot glue to fix all of the stars in place, placing different colors and patterns next to each other.

Memorial Day is a time for remembrance, patriotism, and community, and a lot of Memorial Day craft projects can actually be used again to help celebrate the 4th of July. We hope that you have a wonderful holiday weekend and enjoy the warm weather, spring flowers, and fun that we expect this summer.