Embarrassingly enough, I have been so busy that I hadn’t even thought of details for our intimate Fourth of July barbecue (hence the last minute patriotic dessert ideas). So today, I decided to look around the house for some inspiration and boy did I find it — RIBBON! I have about 50 yards of American flag print ribbon lying around and decided to put it to good use today.

This is a simple 4th of July place setting. I just used to clear glass plates and layered strips of coordinating ribbon inbetween them. Paired with a navy blue linen napkin — simple!

I used strips of ribbon to make these DIY ribbon cupcake toppers. These took maybe 5 minutes and I just used ribbon I had on hand. Check out these DIY instructions for more detail on how-to make these.

I even incorporated the ribbon decor outside since that will be where we are cooking and hanging out. About 6 strips of red, white and blue ribbon make up this decoration. I hung it from a tree and it looks really nice blowing in the wind.

I hope I have inspired you to look around your home and revisit supplies you have on hand when thinking of decorating. Remember, your party can look thoughtful … even if you just do a few simple touches.