I just love decorating for all of the patriotic summertime holidays! This year, I wanted to add some red, white, and blue primitive firecracker bundles to my Americana decor.
I created them out of dowel rods, paint, and jute. Read on for the step-by-step craft tutorial.
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Supplies for the Fireworks Bundle:
- wooden dowel rods – 5/8″ diameter to 3/4″ diameter
- red, white, and blue craft paints – I used white, Apple Barrel bright red, and Apple Barrel true navy
- paintbrush
- Frog tape
- Sandpaper – I used 180 grit
- jute
- dark finishing wax
- ruler
- scissors
- craft glue
- pencil
Watch the DIY Video:
Prepare the dowel rods:
Cut the dowel rods into three inch lengths.
In one end of each cut dowel rod, drill a hole right in the center.
The hole needs to be big enough for a knotted piece of jute to fit into.
Sand the rough edges off the dowel rods.
Paint the Firecracker’s Base Coat:
Make pencil marks one inch from the end with the drilled hole.
Place Frog tape all the way around the dowel rod with the edge right at the marks.
Paint the top one inch section blue.
Repeat with other firecrackers and set aside to dry.
Peel off the Frog tape and re-apply it to cover the blue paint.
Paint the bottom of each firecracker with white craft paint.
Let the paint dry and apply a second coat of paint if needed.
When the paint is dry, peel the tape off of the firecrackers.
If needed, you can touch up the paint where the two colors meet.
Paint the Red Stripes:
If you want your red stripes to be precise, you will need to measure the circumference of the dowel rod and do some math and use a ruler to draw the lines.
Luckily, I like a primitive, imperfect look so I just drew lines with a pencil.
It helps to put a small dot in the stripes that will be red
so you don’t end up with two red stripes together at the end.
Paint every other stripe red.
Be sure to cover the pencil marks with the red paint.
Let dry and re-coat if necessary.
Paint the Stars:
Use the end of a paintbrush or a toothpick to paint random dots on the blue end of the firecracker.
I used two different sized paintbrush ends to get different sized dots.
Let the firecrackers dry completely.
Age the Firecrackers:
Lightly sand the firecrackers with sandpaper to give them a distressed look.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to add a dark finishing wax to the firecrackers.
Minwax Special Dark or Cottage Paint Umber Wax are both nice choices.
I used the Cottage Paint Umber Wax.
In the photo above, the firecracker on the left has been waxed and the one on the right is unwaxed.
Let the wax thoroughly dry.
Add the Firecracker Fuses:
Cut jute into 3 inch lengths.
Tie a knot in one end.
Apply glue to the knotted end of jute.
Use a toothpick to push the knotted end of jute into the firecracker’s hole.
Remove any excess glue from the top of the firecracker.
Allow the glue to dry.
Trim the jute firecracker fuses as desired.
Bundle the Firecrackers:
You could use the firecrackers as they are or bundle them into groups.
I made eight, so I am going to make two bundles of three each and use two as singles.
To bundle them, put two on the bottom, one in the middle on the top, and tie them together with jute.
These primitive firecracker bundles work great as bowl fillers or as an addition to your other patriotic summertime farmhouse decor!
I hope you enjoyed this primitive craft tutorial! I would love to see what you are making.
You might also like our patriotic punch needle pattern round-up.
Blessings~
Amy