If you’re looking for some last-minute party ideas for your 4th of July celebrations, Angela from Fantasy Celebrations just uploaded a sneak peek of the patriotic table settings for a client brunch she’s styling this weekend – and the gallery is full of fabulous DIY inspiration!

There are 2 different red, white, and blue table designs, both of which would work well for anything from brunch to lunch to dinner parties…

Visit the Fourth of July Brunch Tablescapes facebook album to view more shots of each table, along with detailed descriptions – like how she used red gumdrops as placecard holders for one of the tables!

Thanks again to Angela for sharing these ideas! Happy 4th, everyone!

Ready to say “Cheers!” to the Red, White and Blue this weekend? Me too! If you’re on the lookout for some festive signature drink ideas for your 4th of July party, check out these fun, patriotic cocktail recipes blogged over at Real Simple today.

(Tip: to give all-red drinks a more patriotic look, simply garnish with blueberries or blackberries, or serve with a blue straw!)

While working on the 4th of July dessert roundups this year, it quickly became clear that Martha deserved a post all to herself! There were just too many great ideas to choose from in her Red, White, and Blue Desserts gallery…here are 8 of my personal fav’s:

Pictured at at top: Individual Red, White, and Blueberry Layer Cakes and Vacherin with Whipped Cream and Berries (which is a gorgeous display of meringue layers adorned with raspberries, strawberries, currants, and blueberries).

Pictured above: Vanilla-Raspberry Sundaes served with adorable COOKIE SPOONS; and quick & easy Mixed Berry Salad with Mint.

Pictured below: Red, White, and Blue Stars (crisp, buttery sugar cookies oozing with berry jam), and stylish, yet simple Fourth of July Cupcakes: just spread white frosting generously onto cupcakes then use fresh berries to create mod patterns on top.

Last but not least, this lovely Star-Spangled Shortcake is guaranteed to impress – and these Vanilla Cabinets with Fresh Fruit (a.k.a. “thick milkshakes with fruit”) – are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth AND beat the summer heat.

Which dessert looks best to you? I could definitely go for a Vanilla-Raspberry Sundae or a milkshake right now!

Looking for some patriotic treats to serve up this weekend? Check out these colorful, berry-licious ideas from ’round the web!

Pictured at top: fresh & healthy Red, White, and Blue Parfaits, Berry-Lemon Napolean featuring lucious lemon filling & flaky pastry, and Cinnamon Candied Apples displayed on tray of blueberries – all from BHG.com.

Pictured above {clockwise from upper left}: Lemon-Berry Shortcake, Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries & Blueberries, Meyer Lemon Semifreddo (all from Epicurious), and creative Patriotic Cookie Pizza from Pillsbury.

Pictured above: Make a statement with this fun Flag Cake from the Barefoot Contessa (via Food Network). There’s an instructional video for this cake too!

Stay tuned for more 4th of July recipe roundups this week!

Because Labor Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day all fall in or near summer, these holidays offer a great opportunity to incorporate beach-inspired elements into your party decor. You can really use any type of party theme you want for Labor Day in particular, but patriotic or all-white themes seem to be the most popular, so today I’m going to share a patriotic theme with some fun “beach house” elements thrown in the mix.

And because Labor Day also was created to celebrate the hard worker and give them a day of rest, it’s also important not to stress yourself out if you’re playing host/hostess, so everything pictured here is quick and easy – no labor-intensive centerpieces that will have you working ’round the clock on your weekend off! Scroll down for more details…

The beverage table is one place I always like to have some fun… An easy way to make a cool display is to serve drinks with stylish packaging. The new Sparkling drink by Hansen’s comes in a cool silvery-white can, and the Blueberry-Pomegranate flavor has touches of red and blue – so it’s a ready-made patriotic drink!  To go the extra mile, tie a straw to each can using red raffia or ribbon and line them up in neat rows.

For party decor & centerpieces, don’t even worry about arranging flowers at this party – just embellish vases with simple details that make a big impact – like the ribbon/starfish combos above, and fill them with beach-themed elements, such as tumbled white rocks, blue pebbles (pictured above – purchase at Michael’s), seashells or sand in natural, red, white, and/or blue colors.

In the large arrangement pictured in the top image, the vase was actually embellished the same beverage napkins used on the drinks table and in the place settings, then filled with inexpensive bleached mitsumata branches and layers of natural sand, blue pebbles, and white sea shells. Takes about 5 minutes to put together at most!

If you’re hosting a sit-down meal, start with a white tablecloth and cover it with natural fish netting – available online or in most craft or party supply stores (check the luau section). For a pop of color, use red and blue placemats and linens. If you don’t have regular colored linens or don’t want to be quite as fancy, it’s fine to use paper napkins and 12″ sheets of red & blue scrapbook paper in lieu of regular placemats.

For napkin rings, tie ribbon around rolled or folded napkins, using a contrasting color (red on blue or blue on red), and hot-glue a starfish or sand dollar to the ribbon for the embellishment.  To dress up wine glasses, wrap part of the stem with red or blue raffia and tie off at the ends. If you’re hosting a party outdoors and worried about party fouls, acrylic drinkware and melamine or paper plates are great alternatives to breakable materials.

More fun decorating ideas: red, white and blue paper lanterns, outdoor lanterns, and beach-themed decor with a “worn” look like boat pictured in the top image.

What are you guys doing to celebrate Labor Day? And special plans or party theme ideas?

What are you guys planning to serve on the 4th? These ideas from Everyday with Rachael Ray are looking pretty tasty to me! {clockwise form left} Mango-Ginger Mocktails, Balsamic Potato and Green Bean Salad, Berry Cakes with Cinnamon Whippped Cream (yum!), Grilled Corn with Parmesean Butter (double yum!).

And if you’re on the lookout for some "patriotic" cocktails, I featured a few ideas (pictured below) on GlamDish today…click here for the details.

Berries are an easy way to give sweets a patriotic feel! Case in point – festive treats from Martha Stewart’s Red, White, & Blue Desserts gallery…

• Red, White, & Blue Parfaits
• Red, White, & Blueberry Trifle (This dessert looks so pretty – and store-bought pound cake cuts down your prep time!)
• Flag Cupcakes (Try substituting small blueberries for the piped "stars" to make the flag decoration even easier.)
• Summer Shortcake

Vons.com has some great July 4th cocktail (or mocktail) inspiration. I’m especially loving these watermelon stars – simple idea, but super cute!

For an unique signature drink idea, check out these Blueberry Limoncellos garnished with a blueberry skewer (or alternate blueberries & raspberries for a patriotic feel), or – even easier – try using frozen grapes in place of traditional ice cubes to add some color to clear sodas & cocktails.

Martha Stewart has tons of great inspiration for 4th of July crafts (of course!) – but these adorable drink parasols look particularly fun! Learn how to make them here .

Social Couture has a fun Patriotic Party that’s perfect for making decorating & table settings super easy if you’re playing hostess for the 4th! The full Patriotic set comes complete with eco-friendly bamboo tableware, a sparkly red table runner, USA flags, white metal pails, super-cute striped grosgrain napkin rings, and more…or you can buy just the things you need a la carte!

*Get 10% off any Social Couture order with promo code "HWTM "!