Throw a Red, White, and Boom! party for the 4th of July with itty-bitty foods where everything is miniaturized … except for the drinks! 
The summer holiday is fast approaching and this Red, White, and Boom! mini party is a great idea for a weekend get-together with friends and family. Serve mini hot dogs and cheeseburgers (bonus points if you can find mini potato chips!) with mini pies for dessert. But be nice to your guests and keep the drinks regular sized. 
I made the mini hamburger and hot dog buns myself using this recipe. Just be sure to follow the directions on how to make them into 24 sliders. Oh, and to make the hot dog buns, simply make them more oval than round. 
And I picked up some mini pies for dessert. Nothing says red, white, and blue like an apple pie! But I also grabbed some mini pecan and cherry pies to mix it up a bit. 
And to drink, I made a Spiked Watermelon Limeade! Made with watermelon juice, lime juice, lime sparkling water, and vodka, your guests won’t want a miniature glass. 
I made enough Spiked Watermelon Limeade to put into my drink dispenser and grabbed a few of my red, white, and blue straws to keep it festive. But of course, you don’t have to make a huge pitcher, instead, you can simply whip up a refreshing glass just for yourself on a warm Saturday afternoon! 
And the party was pretty easy to set up – I kept everything clean and minimal and let the miniature foods do the decorating with the exception of my DIY Neon “Boom!” Sign. 
Since it was my first DIY Neon sign, I kept the wording simple with “Boom!” I was going to do “Light It Up!” or “Fire It Up!” but I decided to start small. Maybe the next sign I make will be bigger and more complicated. It wasn’t difficult to make, just a little time consuming to figure out, to keep the el-wire from getting tangled, and to keep the cat away from the wire while I was threading it through. If you want to make a sign yourself, I have a short tutorial below.
Here’s the supplies you’ll need: 
Supplies:
- Piece of wood or acrylic
- 15-30 ft of el-wire (I could have used 15 ft. for this project)
- white spray paint to paint your board if using wood
- pencil
- drill and drill bits
- glue gun
- tape – masking, duct, or electrical tape will work
Step 1: If using a piece of wood, spray paint it and allow it to dry. While it dries, pre-plan your word and drill holes on a piece of paper. For example, the letter B took 6 drill holes for threading the el-wire through.
Step 2: Next, draw your word in pencil on your board along with small x’s for the drill holes. Then drill the holes.
Step 3: Thread the el-wire through – it’s basically like embroidery except with really large string that lights up. Make sure as you’re pulling it through, that it doesn’t knot or tangle. As you thread it through, glue it into place with a LIGHT application of hot glue. Some pieces won’t want to stay down, so this is where your tape comes in to help hold it down while the glue dries.
Step 4: Wrap up any excess el-wire and tape it onto the back of the board. Flip the switch and turn it on!
Step 5: Boom!
Note: the el-wire does have a hum to it like 50 mosquitos near your ear, so I don’t recommend this for a quiet room, but for a party with music, it’s fine!
Do you have any fun party plans for the 4th of July? Or travel plans? I think it would be awesome to go camping on the 4th! Let me know what you’re doing in the comments below.