Bubble wands

Bubble wands displayed in a bucket of marbles with candles on each side make a nice table decoration.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner. Celebrations and vacations are being planned. We urge everyone to take the time to remember those who have fought for our country and those still fighting for our country. A big thank you to all veterans and current United States military members for preserving the freedom we enjoy today.

To help with the celebration we suggest making table decorations with a Fourth of July theme. Ours will include a bucket full of star shaped bubble wands. While our children are all grown we still keep fun things around for children to play with that may visit us.

Bubble wands are easy to make. We started with a star shaped cookie cutter and a 40-inch piece of 20-gauge wire. Starting at the center of the wire we bent it to the shape of a star cookie cutter. Then the remaining wire is twisted together by putting the ends into a drill chuck and slowly wound together.

To make the table display we placed the bubble wands in a bucket of marbles.

For blowing bubbles the solution can be made or purchased. To make the solution use about a fourth cup of dish soap to a cup of water. For longer lasting bubbles about a teaspoon of glycerin can be added. It is always fun to have a contest to see whose bubbles last the longest.

Now for a minute let’s go back to the cookie cutters. Today they are used for many things besides making cookies. We just used them for bending our bubble wands into star shapes. Then they can be used as a pattern to trace around. Also dipping the cutters in paint and stamping them on plain wrapping paper will dress up a present.

Recently we got a book called “Yankee Magazine Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs and More” by Earl Proulx. Besides all his tips he puts in interesting bits of history here and there. In the kitchen section he had a piece about the history of cookie cutters.

The first cookie cutters were carved from wood. They were more like molds than cutters. The cookies were baked right in them. They looked like dense, shallow cakes.

Early on the Dutch New Year cookie molds were most often shaped like eagles, stars or other patriotic symbols to celebrate the New Year.

Later wooden cookie molds came with copper or tin along the edges to sharpen the outline of the cookies. Soon after that they were made in metal only. Each one also had a top to it and a handle that made it look like an ink stamp.

In the 1860’s several companies started to mass produce cookie cutters. By the end of the 19th century they were made all shapes and sizes. From birds, people, animals and stars there were many to choose from.

Remember to have a fun, safe and happy Fourth of July. To have some more fun do some research on the history of how the Fourth of July has been celebrated in the past.