Soak your 10 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before you start assembling anything. While those soak, slice and prep all your fruit — cut strawberries in half, halve the grapes, slice bananas into quarter-inch rounds, and chop your pineapple and kiwi into bite-sized chunks. Having everything ready makes the assembly part super fast.

Toss your banana slices with the lemon juice and honey in a small bowl. This prevents browning and adds a subtle sweetness that brings the whole thing together. The coating also helps the fruit stay fresh-looking if you're making these a few hours ahead.

Start threading your first red white blue fruit skewers by placing a strawberry on the tip of your first skewer. Push it down so it's secure but not crushed — you'll feel the difference pretty quickly. The strawberry is your red layer at the start of this patriotic arrangement.

Thread one pineapple chunk next, then a white grape, then another pineapple chunk. Keep this alternating pattern going with your white fruits to build that middle white stripe you're going for. This is where the magic happens visually, so don't rush this part.

Add more blueberries and grapes until you've used about half your skewer. Then finish the top half by clustering mostly blueberries with a few banana slices mixed in for that creamy contrast. The bananas should be your last pieces since they're the most delicate.

Stand each finished skewer upright in a cup or small vase as you go. I learned this the hard way when I laid them on a plate and they rolled everywhere (my kitchen floor does not need to be that colorful). Storing them vertically keeps everything from shifting around.

Once all 10 skewers are assembled, sprinkle the chopped mint over everything and give them a light mist with a little extra lemon juice if you want. Keep them in the refrigerator until serving time, and they'll stay fresh for up to 8 hours. The flavors actually deepen a bit after sitting overnight, which is honestly a bonus.