Patriotic Holiday Decorations

The "patriotic" holidays are important in my family and Memorial Day is especially important. More than a backyard bar-b-q or a small town street fair, for us it is attending a memorial service to remember our fallen soldiers and having decorations as a way of acknowledging the day and honoring my husband, brother, father, grandfather and all the thousands who served with them.

I've always thought that life should be enjoyed and I'm finding that it can be done for a fraction of what I used to spend. This blog has become a challenge for me and I find myself celebrating every dime I save. This year, I spent a total of $13 on patriotic decorations welcoming visitors to our front porch. And the good news is that I will have them for use again next year. The better news (for me) is that they are just components so that I can mix them around, use them in different ways and have them feel "new" for a long time to come.

A few little flags from years past, standing in a seldom used vase, and new streamers with stars become the patriotic version of my versatile homemade table. The only other new things on the porch are a handful of craft store, wooden stars that I painted, and ribbon for the bow on the wreath.
The wreath itself was free and provided an adventure for a granddaughter and me as we pulled wild grape vines from trees in our backyard woods. We glued wire (using E-6000) to the backs of the painted stars and wired them in place the following day along with some borrowed Christmas berries. How simple is that? AND...to our surprise, we created a hiding place for one of our little tree frogs.Since the cushions on the porch chairs were already a muted red, covering a couple small pillows with blue and white ticking seemed a natural. A few of the stars glued to twigs and inserted into a plant already enjoying life on the porch gave me a cozy red, white & blue retreat for morning coffee.
AND...these decorations have begun to set the stage for Flag Day and will also serve to welcome guests to our Independence Day, 4th of July celebration. That's a lot of mileage out of $13.

For more patriotic holiday ideas, click HERE.