Patriotic Summer Decor *With Free Printables

I’ll admit it, I haven’t always been a red, white, and blue fan….It’s not that I don’t love my country and have great pride in the living in the USA….

But see…my birthday is July 4th.

Yep, Independence Day.

Now that I am an adult, I see having my birthday on a national holiday as a HUGE win!

In high school and college I worked at a craft store (which was good and bad for this DIY/craft lover…..goodbye paycheck!) and I also worked at a daycare. BOTH of these places were closed for the 4th, so I have NEVER had to work on my birthday (and since I was also a teacher and well, summer vacation….). BIG score in the work department!

Another perk to having an Independence Day birthday? There is ALWAYS something fun to do on my birthday (along with hundreds of other people, but hey, free events make me happy.) 

Not Always a Fan

But as a child?…TOTALLY did not see all the perks.

What I saw was the fact that, almost every year, hardly ANY kids could come to my birthday party. (I remember one year where my poor, lone cousin was all that could come.) I was a nice kid, so it wasn’t that the kids were avoiding me, it was just that summer is a busy time for travelling, etc.

Another thing I didn’t always love about having my birthday on July 4th? For several years (at least when I was younger) I had to wear red, white, and blue on my birthday. I also had to have patriotic napkins and plates, etc. SHOCKING! Oh the HORROR! [Insert sarcastic eye roll.]   

 I know. Mothers everywhere are thinking, “get over yourself kid!” and as a mom now, I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to “SNAP out of it!”…but I’m just being real: I was NOT a huge fan of my national-holiday-birthday for a few years. 

Definitely a Fan Now

Enter now: I love ANY excuse for decorating. (And really, when you become a mom, your birthday doesn’t seem as “wow” anymore, right? I feel like I deserve way more fanfare on my KID’S birthdays than I do on my own. (I actually kind of had a semi-larger role in their birthday.) Sorry mom- cheers to YOU this year on my birthday! 😉 

Long explanation to say that I LOVE to decorate my house (and wear) red, white, and blue EVERY year now when Independence Day rolls around. (You have more appreciation for things once you’ve gotten some years “under our belt” and while our country’s birthday definitely trumps mine, I am humbled that I get to share it. 

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On With the Tour 

Here is a short “tour” of our patriotic dining room decor and mantel this summer! Can’t wait to show you around! 

These are some “new to me” chairs that my husband scored for free the other weekend. (I will post next week to share more about them!) I think they look so fun after their new blue paint!

Here’s an easy decorating idea: use inexpensive cloth napkins in the colors you need! (These red ones work for Christmas, Valentines, Memorial Day, Independence Day….yep, definitely got my money’s worth on THAT yard sale find!) (Let’s play “I Spy.” If you look closely, you can see my little helper and sidekick in the photo.) 

These adorable little metal candle holders were a Dollar Tree find (I found them THIS season- check your store out to see if they still have any!)  And the beautiful gerbera daisy (minus the flags) was a Lowes clearance find my parents found (where do you think I learned all my bargain hunting from? It’s in the genes!) 

When in doubt, add cupcake decor picks. Ha! My daughter had a grand time getting to help me. (It was a super easy & cheap way for her to feel like she was getting to decorate too!) 

Several items on the mantle are new for this year. The big window is a new find I got on a special post-Mother’s Day date my husband surprised me with. He actually read my post about Mother’s Day and planned a morning out to take me thrift shopping! Yep, he’s a keeper!) The little garland is one my mom found in the “Target Dollar Spot” on sale. It actually had red, blue, turquoise, and pink, but I left the pink off. 

I will be adding some more little details here and there. Two things I will be adding soon are these new printables! 

The dining room and the mantle are my absolute FAVORITE spots to decorate for each season and holiday. What are yours? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!