For the Fourth of July, I don’t have very many patriotic decorations.  Normally, we are in the middle of summer vacation trips or vising family and I don’t really put up any decorations for the holiday.  This year, since we would be home celebrating the holiday with out of state relatives, I decided to pull out the box with patriotic decorations from the basement storage area that I had saved from our old house in California.

So, just like every other holiday, I start by decorating the exterior of the house first. Currently, the front door has a white rose wreath that was put there at the start of Spring and it will probably stay there until the end of Summer.  Usually I will add two small United States flags to the front door wreath and that is the only patriotic decorations I have used since we moved to the Midwest.  This year, we hung three pleated red, white and blue traditional decorations known as “bunting” above our front door to create a festive and patriotic theme to the front porch.

In the interior of our house, I have kept the decorations simple and very minimal.  In our library there is the lawyer bookcase which holds my Boyd’s Bear collection and I have added the patriotic figurines and then I sprinkled tiny red, white and blue resin stars.  On top of the bookcase I set out a small Boyd’s Bear that is wearing a patriotic sweater and it is sitting inside a small red, white and blue painted basket.

In the family room, I have placed six paper mache stars that are painted red, white and blue on the fireplace mantel.  In the bookcase to the right side on the shelf above the television is an American flag display in a shadowbox that is a remembrance of our vacation in Washington D.C. several years ago.  Prior to our trip, I wrote our local congressman and arranged for a flag to be flown above the U.S. Capitol on the day that we visited and toured the building.  (I’m not sure if this service is still available; if you are interested please call your congressman or state representative to find out)  On the shelf next to the shadowbox, I have placed the farmed certificate that came with the flag which notes the date that we visited Washington D.C.  As a nod to being a native Californian, which has been transplanted to the Midwest, I’ve added a bronze bear that resembles the one on the California state flag.  These items are on display year round in our library and they are the perfect patriotic items for this American holiday.

In the kitchen, the patriotic decorations are still very simple and minimal.  Hanging on the oven door are two red, white and blue towels.  (of course, these towels are used for display purposes only and my family has been given strict instructions never, ever to use them! LOL)  Two of the matching napkins are tucked into the vegetable basket that is displayed on the kitchen counter year round.  Then across the kitchen, in the shape above the cabinets over the desk area, are a red, a white and a blue ceramic bowls which are the perfect patriotic touch.

In our dining room, there is a lovely oak china cabinet that holds our Noritake Rothschild china and silver serving pieces.  As a very simple touch, in the tea cups I’ve placed four silver and mirror stars.  On the dining room table, I’ve used a red, white and blue fabric as a table runner.  In the center of the table is a floral centerpiece of golden roses and I’ve added two American flags.  I have used more American flags in our other floral arrangements, one in our entry hall and one in our family room.