I don’t know about you but Memorial Day is sort of the official beginning of summer to me. School is out, June is just around the corner, 90+ degree temperatures have begun – yep, it’s summer!
So it was time for my Spring mantel to say goodbye and time to decorate my mantel for summer. I do have to admit I usually have TWO summer mantels. 
A patriotic mantel from Memorial Day to 4th of July and then a summer/beach themed mantel from mid-July till September when I start decorating for fall. Yes, I am one of those people that like to change things up and yet my hubby still loves me. I am not near as bad with furniture and things on the wall – just the mantel, table, wreaths, coffee table and things like that.
Welcome to the red, white, and blue on my Summer Patriotic Mantel!
Again, I just decorated with things I pulled from around the house and many thrifted finds – I usually don’t buy anything new..
First the thrifted finds:
- I just got the large blue window a week ago at a yard sale for $3.00 and thought it would be fun to add to this mantel.
- The shutter and mirrored window were thrifted finds and stay on my mantel most of the year.
- The turquoise mason jar was a $2 yard sale find.
- The vintage coke bottle was a 25¢ yard sale buy this past weekend.
- And the “Home Sweet Home” print I grabbed off the wall in my guest bedroom. My dad found the print a few years ago in a free yard sale pile and I framed it. I just liked the vintage folk art look of it and thought it would be fun to add to this mantel.
And the clearance buys:
- The metal stars were $1-2 clearance buys from Kohl’s a few years ago (I need to spray paint one blue but didn’t have any blue spray paint.)
- The flag was a 20¢ clearance find from last year.
- The wooden flag was a $1.50 clearance buy from Hobby Lobby last year.
And I brought back my hanging red Ikea lanterns from my Christmas mantel – I love them!
I can’t get away from the whole layering thing! I need to challenge myself to do some thing totally different on my next mantel – maybe, we shall see!
I also added some red, white and blue in other areas in the house.
My kitchen table got decked out with some red, white, and blue placemats.
When I was putting them out, I noticed the price tag was still on the back. Yep, 50¢ each! Looks like they were a Wal-mart brand placemat, but I think I bought them at Burlington Coat Factory a few years ago. (Our BCF doesn’t carry placemats anymore.
)
I never keep my kitchen table set like this, because we do eat there a good bit and my nieces/nephew eat there too when they are here, BUT I thought it was fun this weekend to set it out with some plates! I love these red and white plates that I have so I couldn’t resist layering them with some blue napkins (Kohl’s clearance find) on top of my placemats.
And my centerpiece… well, I am showing you a bit of my weekend finds early (will detail them on Friday in my Frugal Friday post). I found this vintage coke crate and 12 bottles this weekend! It was actually a find for my husband to go into our home office/study, but I seemed to have incorporated them into my décor for now
Yum…Patriotic fruit pizza I fixed for our Sunday school breakfast and another one for a church cookout.
Last year my mom picked up a bunch of these little flags on major clearance! They were 90% off at Dollar General so the little ones were 10¢, med. ones were 15¢, and the larger ones were 20¢.
These are the medium ones and I added them to all my potted plants on the front porch.
My large flag is hanging outside and I added a few flags to the ferns. You can see my front porch makeover that I did this spring here.
And I added some flags to our deck too. Some little ones in my vintage window planter… (amazing what 30¢ can do!)
Some medium ones to my pots. See my petunias?? They are going crazy draping everywhere!
Yes, these are the same pots that I did for cheap by using different flowers out of those cheap little 6-packs of flowers to fill my pots.
The picture below shows them right after planting them the first week of April. And then you see how they look at the end of May just 8 weeks later!
My huge metal star (yard sale find) fits in perfect with the patriotic theme.
You can see our before/after deck reveal here.
Hopefully before July 4th, I can do something about that wreath on the door. I have not made a new wreath in a while so I think it is time for a patriotic wreath or at least a red wreath!
In fact I have a couple new patriotic crafts and such I hope to do and show you in the next few weeks.
My hubby grilled some amazing hamburgers on the grill yesterday and I made some homemade ice cream topped with some homemade hot fudge sauce! Yum! It was a good weekend!
I also have been crazy busy working on some pretty big projects this weekend, so I will have tons to share with you as soon as I can get the finishing touches done!
I trust whatever you did this weekend – projects, grilling, family fun day – you made some fun memories!
Have you added any red, white, and blue to your house? Or changed anything out for summer?
{cj}
Love the mantle!! Very nicely done as usual!! : )
Thanks, Nikki!
It’s all beautiful! I am gonna work on our mantel this week. Not sure yet which direction I’m gonna take, but gonna change it up a bit! I love your blue window add on to your mantel and your table is gorgeous!
Thanks, Molly! Can’t wait to see yours 🙂 David said when I brought home the blue window – “what do you need all these windows for -good grief!” Ha! 🙂
Love your mantel! Everything you do is pretty! =) And I’m drooling over your coke crate..that’s on my “must find” list..along with an old fashioned gum ball machine. =)
Thanks, Laine! I totally loved your red and turquoise in your post yesterday so that inspired me to use my ball jar to hold the flag and add another coke bottle. 🙂 I would never think to do turquoise and red but your wreath is gorgeous – I think a wreath in those colors may be in my near future! 🙂
I will explain more in my Friday post but I asked David if there were some things he wanted me to look for at yard sales for HIM! 🙂 A coke crate and bottles was one, plus a metal coke cooler, and a gumball machine too! 🙂 So a gumball machine is on MY list too 🙂 The guy I bought the crate from actually had a gumball machine on a stand like this – http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Antique-Style-Gumball-Machine-With-Stand-37-Tall-/260917398735?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cbfe38ccf#ht_642wt_1139 he was selling it for $15 BUT the glass or plexiglass in the part that holds the gumballs was cracked 🙁 and I didn’t know how and where I could find a replacement.
I really like those little red lanterns ! And of course the flags are terrific ! Happy summer 🙂
Thanks, Kathy! Happy summer to you too! I am looking forward to this summer! 🙂
I love your mantle. Everything looks great. I would love for you to share the Fruit Pizza recipe. It looks so good. Thanks.
Thanks, Kim! I have had several requests to share the fruit pizza recipe so look for that soon 🙂
My mantle is still decorated for spring but hopefully I will get a chance to work on it this week. Not exactly sure what I will do with it yet. I love the little red lanterns! I bought a white one at Ikea that is in the master bedroom. I sure wish that I had thought ahead and gotten some red ones too. Oh well, maybe they will still have them the next time I go. Love your coke crate too! Hope you have an awesome week 🙂
Those lanterns were actually white – I spray painted them before Christmas. Ikea does sell red ones but when I went to buy them around Thanksgiving last year they were out or weren’t carrying them at that time. I like them cause they were cheap $3.99 each! and I can use them for Christmas, Valentines, and summer! 🙂
I got mine in October and they had white, red and black at that time but I just wasn’t thinking ahead 🙁 My husband and I travel through Atlanta about every two weeks or so to pick up my step sons who live in Fayetteville so, I am hoping that I will get to stop in at Ikea on our next trip. I am thinking that I may get a red one and another white one to paint blue. Depends on what they have available. So cute and for a great price!
where do you live? I live SE of Atlanta so Atlanta Ikea is my Ikea! 🙂
Ooooh…. love the idea of doing one red, white and blue! 🙂 I took the glass out of the panes (just bed the little metal clips back) in order to paint mine. Easier than taping it all off.
I live in Elberton, GA about 45 minutes east of Athens. It is approx. a 2 hour trip for us, but like I said we go that way often so I try to coordinate my trips to Ikea at those times. We actually used to live closer to Atlanta, in Cumming, and moved here 5 years ago.
well, I have a fun announcement about a get together in my area so stay tuned for that! would love for you to come join me and get to meet you! 🙂
Here’s another idea, Kathy! And they just use the silver lanterns but use colored ribbon to hang them 🙂 http://pinterest.com/pin/279856564314051988/
How did you make your yummy lookin’ fruit pizza?
well, I have had several requests so I think I might just do a post on it! 🙂 look for it soon. It is easy and very yummy!
Super cute! You are inspiring. I usually look at mantels and tablescapes and think, ‘I could never afford that.’ Love that you’ve let us in on your secrets – everything SO inexpensive. What fun!
I promise you can afford mine! 🙂 I usually never buy anything new – it is all stuff I have in other areas or storage and mostly things I pick up on major clearance or at yard sales 🙂
You don’t have to change it up all the time either like I do. Just look for some main pieces – a window or a mirror and use them all year and just change up the things on the sides or layer things 🙂 It’s a great challenge to stretch yourself to not buy anything 🙂
Christina, it all looks so beautiful! I’m glad you explained about the red lanterns over the mantle. I kept enlarging the photos, trying to figure out how you were making them levitate! lol
ha! nope, just clear fishing line!
Thanks, Katie!
I love your patriotic touches here and there. I don’t usually put mine out until about mid June in time to enjoy them before the 4th of July. Your layered mantle is perfect! Love that look. Also your table and outdoors. Still have front porch envy and would love to sit on your pretty deck. Enjoy it all!
Donna
awww, thanks, Donna! Some years it has been June before I put them out but I figure if I can get them up end of May, I can enjoy them longer and make use of both holidays! 🙂
Thanks for following!
love your mantle! and your coke crate! but esp your fruit pizza pic…I seriously thought it was a stock photo when I first saw the thumbnail on facebook! great job!!! 😀
Nope, not a stock photo! Just courtesy of instagram – the way to make not-so-good phone pictures look awesome! 🙂 If I would have known I would be using my phone camera as much as I do now, I would have opted for a phone with a better camera – oh, well! At least I have instagram 🙂
Thanks! the coke crate was a yard sale find last week – fun finds! 🙂
You’re house is so darling. The way you layered that mantle is so great. You’re all set for the holiday. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Robin!
I just love that mantel looks like something that would be in my home very cool