Deck and Porch Decorating for the Fourth of July...and a Recipe

I'm two days late with this post, but I thought I'd show everyone how I decorated my front porch and back deck for the Fourth of July holiday.

The Front Porch

The main staple of the porch is always my antique church pew. It's from Connecticut, circa 1870s and supposedly once belonged to Skitch Henderson (so said the man who sold it to me - no real proof, but it's a good story). Skitch was the original conductor of the Tonight Show band before Doc Severinsen.  I added some colorful pillows and my favorite piggy bank that I bought many years ago on a trip to Maryland - on Assateague Island. I added some red, white and blue sunglasses for a touch of humor.

My granddaughter and I made some pinwheels in red, white and blue and placed them in a plant stand.  The little red chair, which I bought at the NY Gift Show in January, was a perfect perch for red and white striped petunias in a holiday pot. The red star was a $3 purchase that I painted in Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint - Emperor's Silk.  The antique red watering can I found at a garage sale several years ago and the planter was a gift from one of my best friends, Alex.

Here's the full view (sorry about my van and me showing up in the window!!) I purchased the buntings from Indepence Bunting and Flag - which is a great company (not a paid endorsement) and they carry many different decorations for all holidays.

The Back Deck

OK - yes those are red plastic plates!  So sue me!  I have a family that doesn't always help with the dishes...so it's a time saver for me. Besides I had these red babies on hand - so it made perfect sense.  I found a great outdoor table runner at Home Goods ($7 - thank you very much) that has a velcroed (is that a word now?) opening for the umbrella hole.  For those of you who sew - this is an easy enough thing to do for your outdoor tables. 

It looks like my family had a great time! (Note that the sangria pitchers on the table are just about empty...save for the fruit!)

Even Cassidy - my daughter's dog!

Hope everyone had a great holiday!! In case you might be interested in the Sangria recipe I used...here it is.  Combine all ingredients and let sit for an hour or two at room temperature to blend all the flavors. Chill and serve with ice.

• Large bottle of Red wine
• 1 1/2 cups of Orange Juice
• 1 cup of Club Soda
• 1/2 cup of Orange Liqueur (I used Patron's)
• Cut up peaches, cherries and strawberries
• Sugar, to taste 

I'm linking this up to:

Between Naps on the Porch; Designs by Gollum

Happy 4th of July Tablescape

I have to admit that my family used to be lucky 1) if I served anything more ambitious than a hot dog on a bun and some salad on July 4th and 2) it was always served on paper plates (and they were lucky if the plates had some red, white and blue on them.  Plain old white ones were the norm). With single motherhood, energy and money had to be placed in other areas.

But since I've remarried and have a blog...my family gets to have better decorated holidays! I was always so busy decorating other people's homes - that mine suffered for quite awhile. So, I spent today decorating.  My granddaughter, Meghan, came over to help and my husband put up some stars and stripes buntings for me on the porch and did some other odds and ends things that helped me out a great deal.  A big thanks to both of them!

Meghan - with holiday specs and pinwheels we made

One of the toughest things for me this holiday was trying to find red, white and blue things.  I used to be a "blue" person back in the 80s, so I had a few next to none 'cause I sold most of them accessories that would go.  I've had the blue pitcher/vase since the mid 90s - I bought it in La Conner, Washington during the annual tulip festival. I never missed a festival while I lived in that state - it's a gorgeous vista that I could never get enough of.

Via

I collect teapots - so I have a good supply of blue ones.  The rest of the items I had on hand because of my home staging business.  Placemats, plates, napkins, napkins rings etc - you need to have those items on hand at all times. The red plates were a bargain ($3 a piece at HomeGoods) - couldn't resist! The red mercury candle holders - were from Christmas...but the color was perfect!

I hope that everyone has a safe and happy, healthy Fourth of July!  I am hoping that the weather here on Long Island will hold up for a barbeque.  We're grilling chicken, salmon and corn on the cob.  Hope it won't have to be done with an umbrella over our heads!!

Have a great holiday!