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Simple Patriotic Decorations For the Front Door

Patriotic decoration of flags on the front door

Decorating for our first holiday in the new house with simple patriotic decorations for the front door. (Okay. It’s actually our third holiday here but we were just barely here for Easter and Memorial Day blew past us.)

We’re still working on getting settled in the new house. I have incomplete vignettes, ill-fitting furniture and boxes stacked all around. I so want to show y’all the house, but simply can’t bring myself to show it in the state it’s in at the moment. It doesn’t have to be perfect (’cause that’ll never happen) but right now it looks like a…. well, it just looks baaaaddddd! I mean, really. You don’t want to see our necessities that are piled around for lack of a place to go. Well, you might get a kick out of it, but… ummm… I dunno. You’d probably think we were nasty people.

So. I did put together a patriotic decoration for the front door. Makes it look like we’re more settled than we are. It was simple and quick, too. 

As I said, it’s simple and quick. But I forgot to mention it’s cheap, too! The cost of the flags was about $6.00. I had the bucket. ~ You may have seen it in the kitchen “pantry” in the old house. ~ It’s an old, some-kind-of-bucket with a hanger on it. Maybe a type of syrup bucket?? Anyway, it was painted with a flat blue paint when I got it at some sale or another a long time ago.

I think, if you wanted to make one, finding something to put the flags in will be the hardest part, but you could probably pick up a bucket at The Dollar Tree or Dollar General or for a bit more money, Hobby Lobby, Target or Michael’s. And don’t forget Wal-Mart. A galvanized bucket or a white enamel bucket would look great or you might want to spray paint something to your desired color, maybe even red, white and blue stripes!

I stacked squares of florist foam (Thought I was getting a solid block when I bought it.) in the bucket to hold the flags. First I only had small flags, thinking the larger ones would be too big.

Patriotic decorations for the front porch door

It seemed to need something…. more. I added a crepe paper bow — because I don’t have my ribbons here yet — but it still seemed like it was lacking something. I saw a friend’s antique booth where she had some larger flags in a similar size bucket and thought I’d try adding some of them. Bingo! It was just what was needed without trying to come up with a non-existent talent of adding greenery or a big bow or something. But, does it still need a bow???

I may go to the storage unit to pull out some other patriotic decorations before the 4th gets here. Or I may not. It’s just too dang hot! I also have most of the supplies to make this banner from Country Living. The only thing I don’t have is a newspaper, a key component of the banner, but it’s too dang hot to go out and buy one!

Let’s see your patriotic decorations! And of course pins are always appreciated.

Patriotic decoration for the front door using flags and a blue, hanging bucket!

 

 

 

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Vintage Halloween Decorations At My House

Pin this - Using vintage Halloween decorations

Can you believe it? I pulled out the vintage Halloween decorations and they only sat on the table for a week before I found a place for them! Woohoo! Wanna see? Come on! I’ll show you!

So, this first one isn’t technically Halloween. It fits the general fall decor, but I just have put it out. It’s actually a garland thingie, kinda formed into a circle. It doesn’t want to straighten out, so I figured it would be a good, skinny wreath. I’ll change the words on the chalkboard soon.

Fall garland wreath on chalkboard door

 

 

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Vintage Halloween decorations are very hard to find around my area, so I feel fortunate to have the few things I have!

Remember this pumpkin from the few fall decorations I did? I added two, tiny, plastic, vintage Halloween decorations to it. An itty bitty pumpkin head man and an orange, arched back cat.

Tiny, vintage Halloween decorations.

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I forgot I had these vintage, Halloween witch candles! Found them in a plastic baggie. I don’t even remember buying them. How could I forget? 

Collection of vintage Halloween witch candles.

In the same bag as the witch candles were this pumpkin head men candles! I love them! What a fun surprise for me! One little guy has a messed up head, but that’s just fine with me. 

Vintage Halloween pumpkin head men candles

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These buckets aren’t old, but hey. I can’t afford old, paper mache pumpkin buckets! The little one in front with the wire handle isn’t old, either. Only the tiny, plastic ones have a bit of age on them.

Paper mache Halloween pumpkin buckets

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I have a collection of three vintage black cats. One, the larger one with his be-hind stuck up in the air, is a buttless cat — cactus planter, stamp wetter, whatever. The one you can’t tell much about is an arched back cat standing in front of an urn. Made in Japan and probably not meant for Halloween. The buttless cat was probably not meant for Halloween either. The cat in front, standing on a skull, is a crudely done ceramic or pottery/clay cat with a broken and repaired tail.

No, I didn’t make the pumpkin. I haven’t taken the time to try my hand at that yet.

Vintage Halloween black cats

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These are some of my favorites. Vintage, Halloween, pumpkin head, scarecrow, knee huggers! Have you ever?! Aren’t they adorable?

Vintage Halloween pumpkin head knee huggers

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This isn’t the best picture of the jar of bottles, but it’s always a favorite.

Jar of Halloween bottles

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These are nice witches who live in front of vintage, crepe paper flowers and a pink calendar plate. They’re made like a knee hugger, but aren’t technically a hugger. The cat in the foreground is a cupcake pick stuck in the end of a Halloween horn.

Vintage witch Halloween decorations

That’s all for today. I do have more, but they aren’t arranged nicely. If I manage to find a better place for them, I’ll share the pictures.

Thanks for coming along for the look-see! 

In previous years I’ve put everything on the mantle and called it done. This year, I wanted to spread them out. Dani has had fun finding and playing with some of them. Grandchildren do cause us to be a little more motivated, don’t they?

Here are some other years’ decorations:

Fall and Halloween Bottles and Jars and Bottles In Jars

Halloween Mantle 2012

Clowns and Witches, Witches and Clowns

Want to start or add to your own vintage Halloween collection, but they’re hard to find in your area as well? Click here to see the fantastic vintage Halloween items always available on Etsy! (And yeah. That’s the affiliate link.)

Using vintage Halloween decorations

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A Tiny Bit Of Fall Decorating – Fall Vignettes

Fall decorating with a small pumpkin on top of black glass match holder

So. Yeah. I was ready to do some fall decorating. Right. I pulled out my boxes and realized most everything was either Halloween or Thanksgiving themed. Not much was generic fall. So, I have nothing noteworthy. But I’ll show you what I did do.

Some fall colored string balls in the stack of dough bowls in the little dining room:

Fall colored balls of string in stack of antique dough bowls.

In the same room, I put some kind of shedding, dried flower bunches in a brown transferware bowl. As long as we don’t touch them or blow on them, everything is fine. Continue reading A Tiny Bit Of Fall Decorating – Fall Vignettes