June...let the summer begin!

The year is flying by so fast...hard to believe it is already June.  

Decorating patriotic style sets our home up for Memorial Day, Flag Day in June, and continues right up until 4th of July.  The red, white, and blue decorations always liven up the house and to me, they scream SUMMER!

The wreath on the door is one I have had for a few years. As I mentioned in some other posts, a lot of my wreaths really faded because in our last house the sun was constant on our front door.   Now in an apartment home I won't have that problem.   The ribbon was replaced last year, so it still looks fresh.   I had to switch out some of the blue flowers as they faded to a funny looking purple blue.   The red hat is a replacement for a patriotic bird house that used to grace the wreath.  It faded beyond repair so I picked up this hat ( 6 to a packet at Dollar Tree...I think they are favors) and it works perfectly.  

This is our foyer - I love the red/white/blue rattan stars - picked those up at Pier One.   A shout out to Ann at On Sutton Place for sharing such great printables for each season.   I purchased a frame ( once again, Dollar Tree) and am enjoying replacing the print for each season.

The other side of the foyer gets some patriotic pride with the LAST Boyd's Bear I own.   Wow...I had a whole slew of them and enjoyed decorating with them through the years.  But, times change - and people downsize and have to get rid of even things they love.  I was so surprised at our yard sale last year that the Boyd's Bears did not sell.  I had them marked 5 dollars apiece ( 3 for 10 !) and still they did not sell.   I ended up giving them away to children who visited the yard sale...so I know they have a good home.  This little guy was stored away in the "Summer" box and I was happy to see him.

Dining table gets a simple decoration - that is the flag that used to fly on our front porch...just wrapped around another Dollar Tree decoration.   When I worked in the school library I loved using the faded flags from our home for decoration in displays about Memorial Day, the Civil War, and other patriotic themes.   I just borrowed the idea for our dining table.

The kitchen gets some sass with bowls and plates that I put in with my plain white dishes.   The little star cookie cutters with the red/white/blue ribbons were napkin ring favors for a 4th of July party one year.    They look cute tucked into various spots around the house.

The kitchen sink gets a flag and some star cookie cutters...and an old toothpick flag decorates the stove.

Was not quite sure about these red/white/blue pillows - I used to change out the pillows on our screen porch and used these for June and July.  Now our screen patio is a different color scheme and I thought I would try them in the living room.  What do you think ?

Another one of the cookie cutter stars...and patriotically wrapped Dove chocolates.  This was NOT a good idea as I tend to pick one up WAY to often!

I had a bunch of little flags so I try to tuck them in wherever I can...

On the porch I kept the one flag pillow on the chaise...and then added flags to the pots of flowers and herbs.

I was used to my old screen porch with steps down to a patio that got LOTS of sun.   That is where my herb and flower garden used to thrive.  Here we have the screen patio which we adore...but get only late afternoon sun. I thought I would try from herbs and flowers and see how they do - so far, surprisingly well.  The zinnias are getting buds, the herbs seem to be doing ok, the begonia was a gift from a friend...

And I am thrilled that the basil is taking off...as well as the mint!   I had to clip some of both today before they got too "leggy".   Hopefully the plants will continue to thrive as the summer goes on. And, that sign made it from the old house to Our New Vista.  It was the truth there and it is even more so now.  We love our new apartment, being retired, and enjoying life together.

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment and let me know how you decorate for summer ?   Do you go with a patriotic theme?  Or a beach motif?   When out in the stores ( ooh...a new At Home opened here and I am obsessed with it) there seems to be so many items for out door living.   Do you enjoy a porch, a patio, or a yard.   Love to hear about your world. 

Thanks - have a fabulous summe !