Here Comes Summer !

Every year Memorial Day Weekend seems to sneak up on me!  I like to change out some decorations to a patriotic theme for Memorial Day and keep it all out until after the 4th of July - which will also be here before I know it!

The wreath above is several years old....I added a new ribbon, some additional flowers, and a top hat from Dollar Tree to spruce it up for this year.  Mostly everyone in our building has a wreath of some kind on their apartment door and it really looks nice.  I added the Ukrainian flag to the wreath holder...praying for peace in Ukraine.

In the entry I added a red lantern and tied a flag bow on the top, along with a little metal star and a patriotic print.

A big thank you to Ann at On Sutton Place for the printables she shares.  I love to have one displayed in our foyer. You can visit her blog here - On Sutton Place

Dining room has a simple arrangement of silk hydrangeas with a flag tucked in...and the wicker stars scattered around are from Pier One many years ago.

A little colonial flag to dress up this blue candle holder...

and a simple display for the coffee table.  I used an old flag from years ago to fill the tray, added red and blue crystals to the candle holder, and then tucked in the firecracker picks I picked up last year from JoAnn Fabric after the holiday.

A little display in the kitchen.

And the only Boyd's Bear I kept after we downsized....I had so many and loved them, but when we moved and had a yard sale I almost could not give them away.  I ended up giving them to children who showed up with parents...and hope they all have a loving home.  This cutie with the flag sweater made the cut to come to Our New Vista.

One of the the things we LOVE about living here at Willow Valley Communities - and the list is long - is that once a year we get a deep cleaning of our apartment as part of our contract.  The team does an amazing job....9 people show up at 8 AM and do a fabulous job on every part of our apartment.  Wash all woodwork, windows, etc. - even clean the inside of the washer and dryer.   We love that our annual cleaning falls in May because they do a fabulous job on our screen porch....the floors, the walls, and even all the furniture.  We had our cleaning last week so I was ready to pull out my red/shite/blue pillows.

A little stars and stripes for the table with a star candle container.

Some patriotic coasters and the faux geranium that I have had for year.  We get very little direct sun on our porch, so this flower does the trick for us.

And lastly, my favorite spot for the summer.   I love to sit here anytime of day...with a coffee, tea, or wine...and relax, read, and sometimes nap.   I have the chaise angled so it looks out onto beautifully manicured shrubs ( that Willow Valley takes care of) and watch the birds and sometimes deer come out of the fields behind our building.  

It's time for summer reading and I am excited to go to an author lecture tomorrow ....and get some great new books to share.

Do you decorate in a patriotic theme ?  Are you a big time summer reader ?  Please leave a comment below and let me know - I love hearing from you! Until then, have a great summer and thanks for stopping by Our New Vista!