Patriotic Decorating Ideas

The Fourth of July is a significant holiday in the United States, and many people love to celebrate it by decorating their homes in patriotic colors. If you’re looking for inspiration to decorate your home for Independence Day, look no further! In this blog, we’ve compiled some creative and easy patriotic decorating ideas to help you celebrate in style.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Red, White, and Blue Tablescape Decor Ideas

Incorporating patriotic colors into your table decor is an easy way to show your love for your country.

This was one of my favorite tablescapes I did. From the place settings to the centerpiece and even the chair pillows, this is a simple way to add some festive decor to your table. Get all my tips to recreate this Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Tablescape.

Source: Elegant Fourth of July tablescape with Ginger Jars by Summer Adams

One of my dear friends, Summer Adams, put together a beautiful tablescape for her kitchen table. Isn’t it so festive and beautiful? Check out all her tips on how to recreate this elegant Fourth of July tablescape with ginger jars.

Can I just tell you, I absolutely love the Fourth of July! It is one of my favorite holidays next to Christmas. I always make sure to pull out all the stops when putting together my Fourth of July party tablescapes. Setting a patriotic themed table is a great way to add patriotic decor to your home.

Have I ever shown you my patriotic dish organization? Like I said, I’m obsessed with all things Fourth of July, so what better way to showcase my dish collection than to have it all organized perfectly in my pantry! Get all my tips on how I organized these dishes.

Here are some other patriotic decorating ideas to get you started adding red, white, and blue decor to your home:

• Use red, white, and blue throw pillows on your couch or chairs
• Hang a patriotic wreath on your front door
• Display a vase of red, white, and blue flowers on your dining table
• Use a red, white, and blue tablecloth for your Fourth of July party
• Hang patriotic bunting or banners around your home

American Flag Decor

The American flag is a symbol of our country, and displaying it in your home is a great way to show your patriotism.

Source: Fourth of July Flag Ideas from My 100 Year Old Home

One of my friends Leslie Saeta is the queen of DIY and crafts. She has the best ideas for how to create and use Fourth of July flags as part of your decor – DIY style! Check them all out here.

I love a good patriotic tablescape, but why stop there? There are so many ways to incorporate patriotic elements into your home decor. I made this festive Fourth of July floral arrangement with faux flowers for my kitchen island. It was so easy to make! Here is the video reel from my Instagram on how I made this: Fourth of July Centerpiece. Check out all my favorite patriotic home decor ideas.

Here are some more creative ways to incorporate the flag into your decor:

• Hang a large American flag on your wall
• Use a small American flag as a centerpiece on your dining table
• Display a patriotic quilt or throw blanket on your couch or chairs
• Use American flag-themed curtains or pillows in your home

And if you’re feeling crafty, try making some homemade patriotic decorations with these ideas:

• Make a patriotic wreath using red, white, and blue ribbons
• Paint mason jars in patriotic colors and use them as vases for flowers
• Make a patriotic garland using red, white, and blue paper stars
• Create a patriotic banner using cardstock and string

Outdoor Patriotic Table Decor Ideas

Of course, if you’re hosting friends and family, chances are you’ll be spending some time outside too. I have all my favorite outdoor patriotic entertaining ideas here.

Source: Fourth of July Entertaining from Ella Claire Inspired

For the ultimate outdoor entertaining advice, you have to check out this Fourth of July entertaining post from my friend Kristen. She is the best at creating beautiful spaces indoors and out!

Source: Simple Patriotic Table Decor from Home With Holliday

If you are looking for a more simple version of a patriotic table, my friend Holliday has the best tips. You can find her full post for any patriotic holiday, such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or even Labor Day here.

Source: Fourth of July Party with Red and Blue Chic from To Have and To Host

If you’re looking for a gorgeously chic patriotic tablescape for your outdoor barbecue, you have to check out how my friend Lory put together her red and blue chic Fourth of July party table.

And last but not least, here is my latest outdoor patriotic tablescape. I set this table in our newly renovated backyard. You can read more about this Fourth of July patriotic tablescape in this post:

Fourth of July Table Settings: Ideas for a Festive Red, White, and Blue Outdoor Tablescape

Here are some more patriotic decorating ideas you can use if you’re hosting a Fourth of July party or BBQ:

• Use red, white, and blue balloons to decorate your backyard
• Set up a patriotic photo booth with props like American flags, Uncle Sam hats, and red, white, and blue sunglasses
• Serve food on patriotic plates and napkins
• Use red, white, and blue mason jars as drinking glasses

There are many creative and easy ways to decorate your home for Independence Day. Whether you’re incorporating patriotic colors into your decor, displaying the American flag, making DIY decorations, or hosting a Fourth of July party, you can show your love for your country in style. Happy Fourth of July!

If you enjoyed this post, here are some more patriotic decorating ideas that I’ve shared in the past.

The Most Festive Patriotic Entertaining Ideas for Your Celebration

I hope you enjoyed these patriotic decorating ideas! Happy Fourth of July!

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The post Easy Patriotic Decorating Ideas to Uplevel Your Holiday appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Stars and Stripes Flag Cake

This Easy Stars and Stripes American Flag Cake is really easy to make and you don’t have to be a master cake decorator or expert baker to pull this off! I’ll link sources at the bottom of the post!

I’m sharing the step-by-step instructions and photos so you can make this one for your Fourth of July celebration. Everyone loved my Stars and Stripes Flag Cake last year and I think I’ll make it a tradition from here on out.

Making the Cakes

This Easy American Flag Cake Recipe really is easy! You’ll need two cake box mixes. I used vanilla cake last year and this year I’m using lemon. One thing I always do to make my box mix cakes more moist is add a package of jello instant pudding to the cake batter. I used vanilla pudding for the vanilla cake and lemon pudding for the lemon cake mix. I follow the cake mix recipe and then I add about a 1/4 cup more water and two extra tablespoons of oil. Bake as directed in a half-sheet cake pan. Spray cooking spray generously on the sheet pan and then line it with parchment paper. This helps to remove the cake from the pan when you’re ready to assemble it.

Pour equal amounts of the cake batter into two, half-sheet baking pans sprayed with cooking spray and lined with parchment paper. It’s okay if the cakes don’t look perfect since you’ll be covering them up with filling and frosting.

After you’re done baking the cakes, let them cool, then set them in a freezer or refrigerator for about twenty minutes or so.

Cream Cheese Filling

While the cakes are cooling, start making the filling and the frosting. To make the filling, mix two packages of softened cream cheese with one large container of Cool Whip. Then add in a package of cheesecake jello pudding and two teaspoons of almond extract. I mix mine up in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer but you can also use a hand mixer or mix it by hand.

Next, make the vanilla buttercream frosting. You can use store-bought frosting but you’ll need three or four containers. I like to make my own because it’s so easy and it tastes so much better in my opinion.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Print

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Light and Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword buttercream frosting, cake, chocolate frosting, flag cake, fourth of july cake, vanilla frosting

Equipment

• Stand or Hand Mixer

Ingredients

• 1 pound butter(2 cups) (preferably unsalted)
• 6 ½ cups powdered confectioner sugar
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt (eliminate the salt if using salted butter)
• 6 tbsp heavy cream, room temperature

Instructions

• Make sure the butter and heavy cream are at room temperature. The butter should be soft enough to bend without breaking but not so soft that it's melting. Do not warm it in the microwave.
  1 pound butter(2 cups)
• Whip the butter with an electric or stand mixer until it's creamy and noticeably lighter in color. It should lighten up and become a pale yellow.
• Start adding the powdered confectioner's sugar into the whipped butter, make sure it is sifted and free of lumps, and start the mixer out on low so that the powdered sugar doesn't go everywhere! Gradually increase the speed of the mixer. Add about half of the rest of the powdered sugar then mix it for 3-5 minutes. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and mix it for another 3-5 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.
  6 ½ cups powdered confectioner sugar
• Mix the sugar in very well before adding the heavy cream. The frosting will be quite thick but the cream will loosen it up a bit and the frosting will become silky and lighter in color.
• Add in the vanilla, salt, and half of the heavy cream. Beat the frosting for three minutes then give it a stir and test the consistency. Add more cream, if needed, and beat for another 3-5 minutes. If the frosting is too loose and not thick enough, add in more powdered sugar until it's the right consistency.
  1 Tbsp Vanilla, ¼ tsp salt, 6 tbsp heavy cream, room temperature
• The frosting should be soft and spreadable but not so loose that it doesn't hold its shape.

Set the buttercream frosting aside while you assemble the cakes.

[holly_healthful_tips]

Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ever!

• Make sure the butter isn’t too soft. If it’s oily, it’s too soft and will cause the buttercream to curdle. Put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool it off a bit if it’s too soft.
• If you can find it, try using confectioners’ sugar that has cornstarch in it.
• Don’t be afraid to let the frosting whip for a while! The more air you add, the lighter the frosting will be, which in turn makes it taste less sweet. It also helps it to become white, so turn your mixer up and let it whip on medium-high for 5 minutes.

Use a tall cup and place the parchment bag inside the cup. This makes it easier when filling the piping bag with frosting. I use disposable piping bags but you can use a gallon zip lock bag or a pastry bag as well. [/holly_healthful_tips]

Assembling the Cake

I like serving my cake in a large rectangular baker. The one I have is Polish pottery and it has little blue stars on it. I’ve linked some of my favorite Seeing Stars Polish Pottery below so you can replicate the look. I can’t find any links to the white and blue stars (like I have here) but I’ve linked some similar ones below. I’ve had mine for over 20 years and they last forever!

When the cakes are cooled, lift the first cake out of the pan and set it inside a large baking dish or pan that is 9″x13″ or larger and place it in the bottom of the baking dish. Peel off the parchment paper.

 Spread a generous layer of the cream cheese filling.

Layer another one of the cakes and another layer of cream cheese filling.

Add one last layer of cake if your pan is large enough to hold three layers. If not, just use two of the cakes. Use the remaining cream cheese filling to cover the top of the cake.

Decorating the Top of the Cake With Stars and Stripes

Fill a piping bag or gallon zip lock bag with the buttercream frosting then cut off a small amount of the bottom of the piping bag. If you want to use a large piping tip you can but I didn’t.

Squeeze a little out into the bowl to make sure you made the hole big enough. You are going to want it to be big enough. Test it out until you’re comfortable with piping your rows. This is not a fancy cake so its okay if it’s not perfect! Just have fun and don’t stress when making it!

Add two rows of raspberries to start the stripes. Try to use large ones that are about the same size if you can. Then add two rows of buttercream frosting with your piping bag.

Continue with another two rows of raspberries to finish off the shorter section of the stripes. Then add two full rows of piped buttercream and so forth.

Next, add the blueberries in the stars section.

Get another piping bag or small ziplock bag, put a star tip or any tip you have, and add some white buttercream stars on top of the blueberries.

That’s it! Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it! This red white and blue Easy American Flag Cake Recipe might even become a tradition for your family, too!

Some other ideas to use up the rest of the cake and frosting:

Use a 3″ circular cookie cutter and cut out the extra cake into circular shapes. Use three layers of cake and use the rest of the buttercream frosting and cream cheese filling if you have some leftovers to make mini naked cakes!

Another thing my mom used to do was make sugar cookie dough and make a cookie fruit flag. Roll out the sugar cookie dough into a thick rectangle and bake as directed. When cool, add a layer of the cream cheese filling and then pipe the buttercream frosting. Then, assemble the fruit to make the flag (same concept as the cake above)

Wishing you all a very happy Fourth of July and I hope you give this a try!

I’d love it if you subscribed to my blog and feel free to follow me on Instagram @homewithhollyj and on Pinterest – Home With Holly J. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Check out this blog post Fourth of July Tablescape Ideas to see how I created two different tablescapes with this cake and other yummy desserts!

And this fun post  Patriotic Home Decor Ideas!

Similar Faux Stems:

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/26-peony-spray-white?_pos=4&_sid=d41b9a229&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/28-lambs-ear-leaf-spray-green?_pos=3&_sid=519af7410&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/blueberry-pick?_pos=1&_sid=d012e0487&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/blueberry-spray?_pos=2&_sid=d012e0487&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/copy-of-blueberry-pick?_pos=3&_sid=d012e0487&_ss=r

Enjoy!

XOXO,

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Sources and Similar items are linked below.

The post Stars and Stripes Flag Cake appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Tablescape

I love the Fourth of July! Celebrating this holiday has always been so fun and meaningful for me and my family. I also get an excuse to create a Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Tablescape and use my dishes in different ways!

I’ve traveled the world playing and coaching soccer, and whenever I have been in other countries, I almost always choke up when our national anthem is played. I have been able to observe how other people in various countries sing their national anthem at the top of their lungs with as much pride for their country as I have for mine. It’s such a beautiful thing!

I’m that person who will always sing it when it’s appropriate and my kids look at me weird and probably wish I’d just stand there with my hand on my heart. I am a stickler for putting the hand on the heart, hat off, and taking that time to show the respect to our flag and our country and the thousands of people who have sacrificed for our nation. I love my country and am grateful for the freedoms I have here in America!

In honor of our Independence Day, I created this patriotic tablescape from mostly things I had on hand. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find little patriotic trinkets to put on the table! I found the star candles and flags in the dollar bins at Target and have seen them at the dollar store as well!

The Tablescape Details

For the center swag I used faux eucalyptus as a base. I layered individual stems on top of the table runner. Then I added in a mix of faux white flowers stems and faux blueberries. I tucked them in until it looked balanced and then nestled in the candles and wooden stars.  To finish off the middle I added in two small flags.

Patriotic Place-Setting

For the dishes, I had these pretty blue and white plates and then I found a pretty red salad plate to layer on top! I pulled out some cobalt blue tumblers and finished it off with a red cloth napkin and a white napkin ring.  My cute mom was in town and had the idea to slide the dollar store flags into the napkins, which added a nice patriotic finish!

[holly_healthful_tips]

Holly’s Helpful Tips

*Keep it simple. The colors with your plate settings will do most of the work

*Try to incorporate things that you already have in your home, like candles or other little trinkets like the stars

*Mix and match dish patterns to create the dimension and contrast.

*Incorporate your own style! If you are more feminine or traditional in your style, choose pieces that reflect it

*Use real or faux flowers to build your swag. The faux flowers can be nice, because you can reuse them over and over again[/holly_healthful_tips]

Creating Family Memories

My mom, niece, sister-in-law, and daughter helped me put it all together. One of my favorite parts of doing tablescapes is having my family work together with me and creating memories we will enjoy for years to come! My mom’s love of dishes has passed on to me, and now I’m passing it down to my own daughter. It brings us all together and photographing and sharing them preserve it for us!  I hope that someday my granddaughters will look back at my photos of these tablescapes and feel inspired to create too!

My Own Families Service in our Armed Forces

I have so much gratitude and respect for those men and women that have chosen to serve in the armed forces. My husband served in the U. S. Army for 6 years as a dentist and I was an Army wife. It was difficult at times to be in the service with a young family but I’m so grateful for that experience and for my husbands service.

My second son, Jordan, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp just 5 days ago (June 2019) and is hopefully surviving his first week in boot camp. He went into the delayed entry leadership program and just turned twenty five. I am so proud of his willingness to serve his country and to delay his pilot career to enlist in the Marines. I can’t wait for his graduation from boot camp in September.

My third son, Cameron, has been doing the U.S. Air Force ROTC  program while attending UVU/BYU. He’s been at field training the past few weeks and I’m looking forward to seeing him when he returns. He just received a scholarship for the remainder of his college education and will enter the Air Force in two years after graduation. I am also extremely proud of him and know he will be amazing at whatever he does.

My heart if full as I write this post and I’m looking forward to celebrating our countries independence in a few weeks with an even greater respect for the men and women that serve this great nation we are so blessed to live in.

I hope this patriotic tablescape inspires you to create a beautiful and fun table-setting for your own family gatherings. Wishing you all a wonderful and safe Fourth of July. Enjoy!

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For some great recipes to go with this patriotic tablescape click here:

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie Recipe

Stans Scones and Honey Butter

Pink Party Punch and Refreshing Summertime Drinks

The post Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Tablescape appeared first on Home With Holly J.