Patriotic Summer Porch At Our New Home

A colorful and simple summer porch set up with flags, gingham pillows, vintage crocks and a refreshing summer drink made with watermelon.

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It's summer! And boy do we know it! Temps here at the tip of Mississippi are hot and we know the humidity is just around the corner.

We just moved into our new home. As you can imagine, there has been a lot of unpacking and sorting and figuring out where to put things as we attempt to get settled. I'm excited to share some pretty indoor pics but for today, I'll be sharing our summer porch that I decorated with some simple patriotic touches. If you missed it, I just crafted the cutest flag inspired wreath for my front door using just two supplies! And I made a set of yarn wrapped hearts with blue gingham for just $2 (see the patriotic hearts here).

Click here to see all my patriotic ideas


Today is our monthly Pinterest Challenge, when a group of bloggers each shares our take on an inspiration image. Thanks to Cindy at County Road 407 for coming up with the challenges each month and keeping us organized! If you hopped over here from County Road 407, welcome! I always love seeing Cindy's creativity in these challenges.


I don't always go all out with patriotic decorating, but this summer just seemed to call for pulling out the red, white and blue! Celebrating our country with the bright colors of the flag is a great way to decorate. It's only 1 week until July 4th! If you need some thrifty decorating ideas, I've put together an Amazon shopping guide with patriotic items for under $25 - click here to see the guide.

Back to the challenge...let's take a look at the inspiration image and then I'll show you more of our new porch. Be sure to visit all the bloggers at the end, it's always fun to see everyone's different interpretation!

Inspiration image

The inspiration image this month is from a roundup on BHG.com and credit goes to Kim Cornelison for this cute image.


What a darling porch, right? Of course the sweet pup caught my eye right away, and yours too I'll bet, but I was drawn to the white cottage furniture, the pops of red and blue and that juicy watermelon - the perfect summer fruit!

How to set a simple summer patriotic porch

My takeaways from the inspiration image

  • wicker chairs
  • cute pup
  • blue rug
  • red gingham pillows
  • red flowers
  • flags
  • red and blue bunting

I was able to decorate the porch at our new home just a week after moving in! I've barely made a dent in unpacking, so had to work with what I had (and in full disclosure, I have been doing a little tiny bit of shopping!). While the inspiration image has a white porch and white furniture, I wasn't about to go buy new white porch furniture - although someday I would love to have white porch furniture. Using what I already had, I was able to create a similar feel on our new porch  - which is actually the back patio of our home.

The point of these challenges is to show you how you can replicate a look that you see and love even if you don't have all the right elements! Use what you have, get creative and decorate a space that works for your family and your needs!

Our wicker chairs were purchased at Lowes a couple of years ago ( see similar here), and while they're not white, they do add that cottage charm to the porch. I bribed Millie (with watermelon!) to pose for me and she didn't disappoint, ha!


This colorful floral botanical Morrocan rug is also from Lowes, and while it isn't strictly patriotic, it does work. I love how a rug helps to anchor a seating arrangement. Using an outdoor rug on the porch makes clean up so easy as it can just be hosed off and left in the sun to dry.


I found my red gingham pillows and brought them outside for these pics. Gingham is a classic and the red is just right for a patriotic setting.

Did you spot the vintage Marshall pottery crock in the above image? I found that while out thrifting in Memphis for only $10! I was so excited because it's made in Marshall, Texas (in case you're new here, we just moved from Texas!). It was one of those purchases that was a total no-brainer...I already can't wait to tuck a small Christmas tree into the crock in a few months!

I found the red geraniums at Michaels for a great price and added 4 bunches to the large crock for under $15! I just checked and they're still on sale!! I love geraniums and these are very realistic. My mom always had red geraniums on our patio and I'm reminded of her everytime I see these (this month marks 17 years since she left us).

Decorator tip: when I use faux flowers or greenery, I always separate and pull the stems apart, bending a few down to make it look more realistic. The wire in the stems makes this easy to do.

I added a few flags to carry the patriotic theme, tucking a couple into another vintage crock, and adding one to a basket of Monstera. Okay...small aside here...can you believe that we moved all of our plants with us (you can see more if you visit my sunroom in Texas). I'm talking maybe 30 plants including the ones on our large porch! And not one died! I have to give kudos to Janie (my son's future momma-in-law) for allowing us to drop them off at her home while we were transitioning and carefully tending them for us!

This little 3-legged plant stand was something Mr DIY and I made from a broken antique washstand that I found on the side of the road! You can see how we did it here. And that cute watering can is from Target. That's also where I found the buffalo check rug (again, an outdoor rug for easing maintenance!) I brought them onto the porch because not only are they functional, but they help to add some of that cottage style.


While I was shopping at Michael's, I spotted this cute fabric  floral flag garland and hung it up across the window. I do have patriotic buntings like the ones in the inspiration images but they're still packed away.


My son surprised us one afternoon and made watermelon agua fresca. It is so refreshing and colorful! I added a few chunks of watermelon and some blueberries (we just picked 5 lbs of blueberries from a farm a few miles from our new home!) to glasses of ice and we've been enjoying this drink on repeat! 

Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have any favorite ways to use blueberries!


Have you ever tried agua fresca? It's so yummy! I'll be sharing the recipe soon.


And that's a wrap on our backyard summer patriotic porch! After weeks of living out of a suitcase, getting to decorate and style my home again has been really fun!

Love it? Pin it to remember


patriotic summer porch ideas

Please don't miss the other interpretations of this Pinterest Challenge,  Kristin at White Arrows Home is next (she has the cutest cabin on the lake), and you can check everyone else's patriotic porches below.

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Comments

  1. HI Cindy, love the blue and white watermelon bowl. So I feel like I am the debbie downer today because the ads are taking over the blog posts!
    I adjusted mine on my ad network (takes about 72 hours to see results).

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    1. I'm sorry that was your experience. My blog is my business and I rely on the ads for my income. I did check my settings with Mediavine, and they're set to show the minimum ads for the content I produce. You can always use an ad blocker.

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  2. Cindy,
    Your porch looks just stunning. I know you are excited to get settled into your new home. Can't wait to see more.

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  3. Your pup is absolutely darling! I'd love to find a similar crock and that rug is gorgeous.

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    1. Thanks Laura, Millie loves watermelon almost as much as we do!

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  4. I love your patio, so pretty and your chairs and accessories seem to fit perfectly. It's always hard to get settled into a new home, but it looks like you are doing really well. Can't wait to see more of your new home.

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  5. Cindy!! I'm so glad you found a new house so soon! It's beautiful from what I can see here. :) Your pup looks adorable cuddled up on the chair and made my pins (always pin a bunch from everyone's posts!!) to Animal Friends today! Very pretty and aren't you happy to have found some pillows in your boxes?! I think it took my mother-in-law six weeks before she found hers. She had 57 years of stuff to look through, though, lol! Looking forward to seeing the rest of your home over time.

    Enjoy decorating your new home as each box gives you a new surprise!
    Happy summertime hugs,
    Barb :)

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    1. Thanks so much Barb! I actually have a 'pillow room' LOL, the cubby under the stairs, so it wasn't too difficult to find what I needed ;)

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  6. Everything looks so amazing Cindy! Have fun with your new home, it's already looking wonderful! I love the gingham pillows and that rug!

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  7. Glad you're getting settling in your new place. Your porch (and pup) are adorable!

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  8. Cindy, you are amazing to move three states away and not even miss a beat! Your patriotic porch is just darling, especially the red gingham pillows and rug! Great buy on the crock too! Love it and pinning!

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    1. Thanks Michelle, after 10 days in the Extended Stay, I was itching to decorate!

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  9. Our daughter is also a plant girl. She probably has 30 in her bedroom. I tease her that if we ever needed to hold up in a room, it should be hers since it produces so much oxygen. Love your porch and looking forward to the recipe for your watermelon drink! Seems like you've done a tremendous job with making your home feel cozy and inviting. And such a short amount of time! Thanks for taking the time and energy to join our challenge. Everything looks perfectly patriotic! pinned

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    1. Thank you Cindy, decorating and blogging has been my therapy during the crazy days of moving! Ha, love that your daughter has created a jungle in her bedroom! She's breathing some amazing air!!

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  10. I love your patriotic porch, Cindy! Congrats on the new home! I look forward to seeing what you do with your new spaces!

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