Vintage Patriotic Vignettes with Unexpected Items
Decorate a patriotic vintage style vignette using unexpected items you already have around your home! Check out these affordable ideas below.
Love to decorate for all the patriotic holidays but on a tight budget? Or not loving the mass-produced decor in stores? Check out these 7 ways to bring that red, white and blue style to your home using unexpected items you probably already have!
7 creative ways to decorate patriotic vignettes
We all collect different items in our homes, based on what we love, what we
collect, what's been handed down to us, etc. You may not have any of the items
I've listed below, but take a look around your home and use what you DO have!
Use my ideas as a jumping off point to springboard your own creativity and put
together your own unique patriotic vignettes!
Tips to keep in mind:
- Your home is your own, decorate with what you love!
- Almost anything red, white and blue can work in a patriotic vignette
- Walk around your home and look for items that maybe you've never thought to use as decor!
- Keep an open mind, challenge yourself not to spend any money but use what you already have
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1. Vintage dishes
I've been collecting vintage dishes for several years now and have a very
nice collection. I mostly look for white ironstone and blue and white
transferware when I'm out thrifting.
When creating a patriotic vignette, grab those red, white and/or blue dishes
from the depths of your hutch or china cabinet and use them as decor! Don't
these vintage teacups look pretty set within a frame, surrounded by red geraniums.
Maybe you don't have vintage white dishes but you own some Rae Dunn pieces.
Just turn them so the words face backwards, as I did with this pitcher, and
you have the same look!
Try stacking vintage dishes or teacups in an unexpected way, they even look
great in a basket!
2. Old chair spindles
I've been making my own 'chippy spindles' for years, and they all started as a
curbside chair and old crib rail that I've cut up and chippy-ed myself for
free! If you want to know exactly how I do it, you can see my
easy chippy paint technique here. Last year I painted a few small
red, white and blue spindles
just for patriotic decor. The addition of a little hand stamped tag using
alphabet stamps
and
permanent black ink and a homespun fabric tie adds the perfect patriotic touch.
You can tuck a few chippy spindles anywhere! Inside mason jars, tied in a
bundle, or add a few to a tiered tray.
3. Scrap fabric
If you're like me and have a drawer full of scrap fabric, grab some blue and
red scraps and make DIY flags. These ones have the cutest little flag poles
made from a dowel rod and wood bead. You can coffee stain the fabric if you
want more of a primitive, vintage look. For more
details on making and displaying scrap fabric flags, click here.
Designer tip: for instant patriotic decor, tuck a flag into a plant! Use
handmade flags or the store-bought mini flags!
4. Paint and dollar store wood pieces
It's very easy to create a rustic and weathered American flag using paint and
wood pieces from the dollar store. The finished wood flag is sturdy and can
stand by itself. For details on making a
dollar store wood flag, click here. This one cost me $5 to make! It's a great piece for layering with your
other patriotic pieces, but can stand alone as a shelf sitter as well.
5. Baseballs
Got any old baseballs gathering dust in the garage? Put them to use in your
patriotic decor! Baseballs are quintessentially American and summer. They are
such a fun and unexpected item to use when creating Americana vignettes, and
the dirtier and more weathered, the better!
Stack baseballs in a dough bowl, pile them in a cloche or simply sprinkle them
around your vignette. They will add patriotic charm and a little unexpected
surprise!
6. Painted bottles
Last year I found a set of 6 small glass milk bottles in a wood crate on
clearance at Hobby Lobby. I painted the bottles, added a Santa tag and tied
red ticking ribbon around the rims. You can see how I made the
Christmas bottles here. I simply turned them backwards and added a few of the white bottles to my
patriotic display. They resemble
vintage milk bottles, another item that was so common back in the day. Tuck a flag into the
bottles, add them to a pedestal stand, or simply use to fill in dead space in
a vignette! Can't find the bottles? Recycle your Starbucks glass bottle!
7. Old books
Stacks of old books can add interesting layers and patina to your vintage
vignettes! For a unexpected twist, I removed a drawer from my painted dresser
and lined up a series of old books, with their grubby pages facing out. Any
hard cover books can be grungied up and patinaed using coffee or tea
stain to give them the look of age.
Let me know in the comments if you'd like a tutorial on exactly how to do
this!
Designer Tips:
- layer your vignette for more interest
- add texture in the form of wood, metal, baskets, etc
- add in some antique or old books
- if you need a neutral backdrop, do what I did. Glue 6 Dollar Tree vintage 'metal' tiles to a piece of MDF or plywood and paint with white chalk paint. It's lightweight, easy to move, and creates an instant background to a vignette.
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More vintage style patriotic DIYs
I love every idea! Especially the tea cups and baseballs! And the backdrop with painted tin is genius as well. Happy summer friend. It all looks so festive and fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cindy! I was excited to find a bag of baseballs at the thrift store last summer!
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