We Americans are an odd lot. Thankfully, it’s an inalienable right to be so! It’s in our constitution to be able to express ourselves, freely and often, even if we don’t agree. In fact, some may observe we are a nation, proliferate with a differing of opinions. We can offer up a pretty good lot of criticism, especially during some of these trying times. I view it a bit like being a part of a large family. We can dish it out, but when it comes down to someone else stepping on the “family’s” toes, we band together with an immense source of protective pride! The Fourth of July – or our Independence Day celebration – is to me, like a big family reunion. We can be out-of-touch, for a time, but the day brings us together to recognize our roots, and we’ll fly our flags high, celebrate with great food, and make a lot of noise in the process!
Here are some ideas for spreading the red,white, and blue theme, inside and out:
Bunting draped on this turn-of-the-century home leaves no doubt about the event being celebrated.
Some random accents add pops of color.
Pots bursting forth with patriotic pride!
What a most creative way for this homeowner to display their quilt collection! A cleverly placed screened-door, painted in ink blue, frames the contents.
We Southerners do love our porches! Nan Graham shares a fun poke at us, in her book, Turn South at the Next Magnolia. To paraphrase . . . “Whereas others may hide their eccentric family members, we Southerners proudly display them on the porch, for everyone to see.” Wonder if it’s like going “whole hog”, when it comes to decorating with the red, white, and blue?
I hope you’ll be inspired to show your true colors and fly them high. You’ve been given permission!
I really think she should go with a couple of adirondack chairs. I love these white adirondack chairs for only $85 from 
I'm kind of obsessing about fans right now. They keep the bugs away and I love the look too!! (Anything to bring more inside stuff outdoors!!) How great is this $80 fan from Home Depot?!!:
And I'm kind of going nutty over these pillows from Restoration hardware which are only $21!!!! (--They come in so many pretty colors and they're having a huge sale on outdoor stuff right now.) I've had my Restoration hardware outdoor pillows for a few years & they've held up so well, so this is a really good buy. (Home depot also has some cute ones right now but they're actually more expensive)
We got the Nikko Blue Hydrangeas but they're pink right now so (me being lazy) I'll be waiting to see if my soil is acidic enough to turn them blue eventually. (If not, I'll have to add some, but I'm actually loving the pink right now because they work beautifully with all the zinnias!) image from 
Our yard & garden is super-rough right now but my next goal is getting some creeping groundcover around some stepping stones like in the Country Living pic below: (This website specializes in groundcovers you can walk on: 
