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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Three Easy Designs...Patriotic Deck

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Have you ever noticed how 
patriotic the designs of automobile license plates are?

License plates are one of the three easiest ways
to add patriotic decor any place.
Easy to find...
Inexpensive at antique stores or free after expiration...
Versatile to use... 
Just stand one anywhere,
or hang using the built-in screw holes.
Easy, easy, easy... no drilling.  


Stars, red, white, blue... 
An older Texas plate that once was on my car is 
very patriotic, 
among its many themes... 
state map, space travel, cowboys, oil wells... 



This is one of my all-time favorite Texas plates.  

I grew up outside Huntsville, Alabama, 
the Rocket City in the United States, and 
married a long tall Texan. 
He wasn't a cowboy with a horse, 
but he did wear boots, attended Stock Shows, 
and we have a gas lease on our two acres. 
Don't get too excited. 
The last royalty check was $36.  



Here are four license plates found in my 
haphazard collection of auto license plates, 
and all of them are patriotic. 

Look at the bottom left Alabama plate. 
The background is a flag, and 
the logo is, 
"God Bless America." 



Welcome to my patriotic deck, 
outfitted for summer holidays 
with pillows, colorful drinks, and license plates. 

Independence Day - July 4 
Bastille Day - July 14 
Labor Day - September 1



Sit for a while. 
Enjoy a cool drink under the shade trees. 
True summertime activities... 



Texans in the left Adirondack chair... 
Filled with blue stars and stripes... 
Who says stripes have to be red? 

The second quick way 
to add patriotic decor is with pillows. 

The large pillow came from Pottery Barn last fall 
when it was the last one in the store and on sale. 

No throw pillows?
For talented DIYers,
Confessions of a Serial DIY
shows how to make your own
patriotic drop cloth pillow.
Now, if only my sewing machine would work. 

Then there is always bargain hunting for beautiful pillows.
Watch for end-of-season sales...
Like the European-size blue stars and stripes Pottery Barn pillow...

Or, best of all, outlet shopping. 


Alabamans in the right Adirondack chair... 
With the new Pottery Barn OUTLET pillow. 

I was so excited to get to go to a Pottery Barn Outlet last week. 
The closest one is about four hours from here, 
and the cost of the gas for driving there cancels out savings. 
So, no Pottery Barn Outlet shopping. 

Then, I looked online and found one in Memphis, Tennessee, 
right on the route to my mom's house in Alabama. 

My sister and I stopped there on 
the way home from visiting Mother. 
It was just ten minutes from our highway.  
The flag pillow was not the only bargain I found. 



After all that shopping and driving, 
sitting on the deck is called for. 



A patriotic California license plate tops a rustic homemade birdhouse 
that doubles as a storage box. 



Native of other states?... sit at the table. 
We can round up more chairs as needed. 



Linen and cotton blue napkins with stars, 
more Pottery Barn Outlet bargains, 
are tied with a re-used ribbon. 



Patriotic designed drinks are the third easy, inexpensive way 
to add patriotic decor. 
Classic Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and bottled water 
sport red, white, and blue colors.  

 The navy citronella candle to ward off pesky bugs 
 was on sale at Lowes



The drinks in a G. Wolff pot found at The Greenery
look even more patriotic inside a kitchen dish towel
and sitting on top of a star-filled napkin.



Bottled water and Coca-Colas... 
Cool summer drinks... 



What better way to spend a summer holiday?
Surrounded by three easy patriotic decor ideas and ...



Sitting on the shady deck with family and friends,
having a Coca-Cola....

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