Since almost all July 4th celebrations happen outdoors, getting our porches ready for the big day is a must! Dress up your porch with patriotic pillows, flowers, flags, and other accessories. The sky is the limit! Take a look at these festive July 4th porch ideas you can re-create yourself, and for cheap, too!

1. Get Creative

We’re loving this shutter painted with a star and stripes. The burlap garland draped over it gives it a rustic feel, and the DIY scrap wood firecrackers complete the display. Recreate the look yourself using a reclaimed shutter, and scrap wood or logs.

2. Budget-Friendly

To decorate your porch for next to nothing, try these tissue paper fan decorations! Dollar stores are a great place to find tissue paper on the cheap, and you can hang up the fans using tape. Try hanging them on twine for a fun garland. Tutorial here.

3. Add Flowers

Put together a few hanging planters with red, white, and blue flowers. Hang them up in groups for a more dramatic effect, and don’t forget to stick a small flag in the middle!

4. Use Palettes

Reuse that palette that’s headed for the landfill with this easy DIY! Simply paint on the American flag! Place it in a corner of your porch and decorate by adding potted plants.

5. Pillows and Cushions

Adorn your porch swings and chairs with festive pillows and cushions. It’s the easiest way to change the look of your porch instantly and add a splash of color. If you don’t want to buy new sets of pillows, make slipcovers!

6. Decorate With Vintage Flags

If you’ve got a few vintage flags in your collection, show them off by standing them up in a vintage bucket or pot. We like how in this rustic display the large flags take center stage, and the smaller ones adorn the outer edge.

Photos: Hoosier Homemade, Martha Stewart, Josie Jones and Co., Neftali Valadez, Gail’s Decorative Touch, Flickr.

A watery palette is a very neutral, versatile way to decorate your home. From pillows to walls to accessories, decorating with these lovely blues and greens is sure to bring a touch of beach to your home! Read on for some water-inspired decor ideas!

We’re loving this living room! To spice things up a bit, the designer loaded up the coffee table with unique accessories inspired by the ocean: a carved wooden bowl filled with sea shells, and a beautiful green bottle which also doubles as a vase. The artwork on the walls was grouped together to form a collage of natural landscapes, perfectly complementing the watery blues found in the pillows and rug. To keep from overwhelming the eye, the sofa and walls were kept to a neutral beige hue which made way for the eye popping blue accessories.

Looking to keep cool this summer? Try settling on a cool, blue hue for your room. This living room was washed down with blue from ceiling to floor! I love the watery color palette in this room which seems so relaxing and subtle. The different shades of cool blue works well together and is super easy on the eyes, especially after a long day from work. To keep things balanced, the designer chose to keep symmetry on their side: two matching side tables and lamps on either end of this sofa keep things from looking too busy and wrap the room up perfectly. The white lampshades and creamy white carpet keep things interesting and stick to the water colored theme.

For a subtle way to add blues to your home, try adding blue curtains. The blue curtains in this bedroom are highlighted by the gold curtain rod, and the light blue wall makes them stand out.

These candle holders are to die for! Their milky blue tone would be perfect on a worn, light coffee table. Definitely a must-have for any beachy home!

When adding blues to your home, you can’t go wrong with pillows! We especially love these sea creature pillows and their bold blue piping which perfectly frames them. Pair them with neutral colored furniture and walls to keep your living room from looking too busy and make them pop!

Photos: Decor Decoration, Sheilazeller Interiors, Locushire, Houzz, Coastal Home Pillows.