How to Decorate for the 4th of July (on a Budget)

Like most of us, I’ve been trying to cut back on my spending these days.  Instead of immediately, running out to Homegoods or a craft store, I’ve been rummaging around my home for decorating inspiration.  It’s amazing what you can create when you look at things in a different way.  Today, I am going to share some of my ideas of how to decorate for the 4th of July on a budget…

DIY 4th of July Burlap Banner:

I’ve seen all kinds of variations of these burlap banners at Pottery Barn, Etsy and all the craft stores.  Recently, I decided to make my own since I had some burlap wired ribbon left over from my patriotic baseball table.  In fact, I actually repurposed the burlap ribbon from that table…

As you can see, for that table setting, I folded the burlap so the baseballs could rest on each place setting.

To repurpose the ribbon for my patriotic burlap banner, I simply cut each of the ribbons in half and painted them in the colors of the flag.  I painted a blue star on some and red and white stripes on the others.

Then I just folded each piece over a string of twine.  Since the burlap ribbon is wired, each flag stayed in place without having to sew or glue or anything.  Which is great…because I don’t sew.  Of course, if you plan on waving these things around in the wind or something, you will have to secure them a little better.  In my case, I just hung them inside my non-windy home…lol.

At first, I hung the banner across my window pane mirror but then decided to go with the chalkboard instead.  That way, I could also write a 4th of July message…another super easy and inexpensive way to decorate for the 4th of July!

For those of you who are artistic or have beautiful handwriting, you can do so much with a chalkboard when decorating on a budget.  One of these days, I’d like to take a calligraphy class or at least work on my writing a bit…always room to improve, right?

Stencil on Burlap – 4th of July Decorating on a Budget:

Recently, I decorated a patriotic tablescape on the patio table. For the mason jar centerpiece, I envisioned painting small stars on burlap.  I didn’t want to try it free hand and didn’t have a star stencil…or so I thought.

Well, if you read that blog post, you’ll know that I came up with a creative way to paint the stars on the burlap…

Do you recognize that “stencil” above?  Well, it’s actually the drip tray from my Keurig machine and happened to be the perfect size I needed!  I just slipped it off the machine, stenciled away and washed it afterwards.  Like I said, you use what you have!

After I cleared the patio table, I decorated the kitchen windowsill with the mason jars.  As soon as the flowers in my yard bloom a little more, I’ll freshen these up with something more substantial.

Make Your Own Patriotic Dough Stars:

Yes, here’s that baseball table again… This time, I’ll show you how I created those white stars you see down the center of the table…

Have you seen those dough ornaments people make at Christmastime?  Well, they inspired me to make some 4th of July decorations out of dough.

Since we make tons of Christmas cookies every year, I already had a star cookie cutter on hand.  For the dough, I mixed 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of water.  Then I rolled the dough out onto the cookie sheet, cut the stars and then baked them for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees.  I have seen several variations of this recipe and mine came out a little lumpy.  I guess I need to experiment a little more.

Originally, I planned on painting the stars in red, white and blue like the one above but then decided to paint them all white.  Overall, the white worked out better for the look I was going for on the baseball tablescape.

Decorate the Dog:

Here’s an inexpensive “project” to decorate for the 4th of July… If you have a patriotic banner, just tie it around your dog’s neck for instant doggie decor!  Actually, Rosie was just groomed and wanted to show off her new look.  We were all overdue for haircuts around here…

Anyway, I hope my budget ideas on how to decorate for the 4th of July inspired you.  This year, the 4th of July will look a lot different for most of us…but there’s no reason not to celebrate (and decorate) a little!  Enjoy and stay safe!

Here are a few more 4th of July decorating ideas you might like:

• 4th of July Decorating in the Foyer
• A Patriotic Tablescape on the Patio
• Patriotic Table Setting in the Kitchen

If you are looking for some ways to decorate on a budget, check out these ideas:

• How to Make Easy DIY Napkin Rings
• Before and After: Boys’ Bathroom Makeover on a Budget

Do you have any budget decorating ideas for the 4th of July?

Follow along so you don’t miss a post!

Subscribe by email – HERE

Pinterest/ Instagram / Facebook / Twitter