DIY Summer Porch Decor

When I think of summer, one of the holidays I immediately think of is Independence Day or July Fourth, as I usually say. My summer outdoor decor is patriotic and classically red, white, and blue. In this post, I am sharing three simple DIYs for your summer porch, including an upcycled wall hanging, front door wreath, and a wood plank sign. These three things add so much to my porch, and I can’t wait to continue building around them this summer. 

Are you looking for a specific DIY? Skip to it here: Summer Wall Hanging, Patriotic Wreath, Plank Sign.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, which allows me to provide all of this content to you for free.

Fourth of July celebrations have always been one of the highlights of my summer since I was a kid. We start the day with the city parade and load up on candy and goodies. Once upon a time, I was in the high school marching band and thought it would be fun to march and play in the parade. It was a one-time thing, and I never volunteered again. It was scorching hot in Georgia that day, and not as enjoyable as I thought.

After the parade, we always fill up on a summer lunch at my grandparent’s house and celebrate my Great Aunt’s birthday. I love how holidays and places can hold so many memories, and we love spending time on the front porch in Georgia.

At our current home, we have a beautiful front porch. It’s the first home of ours to have a beautiful place to decorate, which makes holidays even more exciting for me. My complete vision for our summer front porch is still coming together, but these DIYs were a great start.

Summer Wall Hanging

My husband ripped a pair of his favorite jeans beyond repair. I considered throwing them away, but it’s hard for me not to save materials when I might make something with it one day. So, I set the jeans aside until I thought of a good use for them. Then, I came up with the idea of a wall hanging for the front porch. 

I have an old door beside our front door that I decorate for each season. I needed something colorful to hang on it for the summer, so I thought a red, white, and blue denim wall hanging would be perfect.

You will need these few supplies, or you can substitute with what you have at home.

Supplies:

• old denim
• scissors 
• 1×2 wood strip 
• twine
• red paint + paintbrush
• hot glue gun
• bleach
• old container

First, I cut the denim into pieces. They aren’t perfect strips, but I tried to keep them straight. I took all the strips and dipped them in a bleach and water mixture. I wanted the white to fade into blue, so I didn’t get bleach on the entire piece. It took longer for my bleach to work than I thought it would, but eventually, the color changed.

Afterward, I rinsed the denim, dried, and ironed all of the pieces flat. During the downtime of waiting on the strips to take the bleach, I painted the wood strip with watered-down red paint.

I wanted the wood grain to shine through the color like a wood stain, so watering down the acrylic paint gave it the look I wanted. Once the wood was dry. I tied twine to each end to create the hanging.

After those two steps are complete, it’s time to glue everything together. I used hot glue, and the hanging held up well all summer. I hot glued each strip to the back of the wood piece. Once it was finished, I hung it outside on the door.

I wasn’t satisfied with it, though. It wasn’t done yet, but I couldn’t figure out what it needed. Then, I decided to cut it into the v shape, and I love it so much better. The new shape adds so much more interest to the piece.

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Here’s a video tutorial of how it all came together. 

Patriotic Wreath

Cotton wreaths don’t seem to be as popular as they once were, but I liked cotton before it was popular. I plan to keep my cotton wreath around for a long time. There aren’t many things prettier than a white cotton field. When we lived in Alabama, we got to pass them often, and they are so beautiful. 

This wreath is from my home decor line I used to sell, and it’s one of the few things I kept from those days. It was a plain cotton wreath, and I felt it needed to be repurposed. The white cotton and natural colors make it the perfect neutral base for tons of projects, including this patriotic theme.

Red and white are glorious together and add the dark blue-perfection. I wanted to have all of those elements in this wreath plus some love for America. I found a cute and inexpensive United States cutout at Target for $3. I grabbed it before I made a plan for it, and I am glad I did.

The wreath took some experimenting to get it the way I liked it, but after figuring out what I wanted to include, it was a simple design.

Supplies:

• hot glue gun
• cotton wreath
• states cutout
• stamps + ink
• red burlap bow
• American flags 

First, I stamped the lyrics onto the wood sign, and then I attached the sign onto the wreath with some hot glue. The bow is a quick burlap bow I made from some red burlap I had on hand. The two small flags tucked in to complete the look.

Here are a video tutorial and a look inside my messy mind as I work through a project. 

DIY Patriotic Plank Sign

There is always scrap wood somewhere in my garage or storage building. My family and friends are so kind and offer me all their scraps from projects. I gladly take them too. This plank came from a project at my mom’s house. It was already the perfect size for the plank sign I wanted to make. **Dimensions**

The wood did need a quick sanding, and I was able to do that by hand with a sanding block. Then, it was ready for paint.

Supplies:

• wood plank
• fine-grit sandpaper/block
• paint + paintbrush

The supply list for this project is super simple. I planned to use painters tape to help my lines be straight and crisp, but in the end, I like the organic look the hand-painting gives. I painted a square area at the top navy, then alternated several red and white vertical stripes.

After the navy paint was dry, I added a white star to the top. Once all the paint was completely dry, I gave it another sanding to distress the sign. I didn’t bother sealing the paint because I have a covered porch, but that is an option as well for outdoor display.

Here’s a video tutorial of the process. This wood sign is super simple. 

Is your porch ready for summer? I hope you give one or all of these DIYs a try. They look great together on my porch, and I’m sure they will work on yours too. Summer is quickly approaching, and I know I’ll be welcoming it with open arms this year.

Don’t leave before saving these ideas to your summer Pinterest board, and when you complete your project, I want to see them. Tag me on social media @annakateturnerdiy. I love seeing how others are creating and giving projects their style.

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