Patriotic Mantle for the Home and Cabin

I love styling my mantle, especially for different holidays throughout the year. Last summer the kids and I did an affordable fireplace refresh and created a rustic mantle as well.

This year for the 4th of July I want to celebrate our nation’s colors, and the beautiful location of our cabin. Freedom can look like so many things for each of us. For some it’s fireworks, others it’s a bbq and a parade. Some imagine the nostalgia and simplicity of a ranch or farm. For my family, it’s the beauty of our Rocky Mountains and the wildlife of Colorado.

As always, when I style our cabin I like to embrace it’s rustic charm but keep it modern and fresh. So this project was approached in the very same way, but with the flare of what USA’s birthday holds, the stars and stripes of course! I didn’t however want to recreate the flag but instead just celebrate the stars and stripes symbols themselves.

1. What You’ll Need for a Patriotic Mantle

For starters, I bought two VERY inexpensive signs from the clearance section at Hobby Lobby. They are the perfect size for layering. I am running very short on storage space so I can’t buy a large sign for just a few weeks of decorating. My solution is to use the signs during other times of the year too!

I found a sign that has the words “give thanks” on it and another large sign with a phrase that will go perfectly in my classroom.

Next up, I headed to the fabric section. See where I’m going with this? I found two patriotic fabrics, one with stripes and the other stars. They both have a weathered and rustic charm to them. I had the fabric cut to the proper length to cover both signs (but still keep the frames exposed).

Then I found some temporary fabric tape. This part is very important. Be sure the packaging says temporary. You’ll see why in a minute.

How to Make Temporary Patriotic Signs

Once I got home I laid both signs on the floor and laid the patriotic fabric on top of each. Very carefully I cut the fabric to the exact size of each sign. Since one of the signs is black I had to double layer the fabric on top (the stripes sign). Using the fabric tape, I simply taped the fabric to the sign. Voila! Two patriotic signs for short-term use.

Now when I store my patriotic decor I can simply pull off the fabric, wash it if necessary, fold and put it away until next year. The large sign will head to my classroom and the medium sign will be used in my fall decor so it won’t be going in the closet.

Styling the Mantle

To style the mantle I laid out the elements in thirds as always. I hung the large sign in the middle (so the middle third). Then placed the medium sized sign up against the bottom right corner of the large one (this I consider the right third).

Next I shopped our cabin and used a galvanized house on the far left (the last third). Finally to add depth and texture I hung one of my large pinecones down the center of the large sign and placed delicate greenery strategically amongst the elements. To fill the remaining mantle I simply used some rustic candle sticks.

Interested in decorating your mantle in a similar way? Head over here for a list of all the products with links!

What I love most about the result is, it’s simple yet truly a celebration of patriotism. I’m looking forward to keeping this decor up for most of the summer and plan to switch out the greenery for sunflower elements as we get closer to Labor Day.