15 Patriotic Decor Ideas – Trash to Treasure Crafts

Check out these awesome Patriotic decor ideas made with thrift store and Dollar Tree items!

These fun trash-to-treasure crafts will add simple beauty to your patriotic decor. I scoured two flea markets and added a few of my own upcycles to curate this unique list of DIYs.

If you love all of the vintage patriotic decor pieces that you see in home interior magazines, but not the price tag, then I highly recommend making your own.

Don’t worry, these are easy DIYs anyone can do! And, honestly, almost anything can be repurposed into red, white, and blue Americana. So take a look around your house, head to your local thrift store (or Dollar Tree), and pick up a few of the items mentioned below!

Supplies You May Need

• Items you can upcycle
• Acrylic Paint
• Spray paint
• Sandpaper
• Scrap fabric, denim
• Scrap wood
• Stain
• Chip brushes and old cloths
• Nail polish
• Duct tape
• Beads, buttons, and other embellishments
• Wire (28 gauge steel wire)
• A drill and wood screws
• A sewing machine (or thread and needle)
• A cutting machine like a Cricut Maker

1. Bowling Pin Upcycle

I love these stripey bowling pins! They have such a vintage vibe and are perfectly imperfect with chippy red, white and blue paint.

2. Post Cap Flag Holder

Be on the lookout for chunky and ornate wood post caps! Just drill a few holes into a wood post cap and add flags to make this beautiful one-of-a-kind centerpiece. Flea Markets and estate sales are also great places to snag architectural salvage items from old staircases. You could also buy a new chunky post top at the home improvement store and paint it to get this same look.

3. Old Rusty Star Tin Table

I found this large rusty red tin at the antique store and knew it would make the perfect top for an old table pedestal I’ve been holding onto forever! This cute patriotic table will be a great addition to my antique store booth.

4. Glassware

Thrift stores and even Dollar Tree are awesome places to snag inexpensive glassware. Group pretty red, white, and blue glassware on a shelf or onto a tray to use as a centerpiece.

If you’d like to customize your own glassware and color scheme, try painting inexpensive clear glassware with Sea Glass Spray Paint. There are so many colors to choose from and I love how sheer this paint goes on. For patriotic decor, I recommend Ruby Red and Cornflower Blue! Here’s a link on Amazon but you can also find this spray paint at hardware and craft supply stores.

5. Vintage Pan Lid Flag Holder

I found quite a few of these vintage pan lids and with a little spray paint, I made this beautiful flag holder for my porch. The bottom lid was white with a red stripe already, so all I needed to do was spray paint the top lid blue and added U.S.A vinyl lettering using my Cricut Maker.

6. Painted Baseball Vase Filler

Fill a basket or vase with a few old baseballs painted with stars and stripes. This idea is so clever and you may already have a few in your garage already.

7. Patriotic Duct Tape Garland

Duct tape comes in so many colors and patterns, so why not use it to make garland? I picked up red and blue metallic duct tape and wood beads from Dollar Tree to make this fun garland. To make the flags, simply fold a long piece of duct tape in half over the baker’s twine and cut it into a triangle shape.

8. Red, White, & Blue Scrap Fabric Crafts

Make rustic flag decor using scrap fabric! I love the handmade look of these pieces and they can be made with a sewing machine or sewn by hand.

9. Scrap Wood Signs

Grab some scrap wood from your garage to make these rustic signs to add to your patriotic decor. I made signs for all of the seasons and I’m sharing the SVG files! Click here to check out the full tutorial and download the Free SVG Stencil Art.

10. Wood Block Fire Crackers

Here’s another scrapwood idea. Make a few blocky firecrackers! I love the muted colors on these but you could certainly paint yours with bright pops of red and blue!

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11. Wicker Baskets

Pick up some wicker baskets at the thrift store with red, white, and blue accents, or paint your own. Add a pot of petunias or use larger baskets to hold linens or pillows.

12. Pop Can Planters

Group red, white, and blue soda cans to make patriotic planters. Just remove the tops with a can opener and punch a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage.

13. Wine Cork Sailboats

These little wine cork sailboats are easy to make and they’re the perfect little patriotic decoration to add to a 4th of July Tiered Tray or your outdoor decor! Check out the full tutorial here –> DIY Cork Sailboats.

14. Vintage Croquet Set Turn Into A Wind Chime

I found this mismatched croquet (or wicket) set and I loved the texture of the wood! The top of this chime is an old, aluminum utility light that we had in the basement. You can create this same look by painting wood spindles, wood dowels, or any interesting salvage items you can find.

15. Clothespin Flags

Make these cute clothespin flags to add a bit of warmth and nostalgia to your flower pots or patriotic centerpiece.

16. Marbled Mason Jar Solar Lights

Try this easy mason jar craft to light up your interior or porch. You can make these cute solar lights in just a few minutes using all Dollar Tree supplies. If you’d like to learn how to make them, link to the full tutorial here –> How to Make Marbled Solar Mason Jar Lights.

I hope these Patriotic decor ideas inspire you to make your own thrifty pieces. If you’d like to receive emails with more crafts and ideas like these, click here to sign up for my weekly newsletter!