This is sort of an answer to your question about the tin star - - -
We added a wrap-around porch to our Victorian farmhouse in 1992. It should have had one to start with!
Anyway, I made a fabric HEART patchwork wall-hanging to decorate the round wrap-around part - and we left it on year-round. The first one faded BADLY but it never rotted, so I made a 2nd, and I hung the 1st on the back stairwell (the one no one but DH and I use from kitchen to MBR). Pretty soon, I'm gonna have to make a 3rd! If I remember, I'll take pictures and post them.
I put sleeves at top AND bottom. DH put small metal rods tjrpugh the sleeves and attached them with cup hooks to the side of the house - stretching the bottom to hold the hanging tightly so the wind would not whip it away.