It’s almost 4th of July and, for me, that means Stars & Stripes Forever. No, really. My birthday is on the 4th of July, and forever people have been giving me gifts with stars & stripes. You wouldn’t believe how many red, white & blue, knick knacks I own. I’ve got old glory on platters, bowls, cups, serving spoons, place mats, table cloths, salt shakers… I really could go on about Stars & Stripes Forever. But, hey, I’m not complaining. I actually really love it. In fact, I decided I’d add to it this year with a little patriotic painting of my own. These projects are so fun, I hope they inspire you to pull out your craft paints.
The inspiration for this first project, struck when I wasn’t even looking for it. I was just happy to go to Joann’s after so many weeks in quarantine. And there it was, this adorable little unfinished wood birdhouse in the shape of a camper! It was 25% off, and better still, it was the perfect size to go with my little red truck that I had already planned to decorate and use as a centerpiece on my kitchen table.
For this project, all you’ll need is red, white & blue paint for the camper, and black or gray for the tires. If you want to paint the stripes on top, you’ll also need some painter’s tape. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but just for fun, I shot a time-lapse video while I painted. Just click the photo below:
The next project, takes just a little more work. You can buy a piece of wood at the craft store or the hardware store, it doesn’t have to be round like mine. I always work with what I have. Just make sure there aren’t any sharp edge like mine had. I had to do quite a bit of sanding.
Once the wood was nice and smooth, I brushed on a pre-stain conditioner and let it dry for about 15 minutes. This helps the stain go on more evenly.
I then stained my wood a dark espresso, wiped off all the excess, and let it dry for about an hour.
While I was anxious to paint something that would tie in to the 4th of July, I still wanted to see the stain, so I made sure my design would allow for both. I live in Arizona, so the desert landscape was a natural choice. I thought about painting fireworks in the sky, but opted for a flag instead. I have to say, painting the flag was a little more difficult than I thought.
When it was all finished, I screwed some hooks on the back, tied some twine and added a bow, and it was ready for hanging on my front door.
It was the perfect patriotic touch for the entry way. And it’s just a peek at what you’ll see when you come inside. Yes, my kitchen is decked out in Stars and Stripes, too. 4th of July in the year 2020, may be different than most years, but some things I can always count on: Flag decorations and birthday cake, frosted red, white & blue.
Hope you enjoyed these 4th of July projects. Thanks for checking out my blog. If you enjoyed this, you may also like a recent time lapse video of a quarantine-time mural painted on glass. Here’s the link:
Good For You!!!! Important someone shed light on the subject matter. Annie Hendrick Babbette