16 June 2014

Easy D.I.Y. Distressed Pallet Flag......Just in time for 4th of July. #MadeByYouMonday




Happy Monday!  Only another day and a half of school left for my Thomas and then....."school's out for summer." (sung in my worst Alice Cooper impersonation.)   I'm excited for this summer. Vacations at the beach, day/weekend trips, BBQ's with family and friends, golf , hanging out in the sun by the pool and did I mention THE BEACH?

Before I get all sidetracked thinking about the beach, I want to share with you a DIY project I did this weekend.  So quick, so easy and so cheap it was practically free.



I've had this old pallet laying around for probably a year now.   I picked it up down the street from my house in the parking lot of a local business.   I knew when I snagged it I wanted to make it into something cool. I just didn't know what.   I see a lot on Pinterest  of what people make and do with these old pallets,  it's amazing!
I got my inspiration from wanting to do a project for my upcoming 4th of July party. Plus there's a spot on the front of my house that's had the same twig wreath for years and it was way over due for a change.   (Look at me, killin two birds with one stone.)



Supplies Used:
~1 pallet (FREE)
~1 each red, off white, blue paint and black paint - (bought craft paint from Walmart for 50 cents each)
~1 package of assorted sized wooden stars (bought at Joann's Fabric and Crafts with a 50% off coupon. paid only $2.00) 
~1 package of assorted paint brushes (bought at Walmart, $2.47 for a set of 3)
~Saw
~Nail Gun
My total cost was $6.47 but most of us have paint and brushes in our craft supplies. I happened to only have foam brushes at the time and had just thrown out all my old paints.

I don't know why I bought 2 each of the red, white and blue paint.  I guess I got a bit carried away when I saw they were so cheap, plus I didn't think I was going to go with the distressed look when I started out. No worries, they won't go to waste.   I have plenty of ideas to use up the rest of the paint.

You'll have to forgive my photography skills.  I get a bit wrapped up in my projects and forget to snap good pics as I go along.   I'm trying.    This one is so easy, a step by step tutorial isn't as necessary.

First thing I did was have my husband cut the bottom 3 slats off the pallet so it had more of a "flag" shape. Pallets come in all different sizes and shapes, some are more of a square.

To get the distressed look, I painted the blue square and stripes of the flag using a very light hand and very little paint, like a dry brush technique.  



Next I had "roughed" up the stars before painting them.  I used a rock from my driveway, just so they weren't so smooth looking.    After painting them with the cream color, I dry brushed black paint to distress them a little.


Then I had my husband nail them to pallet.   (I did pick out 13 stars but dropped one on the ground and didn't notice til I was all done....shhhh, don't tell)









.....and there ya have it!  Quick, easy and cheap!  My 3 favorite things about any project.

  


I'm linking up this #MadeByYouMonday over at SkipToMyLou.org  
You should go check out her site, it's an amazing place for all things creative.  

3 comments:

  1. Awesome job! It looks great, Decorating Dork!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The process you describe here is great. The step by step guide to creating a distressed platted flag is helped many people including me to create this. If anyone has any problem understanding this process then you can follow my blog where you can find the solution.

    ReplyDelete

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