Monday, June 6

Craft Hack: Pottery Barn Inspired American Flag

Summer has started for the schoolkids and the 4th of July will be upon us before long. It'll be cookouts and swimming parties for the next few months, so I've begun thinking about some cool seasonal decor that won't break the bank. I love to change the look of my living room according to the season, but I'm much too cheap to spend any money on it. Thank goodness I can always count on Pottery Barn to think of things I can make myself.

Their's:
Mine:

This is a great project because of its versatility. Not everyone has $129 to spend on a wooden American Flag, and even if you did, the PB version might be the wrong size. BUT!! A 4x8 foot piece of harwood at your local hardware store is less than $10 and you'll be able to use it for several projects. And honestly, if you've got a garage, there's a good chance you've got some scrap wood laying around already.

Tutorial after the jump!
UPDATE!! This project was featured over on Bella Before & After! Check it out...





I started with a piece of wood, about 16"x12", and whitewashed it so that the wood grain would show through the paint when it was all finished.

Since there are 13 stripes on the flag, I divided the height of my scrap by 13 to figure out how wide my stripes needed to be. In my case, it was about 3/4 inch, so I masked with 3/4 inch masking tape. Simple! I also masked off the area where the stars would be. Then I spray painted it red.

Next, I used some star-shaped stickers. I didn't worry about lining them up just so, but if you're after precision, you'll need to measure and space them carefully. After that, I painted on the blue with a brush since I didn't have blue spray paint.

I followed the blue paint with a coat of Minwax Wood Sheen in Colonial Pine, but any woodstain or varnish will do. Once that dried I distressed the living crap out of it with a hammer.


I also sanded the paint, both on the front and around the edges. This helps to fade the color of the paint (which at this point is still a bit too vivid for what I wanted) and it ages it nicely. After all the painting, varnishing, distressing and sanding are through, I finished the whole thing with a coat of laquer to give it a pretty sheen and help weather-proof it, as I am toying with the idea of hanging it in the covered patio for the summer.

And voila! My own custom-sized American Flag! This project was reeeeally inexpensive, compared to the $129 Pottery Barn version, and I was able to size it perfectly for my mantle.


And I still have plenty of scrap wood left for other projects...

To Be Continued!

40 comments:

  1. Wow! I am loving this, what a great hack and a great job doing it!

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  2. Thanks all! I've been enjoying your blogs myself.

    Melody

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  3. Fabulous! I need to try this with our Aussie flag! Thanks for the tutorial - you made it look easy!

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  4. @Sharyn-

    I really hope you do, and send pictures! I would love to see this done with different flags.

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  5. Great Job! Love it! You have me thinking of copying yours....

    Cat Martin

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  6. AWESOME! This Marine Mama loves it. thanks for sharing..!

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  7. I love this! I made a NOEL sign a while back at Christmas inspired by the PB, it was great! I have to make one of these for 4th of July

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  8. Great tutorial and great looking antique flag!

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  9. I like this!! I have really thought hard about buying that piece too! My PB outlet has it for $89 right now.

    Yours looks really good!

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  10. I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing! I am going to try and make it! :)
    Camille @
    SixSistersStuff.blogspot.com

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  11. LOVE it! I love how it turned out and the price is MUCH better than Pottery Barns! =) I would love if you would link up this project to our {{What I Made Wednesday Linky Party}}! Thanks!

    ~Briana

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  12. Love this! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Thanks for sharing!! Love it! I may try this for the 4th of July decor!!
    Blessings!!

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  14. Thanks so much for sharing this!!! I've been trying to find inexpensive (but still looks nice!) and DOable projects to do for the 4th and this one is perfect! Hope you don't mind if I do one too!
    Angela

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  15. Awesome!! Great job being thrify and crafty!! :)

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  16. Love it- your flag came out darling~ Would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday! :)

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  17. Great job, it turned out wonderfully! Thanks for the tutorial! and thanks for linking up with VIF, xo Debra

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  18. This is just as good as the PB one, but what is even better is the cost and the fact that you made it yourself! Thanks for sharing the step-by-step directions that even I can follow!

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  19. I can't find any star stickers! Anywhere! ACK what to do.

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  20. @laurmela:

    Don't fret!! I found mine at Walmart, in the office supply area. I'd start there, and if that's a bust you could try a school supply store.

    And don't forget to send a picture of your finished project when you're done!!

    Melody
    Crafty Butt

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  21. Melody, your knock off is amazing. I mean really , really amazing. I love the gold underneath. So pretty!!! WHat a great tip with using star stickers, brilliant :)

    Thanks so much for linking up to my party :)
    I loved this so much, I featured you girl!
    Come grab a button girl, and display it proudly!

    Hugs, Bella **Features from week #40** @ Bella Before and After

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  22. You did a wonderful job on this! I've featured this post on Craft Gossip here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/pb-inspired-american-flag/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  23. This is sooo good! I just posted about part of my fourth mantel - and I think tomorrow I will do a little special on what you did!! I love it!

    Come over and see!
    http://hotmessmoma.blogspot.com/

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  24. Melody,

    Finally found them at Staples! Just waiting for the spray poly to dry. Plan on hanging it on the front gate! Will send pics. Thanks! ")

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  25. Melody,

    Here she is in all her glory. Love how it turned out.

    http://craftybutt.blogspot.com/2011/06/craft-hack-pottery-barn-inspired.html

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  26. I'm definitely going to bookmark this project...and what a fantastic tutorial to boot! What really got me, and this is after a labor intensive day, was your comment, "I distressed the living crap out of it with a hammer." All I can say is thank you so much for the much needed laugh!!!

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  27. I just found your blog and LOVE this! We have a lot of scrap wood so I'm going to have to try my hand at this. TFS!

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  28. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked over to your project in my post today. I did a colonial flag version of this popular PB knock and linked to several I have seen lately, yours included :) http://www.craftsbyamanda.com/2011/07/pb-inspired-rustic-colonial-american.html

    And yes, I'm the one that featured you on Craft Gossip LOL

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  29. Totally Love this idea... gonna make a less precise version SOON! I hope.. loving reading your blog.. great stuff.

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  30. I like yours much better than the PB one. Thank you for posting such a great tutorial!

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  31. This is a great idea! Just a note that there are six stripes under the blue field (I can't ever remember). But I dearly LOVE this project! In fact, I think I'm going to go and swipe the last doable piece of plywood before yet *another* sword emerges from Gepetto Skywalker's workshop.

    Cheers!

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  32. I love it. I have been trying to justify the $129 version from PB. Now I can make my own. Thanks!

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  33. Great idea, however when doing anything with our flag, you really should make sure it's accurate. You have 61 stars, and the stripe alignment is off - there should be 6 stripes under the blue field.

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  34. LOVE LOVE LOVE the star sticker idea! Thanks for the project....I'm gonna make this one!!!

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  35. Absolutely love the project and I plan to make one, myself. However, I find it off-putting that there aren't 50 stars, given that they represent the number of states in our country. I normally don't get bogged down with those kinds of details and I think it would be ok if it was more abstract but since you went with 13 stripes, I think it's important to follow suit with the stars.

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  36. aside from having 61 stars, and the stripe that touches the bottom of the field of stars is supposed to be white, this is a pretty great idea! I'll have to lift this for the guest bathroom! :D

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  37. That exact piece at pottery barn inspired me to make one for myself about 2 weekends ago. We made it much more rustic, but I love it! We used sample paints from Home Depot and got scraps of wood from some friends. My husband put it all together and then we painted and sanded it down. An awesome piece in our living room for $15. Did I mention its the same huge size as the PB version? LOVE!

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Thanks for commenting!! I really do read them all and I greatly appreciate the feedback.