My family was wondering around Kudzu Antiques Market (one of my favorite places on the planet) a few months ago, when something jumped out at me. It was a super awesome, handmade, reclaimed wood flag that used seashells instead of stars. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love all things red, blue and beach. This piece cost an arm and a leg, so there was no way I could bring it home...especially since Kevin was in the store with me. So, I waited patiently until I had all of the pieces to create my own version, with my husband's help of course.
We started with plywood that Kevin has been hoarding in the garage. I love the texture it has!
I picked up these craft paints at Hobby Lobby a while ago. We do so many projects, so I knew they would come in handy eventually.
We starting out with a light coat of the cream paint. I wanted the texture and the grain to show through,
so it was kind of a haphazard paint job.
Once the paint was dry, we taped off the lines for the stripes. This was definitely the toughest part of the project. But thanks to my handy husband, it went pretty quickly.
Once the paint was dry and the painters tape was removed, I took this wonderful, magical metallic glaze and bronzed it up. I seriously cannot tell you how many times this stuff has been used. I got it at Michael's about a year ago and there is still a TON left. It lasts forever! To apply, I used a good paint brush, but them followed behind with a wet rag. This way, it really only built up in the cracks and accentuated the texture of the wood.
Close-up: It has an aged feel to it. Sort of like it's been hanging out in the basement of my Nanny's house for the last 30 years. PERFECT!
Done with paint!
On vacation this year, Colton and I scoured the beaches for seashells. We came back with three bags of them. So I went through and tried to find shells that were similar in shape and size. I wasn't particularly worried about the color, though.
During this process, I got a new phone. Which was really exciting, since it has a much better camera than I'm used to. The only problem is that I forgot to take final shots with my actual camera. Oops! Here's a close up of the shells in their place. I used super glue around the edges to make them stick. It seems to be working just fine. If you try this out, or anything similar, I highly advise wearing gloves. I wasn't thinking and wound up peeling super glue off of my fingers for two days.
Ta Daaaaa! The flag has taken its' rightful place on my mantle. It makes me happy!
No comments:
Post a Comment