DIY 2x4 chunky wood flag

HOW TO MAKE A PRIMITIVE AMERICAN FLAG

I love a good scrap wood project. That was the inspiration behind this DIY chunky wood flag. I have shelves full of scrap pieces of wood in my workshop, aka my garage lol! I just can’t bring myself to toss out perfectly good pieces of future projects. I had been wanting to make one of these 2x4 flags for a while now and since we are all on lockdown I thought now would be the perfect time to make one and share the DIY with you all.

I didn’t just use a 2x4 to create this wooden flag. I also used a scrap piece of 2x6 that we have loads of leftover from a bunkbed project we made for our four daughters. And when I say we I really mean that my husband made because I pretty much just stood there and handed him things as he needed them.

If you don’t have all the tools to make this project happen grab your DIY CRAFT KIT HERE

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Be sure to check out a few of my other 4th of July patriotic themed projects: RAG WREATH, LEANING PORCH SIGN, and this HANGING WOOD FLAG

MAKE YOUR OWN RUSTIC WOOD AMERICAN FLAG

Here’s what you’ll need

• 2x4x5.5

• 2x6x5

• red, white, and blue acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• sand paper

• masking tape

• 1.4” wide star cutout

• pencil

Helpful tools

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut cutting mat

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

ONE- If you didn’t grab a DIY craft kit the first thing you want to do is cut your wood pieces. Use your miter saw to cut the 2x4 to 5.5” and the 2x6 to 5”. You will place the 2x6 on it’s side so that it stands 5.5” tall. Use your sander to give them a quick sanding. I use a cordless Ryobi sander and really love it! Then wipe all the sawdust off with a lint free cloth.

TWO- Paint the 2x4 completely blue. You will have to wait for the front to dry before you can start painting the back. Since this is a dark color one coat should be enough but you can paint a second coat if you aren’t happy with the coverage.

THREE- Paint the 2x6 completely white. Wait for the front to dry before you paint the back. After all sides have dried you’ll want to paint a second coat of white paint to get a good coverage. Let dry.

FOUR- Take your cardstock star cutout and trace around it with a pencil in three places on the front side. I staggered mine because I like that look but you can place yours wherever you’d like. Try to trace lightly so that it’s easier to paint over. Using a small paint brush paint inside the star outline. A thin layer works best so you don’t have streaking. Paint a second layer once that layer is dry.

FIVE- After your white block is totally dry you can start painting on your stripes. To get even stripes you want to use masking tape. Be sure your block is standing at 5.5” tall before you start applying your tape. If you are using .75” masking tape you will want to start at the top and apply a piece of tape all the way around but apply your tape so that it hangs off the top slightly. This way you aren’t left with a super thin stripe on the bottom. This first piece of tape is called your spacer piece.

Then take another piece of tape and apply it directly below your spacer piece. Remove your spacer piece and then apply it directly below that second piece of tape. You will do this the whole way down your 2x6. This is what it should look like when you’re done.

SIX- This step isn’t 100% necessary but it does help with reducing paint bleed. Take your white paint brush and paint a super thin layer of paint where the tape and the wood meet, the seam. Let dry.

SEVEN- Where the wood is exposed paint that red. Let dry then paint a second coat. While the paint is still wet peel up all the tape. Let dry.

EIGHT- After your blocks are dry you’ll want to distress them. Take a piece of sandpaper, or your orbit sander, and distress both blocks. You want to focus on the edges and then lightly go over the front, back, and sides. When you’re finished distressing you want to wipe the dust off with a lint free cloth.

Enjoy your new American flag décor! Like with all of my DIY projects if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

DIY how to make 2x4 wood candy corn

DIY EASY 2x4 primitive wood candy corn

DIY primitive candy corn, aren’t they soooo cute?! The last couple of years have been a little busier than normal at our house and I haven’t been decorating for the holidays like I normally do. So this summer I decided I’m going to make time to get back into the festive decorating. And with that I need to make lots of new pieces to decorate the seasons with. Including these adorable wood candy corn. Check out this fun TRICK OR TREAT shelf sitter set I made a few weeks ago.

I’ve had these on my craft to do list for a looooong time and just hadn’t made time to make myself a set. And now I do! I LOVE them! They turned out even better than I thought they were going to! And I can keep them up for the entire fall season.

How to make your own set of primitive candy corn from a 2x4

And it was super easy to DIY. I was a bit nervous cutting the angles but I think they turned out so great!

If you don’t have the space or tools to DIY this from start to finish you can get one of my easy CANDY CORN CRAFT KIT. Everything you need to make these at home is included in your own candy corn craft kit.

Don’t have all the tools needed to complete this craft? Snag one of my easy DIY craft kit from my Etsy shop. Click CANDY CORN CRAFT KIT to get yours. Want to send it as a gift? During checkout mark that you would like to send it as a gift, leave their address and a sweet note to them and we’ll take care of the rest.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you want to make them from scratch here’s what you’ll need

• 2x4 cut into 4”, 5.5”, 7” pieces

• orange, white, yellow acrylic paint

• paint brush

• lint free cloth

• 120 grit sand paper

• chip brush

• antiquing wax

• Ryobi miter saw

First cut your pieces into 4”, 5.5”, & 7” lengths. The angles I cut: 4”= 15°, 5.5”= 10°, 7”=10°. After you cut them give them a quick sanding. You don’t want to sand them super smooth as this will take away so much of the wood’s natural character. Be sure to wipe away the sawdust with a lint free cloth after you sand your candy corn.

Now paint all three with a thin coat of orange paint.

After the orange paint dries paint the bottoms yellow. You will likely need 2 coats for this. Let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat.

Now, paint the tops white. Again, you'll need to paint two coats making sure your let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat of white paint.

Once all of your candy corn are completely dry you can start distressing them with your 120 grit sand paper. Focus on the edges, corners, and lightly sand the fronts and sides. Then wipe the dust away with your lint free cloth.

Now you can apply your antiquing wax. A little bit of wax goes a VERY long way. Just like when sanding, you want to focus more on the edges and corners and give a light swipe with your chip brush on the fronts and sides. TIP: if you trim your chip brush down a little you will get a more stiff brush that you can better control your wax with.

If you don’t like the look of the antiquing wax you can opt for a clear wax. I LOVE antiquing wax and use it on TONS of my projects it highlights so much of the wood’s character. You can see the difference it makes. Check out my DIY American Flag tutorial where I use this same dark wax.

Now you’re ready to display them! I am soooo happy with the way these little 2x4 candy corns turned out {I think that’s the plural from lol}! I have a few more DIY fall projects yet to tackle before the season arrives so be sure to check back for more tutorials to make your own decorations for the upcoming season.

Catch the video tutorial below. If you LOVE it I would very much love if you would subscribe to my YouTube channel where I share all of my crafty video tutorials.

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DIY 2x4 painted Halloween blocks

Easy Halloween Craft for Adults

Oh my goodness! I can’t believe it’s already time to start thinking about Halloween! Last year I was so crazy busy I didn’t hardly have time to decorate our home for fall let alone get new craft kits put together and listed in our Etsy shop. So this year I’m getting a super early start on all my DIY Halloween décor. And I’ve started with this super cute 2x4 craft.

Already know you want this? Skip this article and get your DIY HALLOWEEN CRAFT KIT

I try to keep my craft kits pretty simple and easy to DIY and this one is no exception. This craft really takes me back to my childhood watching my grandma make all her primitive décor. She could free hand ANYTHING and it always looked amazing. But not to worry because with this craft kit you won’t have to free hand a single thing and your craft will turn out just as AMAZING!

So, what comes in this Halloween craft kit?

BASIC KIT includes
• 3 - 3.5x3.5x1.5 pre-sanded blank wood pieces
• 1 - 10.5x3.5x1.5 pre-sanded blank wood piece
• 3 stencils: ghost, pumpkin, frankenstein {no transfer tape attached as these are little detail and do not require it to transfer on to wood}
•wood stem
•fabric piece {color will vary}
•professional quality vinyl decal: Trick •or• Treat
•detailed instructions PLUS a video link for video instructions on our DIY website.

PREMIUM KIT includes
•basic kit
• acrylic paints: black, white, orange, green
•sandpaper
•3 sponge brushes
•stenciling sponge

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Grab your girlfriends, some wine and catch up while each making your own set of these adorable ghosts, pumpkins, and Frankensteins.

Already have the paint/brushes and just need the wood and stencils? Perfect! You get to choose the type of kit you receive, pick from basic or premium. No matter which kit you choose it will come with printed picture instructions and a video link, in case you need a little more visual {which is totally the kind of learner I am!}.

Click the link ——> DIY HALLOWEEN CRAFT KIT to snag your craft kit before the holiday season so you are just as prepared as I am this year.

If you love more traditional Halloween décor check out these super cute DIY wood pumpkins

DIY 2x4 glittered pumpkins

How to make 2x4 glitter pumpkins

These 2x4 pumpkins are one of the easiest fall crafts you can make yourself. If the glitter and sea blue isn’t really your thing you can make these more traditional rustic orange and white pumpkins I posted last year. But I really wanted to make a set of nontraditional glittery pumpkins, well because why not? I love rustic décor but I also LOVE glitter! So I went for it and I’m so glad I did because they turned out soooo super cute!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

You’ll need a few power tools for this DIY craft and I recommend hands down using Ryobi power tools, you can read my article on what power tools does a crafter need?

No matter what style of decorating you have these pumpkins are really fun to make and if they don’t fit in with your décor you can always gift them to a loved one.

Don’t have time to DIY them but NEED them in your life? You can buy a set of these glittery pumpkins in our Etsy shop.

Here’s what you’ll need

• 2x4 cut into 7”, 5.5”, & 4” pieces

• wire {I picked mine up at my local farm store}

• sticks for the stems

• 1” strips of fabric {I used pieces from my fabric stash}

• bright blue acrylic paint

• gold acrylic paint

• gold glitter

• tape

• paint brushes

• round foam brush

• Mod Podge, matte finish

• glue gun

So, how do you make these gorgeous nontraditional fall glitter pumpkins?

First you need to cut your 2x4 into 3 pieces. You’ll need a 7”, 5.5”, and a 4”. These are the sizes I used and they seem to be the perfect size. Give them a quick sanding to knock down the rough edges. I used my Ryobi Cordless Sander for this but you can use a piece of 120 grit sand paper.

Next you need to drill a hole for your stems. I matched my stick up to a drill bit that was about the same size. Drill a hole in the middle of each top of your pumpkins.

Then paint each pumpkin. I painted the largest and smallest blue and the middle sized one gold. Be sure to let them dry COMPLETELY between coats.

Once your gold pumpkin is dry add a layer of Mod Podge to the front of it, be sure you get an even coat. Then add glitter right on top of that. I place paper under my projects when using glitter to catch the excess that doesn’t stick. Then I empty it back into the glitter container.

Using the round sponge brush add some circles to the smallest block. I used both ends of the brush to add two different sizes of circles.

Tape off the largest pumpkin so it has 3 stripes. Paint a thin layer of gold, let dry.

Add a layer of Mod Podge to the large circles then add glitter. Add a layer of Mod Podge to the gold stripes, add glitter, then peel the tape off carefully.

Add a dab of glue inside the hole you drilled then place the stick inside. Doing it this way will give your stick more stability.

Add a piece of rustic wire and a scrap piece of fabric and you’re done. Super easy!

Click below for the full video on how to make your own nontraditional glitter 2x4 pumpkins

DIY 2x4 rustic wood pumpkin blocks

DIY how to make 2x4 wood pumpkins

These little wooden pumpkins are just as cute as can be! I LOVE them! What I love even more is how effortless they are to create. You can knock a set out in less than an hour. Seriously, an hour of your time and you have some ridiculously cute mini pumpkins to add to your rustic fall décor!

These little guys are so simple you can even get the kiddos involved! Make a whole family craft night out of it, they will LOVE it and you’ll remember that night every year you put them out.

To make it even easier I’ve put together this DIY MINI PUMPKIN CRAFT KIT. Everything you need to make these at home delivered right to your door!

If you don’t buy our easy peasy craft kit here’s what you’ll need…

• 2x4 cut into sizes 3.5”, 4.5”, 6” {we use our RYOBI miter saw to cut all of our pieces}

• 1/2” wide wooden dowel cut into 3 2” pieces {you can find these at your local hardware store}

• sand paper {we use our cordless RYOBI sander for all of our projects}

• sponge brushes

• masking tape

• orange, brown, & white acrylic paint

• raffia

• rusty wire {you can find this at a local farm store}

• glue {we use a glue gun for our projects at the shop but we include this super strong glue in this craft kit}

• dark wax

• chip brush

Helpful tools

• wire cutters

• pliers

• glue gun/glue sticks

• scissors

• drill

• 1/2” drill bit

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Check out this other fun fall craft, DIY mini mum planters for your front porch.

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Let’s get started!

Step 1

Cut all the pieces for your pumpkins and stems {dowel rod}. After you do that give them a quick sanding to knock down all the pokey edges from being cut. Next drill a 1/2” hole in the top of each pumpkin {this will be where you put the stem dowel rod, you only need it about 1/2” deep}. Be sure to wipe off all the saw dust.

Now for the fun!

Paint all of your pumpkins your base color. For mine I painted all of the pumpkins orange. Be sure to apply a super thing coat, you should be able to see the wood grain through the paint. Once that dries apply a second coat, if desired wait for that coat to dry and apply a 3rd. I almost never do 3 coats.

Step 2

Now for the accents{I used white for my accent color}!

For mine I left one pumpkin plain, added dots to one, and stripes to another.

The dots are SUPER EASY! Literally take the end of you sponge brush and dip it in the accent color. Then dot it on the pumpkin you want to have dots. You can practice on a scrap piece of paper before going full force on your pumpkin. I just randomly dot around till I’m happy with the look. I do this all the way around the pumpkin.

Add some stripes. Using your masking tape off the areas you want to KEEP your base color. I did two stripes of white on my pumpkins. Pro tip…to keep the paint bleed down, never brush your paint into the tape, always brush away. Brushing it to the tape will force the paint under the tape and cause your paint to bleed. You don’t need to wait for the paint to dry to peel off the tape.

Step 3

Once your blocks are dry you can distress with sandpaper. Focus on the edges, corners, and do a light sanding to the face of the pumpkins. When you are done distressing with sandpaper, brush all the dust off with a cloth.

Step 4

Give them a little more character with dark wax! I absolutely LOVE this stuff!

It takes VERY LITTLE WAX to achieve this look. Barely dip the very tip of the chip brush into the wax, and dab off onto a paper towel. If you get too much wax on your blocks they will look mudding instead of antiqued. Now brush the wax onto the corners and edges, dabbing to get more wax when you need more on your brush.

Then lightly brush over the face in both vertical and horizontal directions. This will give it an even more antiqued look.

Step 5

Paint your stem, let it dry, and glue the stem in place with a good amount of glue. Let dry completely {f you have a glue gun you can use that for this step instead}.

After your glue has dried you are ready to adorn with the raffia and wire embellishments. To get the wire curled, simply wrap around the end of one of your sponge brushes.

Then take the wire and tie it around your stem.

Step 6

Then gather a few strands of raffia and tie in a bow around the stem and wire. Trim if you desire.

Check out more fall & Halloween posts below