DIY repurpose an old drawer into an American Flag

HOW TO REPURPOSE AN OLD DRAWER INTO AN AMERICAN FLAG

Before you pass up on the dusty old drawer that’s sitting on the side of the road you might want to think of all the amazing things you could turn that in to. Years ago my father in law had a huge old drawer sitting under his carport just collecting dirt and debris. I loved it! Even covered in gross beat-up contact paper I could still see the it’s potential of being something beautiful He told me I could take it home and then it sat in the basement collecting even more dust for years. Finally I pulled it out from the depths of the basement over the weekend and told myself I WOULD transform this old drawer this week!

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I really wanted to paint something American on it and after going back and forth in my own head I decided a simple flag would be perfect for this old drawer. I had thought about stenciling a big US map on it or even some lettering but with everything I already have on my plate I decided I should just keep it simple. Besides I don’t have a ton of vinyl and transfer tape to spare since I’m running low and shipments are taking a little longer than normal at the moment. With a little painters tape and a bit of vinyl I was on my way to making a simple rustic American flag.

Here’s what the old drawer looked like before I gave it a full facelift.

And this is what the old drawer looks like now. I definitely made a few mistakes but overall I’m loving how this rustic flag turned out.

If you are planning on doing a lot of stenciling on wood click here to read this post on how I save money on stenciling film.

How to make your own rustic flag

If you have an old drawer hanging around and collecting dust you can transform it into a rustic looking flag like I did with this one.

Here’s what you’ll need

• old drawer

• red, white, and blue paint

• paint brush

• painters tape

• masking tape

• chipbrush

• antiquing wax

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• xacto knife

• sandpaper

• 50 stars Cricut cut file

• lint free cloth

Helpful tools

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut design space

• green cutting mat

• Ryobi sander

ONE-The first thing I had to do was sand it down. This drawer originally came with some gross contact paper attached to it. I had done the majority of taking all of that off when I first got the drawer. I removed the contact paper as much as I could then used the sander to help take off the rest. I started with 60 grit sandpaper on my handheld sander then worked my way up to 120 grit. the contact paper left behind some sticky residue but with a little elbow grease I was able to get all of it off. Then I used a lint free cloth and a vacuum to get off all the dust.

TWO- Using a dry brush I painted the inside of the drawer white. I used flat white indoor paint for this. When I brushed on the white base I made sure that all four sides didn’t get painted right up to the edge and I made the edges really uneven. I wanted it to look rough.

THREE- I measured out how big I wanted the blue area on my flag to be. I am not 100% happy with the size of this but it’s there to stay now lol! I taped that square off then started taping off my lines for my red and white stripes. I did this the same way I did this scrap wood 2x4 flag. I didn’t measure out my lines, mainly because I’m not a super precise person. I used the top edge of the drawer as my guide then taped off my stripes using wide painters tape. I did not make a true American flag though I only have 7 stripes total on mine.

FOUR- Once I had my stripes taped off I painted the exposed stripes red. Then let them dry and painted then with a second coat of red paint. I peeled my tape up while my paint was still wet.

FIVE- I stenciled the 50 stars on this rustic flag but did it a little differently than a typical stencil. I did what’s called a reverse stencil on this just like I did with this 4th of July leaning porch sign . I used my Cricut and Cricut design space to cut out 50 stars. You can get my free Cricut cut file here. Since my stars were wider than 11.5” I had to cut them out on two separate pieces of stencil material. But it wasn’t bad at all to piece them together. I did have a big OOPS moment when I weeded away a star. Thank goodness for an honest husband who told me it looked good other than missing a star! I was able to paint in the missing star before I had applied the wax, praise the Lord!

SIX- Using transfer tape I applied the star stencils to my flag then taped off the stripes. To cut down on paint bleed I sealed them with a thin layer of white paint. After that was dry I painted that part of my flag blue, let dry, then painted another layer of blue. While the paint was still wet I peel up the star stencils and the tape. I did have a little paint bleed but nothing too serious. This is when I added the last star that I missed :/.

SEVEN- I used my Ryobi sander to distress my rustic drawer flag. I used 120 grit sandpaper and lightly went over the entire flag then focused on random areas here and there. After I was happy with the distressing I wiped the sawdust off with a lint free cloth.

EIGHT- If you’ve read any of my other tutorials you probably know LOVE my antiquing wax. I use it for so many of my craft projects and of course used it for this one too. I used a chip brush and lightly applied the dark wax to my flag. If you’ve never used this stuff before please be aware that a little goes a LONG way. I usually dab the end of my brush into the lid then dab off on a cloth. Since I didn’t have a cloth handy for this DIY I used my apron.

I can’t wait to hang this rustic flag in our living room! We plan to keep it up year round and I know every time we look it we will think of fond memories of my father in la

I hope this post inspires you to give an old drawer a makeover! If you have any questions on this DIY or any of my other tutorials please feel free to ask away:)!

Happy Crafting!

Just starting out using your Cricut? See the top 10 supplies and accessories you need to get started.

DIY mini St. Patrick's Day wood tags

DIY MINI WOOD TAGS FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

If you’ve been reading my blog you might know that my four daughters have been asking me to decorate more for the holidays…including St. Patrick’s Day decorations. Yes, that is a holiday they think I should decorate for too lol! So they win. I’ve truly been making an effort to have a more festive home even though daughter #4 totally rearranges everything.

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.

I have been eyeing these adorable mini wood tags on Pinterest for forever now. They are CUTE! They tie in with pretty much anything. You can add these wood tags to a wreath, to a welcome sign, on the mantle (I really wish we had one but I’ll just have to make a faux mantle one of these days) or my favorite- to a tiered tray. Those trays are seriously rustic home décor overload! I love them!! I need to add one to my coffee bar soon.

If you’re looking for fun green holiday themed to make with the kiddos try this easy St. Patrick’s Day suncatcher.

To make this completely from scratch at home you’ll need a few power tools. But, if you don’t have power tools to DIY this craft from start to finish you can grab a DIY CRAFT KIT here. I haven’t always been super comfortable using power tools, actually I was deathly afraid of them not too long ago. Now that I’m over my power tool phobia here’s what I recommend for DIY crafters.

DIY St. Patrick’s Day Wood Tags

Here’s what you’ll need

• mini wood tags

• stencil material

• transfer tape

• white paint

• 3 shades of green paint

• sandpaper

• antiquing wax

• chip brush

• paint brush

• stenciling sponge

• twine

• masking tape

• vinyl squeegee

• CRICUT FILE- four leaf clover

If you’d like the same file I used to create this set of 3 mini wood St. Patrick’s Day tags you can get my Cricut file here. It’s in my FREE resource library. It’s where I keep all of my FREEBIES like files, printables, patterns, and more. You’ll need the password because I like to keep it a little bit secret but no worries it’s super easy to get. Jut fill out the prompt and you'll get instant access.

Other helpful tools I used

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Access

• Cricut cutting mat

Watch the video or keep scrolling for step by step written/photo instructions for these wood St. Patrick’s Day tags.

Cutting your wood pieces

1. First you want to cut out your wood tags. I used my Ryobi miter saw to do this. Cut a 1x4 in to 3 5” long pieces. On the top of each 5” piece measure in 1” and make a mark. Set your miter saw to 45 degrees, line it up with your 1” mark and cut. Flip your tag over and do the same to the other side.

2. Now drill a hole in the middle of the top of each piece. This is for your twine holder to go through.

3. After you have that done give each piece a quick sanding. You don’t have to get crazy with this, it’s not a fine piece of furniture. I use 120 grit sandpaper for this and that’s it. Just enough to take off that shine it has when you get it from the lumberyard.

   WATCH THE VIDEO OF HOW I MADE THESE USING MY MITER SAW

Stencils

You can use any cutting machine to create your stencils. I use my Cricut Explore to make all of mine. If you use a Cricut you can get my cutting file here. I use Oramask stenciling film to make my stencils. While it is a little more expensive than other materials I have found it works the absolute best for stenciling.

Painting (the fun part!)

1. First a thin layer of white paint on each wood tag. Be sure it is a thin layer, you will still be able to see the wood grain through the paint. After the first thin layer is dry you can paint a second thin layer. You don’t want more than two layer of base paint on your wooden tags, or any painted wood sign. Too much paint will cause issues when stenciling with base paint peel up, which can be impossible to fix sometimes and honestly it just plain sucks to have to go back and fix.

2. After your base paint is completely dry you can apply your stencils to all three wood blanks. Apply your transfer tape to your stencils (if you bought my DIY CRAFT KIT this step has already been done for you). Peel the paper backing from your stencil/transfer tape. Go slow. Place your stencils sticky side down on the front of your painted wood tag. The front is just whichever side you prefer best ;). Using your vinyl squeegee, if you don’t have one you can use a plastic store rewards card, and rub the stencil to that it adheres to the wood. Slowly peel the transfer tape away from the wood leaving your stencil attached to the wood. I find that it works best when I roll the transfer tape away, check out this DIY PAINTED WOOD SIGN TUTORIAL for a closer look at how to do this.

3. Use masking tape to tape off the edges of your stencil so you don’t get paint on areas of the wood tags that you don’t want paint on.

4. Cut your stenciling sponge in half so you can use it in all three paint colors without mixing the colors.

5. Using one end of one of the sponges dip it in the lightest color of green. You need very little paint, the more paint you use the more paint bleed you will likely have. Dab your sponge onto one of your wood blocks where the clover is exposed on the wood. The coverage should be VERY faint. Let that dry and repeat up to three times. You don’t want to apply more than three coats as this could cause issues with paint peel up where you just stenciled.

6. Peel up your stencil and tape. Using an xacto knife helps to remove the middle piece of the clover.

7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 for your other two wood tag bases.

8. Let them dry.

Distressing

After your paint completely dries from stenciling you can start distressing your wood St. Patrick’s Day tags. I LOVE using antiquing wax for this process. Antiquing wax comes in a several different colors but my favorite its definitely the regular antiquing wax. Learn more about how to transform your DIY farmhouse style crafts with antiquing wax.

1. Using sand paper or your sander give a quick sanding to the edges, corners, and lightly on the front of each wooden tag. Wipe off and dust.

2. Take your chip brush and lightly dip it into your antiquing wax. Dab off the excess, a little wax goes a very long way. Much like you did with the sandpaper, focus on brushing the wax on the edges, corners, and lightly on the front of your wooden tags.

Adding twine

Probably the easiest step is adding the twine. Decide how long you would like your twine hangers to be. I think I measured mine at 12” or so. You’ll need 3 pieces, one for each wood tag. Feed one piece of twine through the hole in one of the wood tags then tie it in a knot.

You’re ready to display your St. Patrick’s Day wood tags in your home. I know it may seem like a lot of steps written out but really these are super easy and quick to DIY once you get going on them.

Like with all of my DIY tutorials if you have any questions please reach out. Leave a comment below or send me a message on one of my social media pages. You can find my links at the top.

Happy Crafting!

Do you love freebies? Don’t forget to check out my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY. It’s where I keep all of my FREE printables, files, and more. Go here to get instant access to my library

How transform your crafts with antiquing wax

How to transform your rustic craft projects with ANTIQUING WAX

I talk to so many people all the time that have never used antiquing wax for their crafty projects because they think it’s just for furniture or cabinets. Well, do I have news…it’s totally NOT just for those things! The truth is you can use it for SO MANY crafty projects especially if you are going for the rustic look.

When I google ‘how to use antiquing wax for crafts’ most of what pulls up are tutorials on how to apply it over furniture. And yes, antiquing wax is GREAT for large pieces like furniture, but it’s also AMAZING for regular home décor pieces. I want others to be aware of the secret craft ingredient they might be missing out on.

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.

You can use antiquing wax over SOOOOOO many different bases {I’ve linked a few projects below}

• painted Styrofoam

• paper

• painted wood

I have tried several different brands of wax that are affordable and I can say they are all good. You can get them on amazon, I usually recommend Folk Art Antiquing Wax, but you can pick up Waverly wax from Walmart and the one pictured above, from Artminds, at Michael’s craft store

But you can’t just go applying this magical stuff like you do paint because it isn’t paint. There are few things you need to know to make your project turn out the best. And I’m sharing them with you because I wish I would have read an article like this YEARS ago :)!!!

Here are my tips for using antiquing wax on your home décor craft project

• MIX, MIX, MIX when you first open your wax you’ll likely notice that it’s separated. It tends to do that, especially if it’s been sitting for awhile. I recommend using a popsicle stick and stirring it really well. There will probably be clumps on the bottom of the jar, be sure to smash those clumps into the liquid part of the wax, that’s where the color is.

• Wax comes in a few different colors as well as clear {if wanting a rustic look use antiquing wax} but be sure that your bottle says WAX. If you’re looking for this at the craft store it will be with the chalk paints. The bottles look the same so don’t go on color alone as it might just be a dark colored chalk paint and not wax.

• Don’t use your fancy paint brushes to apply wax. You can buy fancy waxing brushes but I use a simple chip brush, specifically 1.5” or 2” sized ones. The ones I send in my DIY CRAFT KITS are 1” brushes.

• Cut the bristles down on your chip brush so that your brush is stiff instead of wispy. This will give your projects a much better look.

• A little wax goes a LONG way when it comes to your home décor pieces. I typically dip just the tips of the brush in the wax then dab the brush off onto my drop cloth I cover my workspace with. Then apply it to the piece I’m working on. This will give you more control over how much is applied.

• Apply only to DRY paint. If you apply to wet paint your paint will just look muddy :/.

• If sealing your piece with any kind of protective clear coating do that first then apply wax on top of that once it’s dry. Your wax will likely wear off and you will have to reapply it BUT if you apply wax then the clear coat the clear coat will flake off.

• Focus on the edges and corners, where things would naturally be worn.

Here are some projects that I’ve used antiquing wax on. Click on the pictures below to see their tutorial ;)

DIY 2x4 wood candy corn

DIY 1x4 American flag

Dollar Tree pumpkin rustic makeover

Check out my YouTube channel where I share even more crafty tips and tricks.

DIY CRAFT KIT how to paint your standing wood pumpkin cutouts

DIY how to paint your free standing wood pumpkin cut outs

I’m LOVING these little wood pumpkin cutouts! Seriously, what’s not to love?! The polk-a-dots? The stripes? The raffia? Yup! I love everything about these handmade pumpkins. And I know yours will turn out just as adorable as these guys.

If you haven’t ordered your DIY PUMPKIN CUTOUT CRAFT KIT be sure to grab yours so you can get started on your fall décor.

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.

CHOOSE YOUR CRAFT KIT

BASIC KIT:
3 wood cutouts

PREMIUM KIT:
3 wood cutouts
2 oz orange acrylic paint
2 oz white acrylic paint
2 foam brushes
1 round foam brush
raffia
sandpaper

Please feel free to message me if you have any questions once your kit arrives. I want your DIY projects to turn out AMAZING and will help you in any way I can to make that happen. If you order from the website shoot me an email BUT if you ordered from my handmade ETSY shop please message me on there. In order to keep in compliance with Etsy all convos must be kept on their platform.

If you want to skip the written tutorial and get right to the video tutorial shoot to the bottom of this page and you’ll find my youtube thumbnail for the DIY wood pumpkin cutout craft tutorial.

Don’t want/need a whole craft kit? Here’s what you’ll need

• 3 wood pumpkin blank cutouts

• orange acrylic paint

• white acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• round sponge brush

• chip brush

• antiquing wax

• sandpaper

• raffia

• wide painter’s tape

First you want to paint your wood pumpkin bases. I chose to paint the tallest and shortest pumpkins orange and the medium sized pumpkin white. Paint a THIN layer on all sides of each pumpkin. Once the fronts are dry you can paint a second THIN layer to get more coverage.

Next, after your base coat is completely dry, using your round sponge brush make polk a dots on your pumpkins. If using the same round brush to make the different colored dots do NOT rinse. You don’t want all that water in your foam round brush. Just dab it off onto a paper towel until all the paint is gone then you can use it in the second color.

TIP: to avoid a messy blog don’t push your round brush all the way down onto your wood pumpkin. Instead, lightly dab, even using a slight twisting motion works MUCH better to achieve a non-blobby polk a dot ;)!

Now for the striped pumpkin. I used wide painter’s tape to achieve this look. Tape off the bottom, lining it up with the bottom of the pumpkin { you can get out a ruler if you want this to be exact but honestly just eye balling it works great too}. Then I placed a piece close to the top, but not all the way at the top. I wanted a little of the stem to be white. Then I place another piece in between those two pieces.

Paint the areas that are not taped off. Paint two THIN layers, allowing them to dry in between coats.

TIP: to avoid paint bleed brush with the tape not into the tape.

Let all three pumpkins dry. Now’s a perfect time for a glass of wine!

After they are dry you can start distressing them. A good rule to remember when distressing is that you want to distress where things would naturally be worn. Around edges, corners, and lightly on the fronts. Use your sand paper and distress along the edges and lightly pass it along the front {I also lightly distress the back to keep the look cohesive}. Wipe the sawdust off with a lint free cloth.

Applying the antiquing wax really gives these little guys life! Take your chip brush and lightly dip just the tip of it into the wax, then brush off most of it onto a paper towel. You do this so you do not end up with way too much wax on your project. It is far easier to apply more than it is to remove it from your project. You want to apply the wax the same way you sanded your pumpkins. Focus on the edges and lightly brush on the front/back.

TIP: trimming down your chip brush will give you better control over the bristles and will prevent them from making your wax so wispy when you apply it to your pumpkins.

Tie a couple stands of raffia around the stems and you’re done! Trim the ends if needed. Since raffia tends to come in long strands you’ll want to cut the strands in half, and even in thirds in some cases. Then tie in a bow around the wood stem.

And you’re done! If you loved this tutorial please let me know in the comments. If you’re on social media don’t forget to follow me there FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOUTUBE

Pin the image below for later ;)

Watch the full video tutorial below

Check out my other crafty fall tutorials

Dollar Tree pumpkins, how to give them a RUSTIC makeover

Frugal fall decorating, how to give a Dollar Tree pumpkin a rustic makeover

We’ve all seen them the bright orange pumpkins on the shelves at the Dollar Tree. You think to yourself ‘I could paint that up and make it look soooo much better’. Then fall comes and the darn ugly pumpkin is still sitting there untouched by your creativity. Yep…that’s me. I am totally that kind of Dollar Tree shopper and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

After having several of these little pumpkins sit on my craft room shelf for almost a year I decided what better time to give them a makeover than now?! Fall is almost here and I have been working like a busy crafty bee trying to gear up for this season. Check out my latest DIY, 2x4 candy corn they turned out SO stinking cute! AND you don’t want to miss this frugal find, Walmart clearance shoes, that I gave a total makeover to for my 3 year old to wear this fall. She absolutely LOVES them!

How to turn your DOLLAR TREE pumpkins into rustic perfectly distressed pumpkins

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.

I had everything I needed on hand, including the pumpkins, but here’s what I used to turn my pumpkin from bright orange into rustic farmhouse.

• Dollar Tree ugly pumpkin

• white spray paint

• skewer

• gold chalk paint

• lagoon chalk paint

• antiquing wax

• chip brush

• paint brush

• paint tray

First you want to paint your pumpkin white. I used what I found in our garage but you can use any kind of white FLAT spray paint. Stick the skewer in the bottom of the pumpkin so you can hold the pumpkin and spray all around it. Let it dry before you put it down. I used a blow dryer to speed up this process.

Next you want to paint your pumpkin with your gold chalk paint. I broke 3 small pieces off of the skewer and stuck them in the bottom of the pumpkin so that it would stand up and not touch the table while I was painting it. Let that dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Once your gold chalk paint is dry you want to very lightly dip the tip of your brush into your teal/blue colored paint. I used a color called lagoon and on it’s own is VERY bright but when used as an accent color it is absolutely gorgeous! You don’t want to completely cover the gold paint but lightly brush over it leaving light streaks of the lagoon colored paint. This will dry pretty quick.

Next you are going to repeat the previous step but instead you are going to use antiquing wax and your chip brush. I added a little more wax than I did the lagoon colored paint to give it a more rustic look. TIP: trim your chip brush down to about an 1” and it will work MUCH better.

Once you’re satisfied with your coverage you are all done! I’m not totally loving the stem on this on so I might replace it with a stick from the yard but for now it will tie in perfectly with my fall décor! I paired it next to the glittery gold 2x4 pumpkins I made a while back.

If you loved this tutorial you will love even more of my DIY fall craft tutorials

Check out the full video tutorial below