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Simple Patriotic Decor Project

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H is for Holidays: Simple Patriotic Decor Project

My mom and I have had an annual tradition of exploring a large local flea market together every year on Memorial Day.  It’s hot, dusty, crowded and always proves to be an adventure filled with a few great bargains and treasures. We haven’t been able to go in the last few years as I have been busy having babies, but this year we decided to re-establish the tradition. The weather was gorgeous and it was crazy busy, but we came out with a few good finds.  The last things I purchased was this small dark blue frame.  I found it buried in a dusty old box and for some reason I was really drawn to it. It just seemed to be calling out to be the foundation of a patriotic decor project.  I paid the man a dollar and carried off my treasure.  The glass was in great condition and the frame felt sturdy.  The dark blue finish was scratched in a few places but nothing too major. I couldn’t wait to get to work on this simple patriotic decor project. Here is what I came up with:

 

Supplies

Dark blue wooden frame with mat and glass

Burlap scrap

Patriotic clip art image printed out on plain white printer paper

Scissors

Double sided tape

Sanding block – I used medium grit sandpaper

Instructions

  1. Prepare your frame. The first thing I did was to carefully take my frame apart to clean it.  I washed the glass with soap and water and wiped down the frame with a damp cloth.  It came with a simple white mat that was actually in really good shape after a gentle dusting.  The backing of the frame looks like a heavy grass cloth or burlap and was also in really good shape. I wish I had taken a before picture but I was so eager to get started that I completely forgot.  Here is a picture of all my flea market treasures – You can see the frame in the back.To recreate this frame, you could use any simple wooden frame and paint it a deep navy blue.  Use a scrap of burlap fabric as the backing to achieve this same look.
  2. Cut out the clip art. I opened a Publisher document and did a quick search for patriotic images.  Try searching under “stars”, “stars and stripes”, “flags”, “patriotic” or “4th of July” – there were many images to choose from.  I first tried a decorative red star, but really liked the antique look of this red, white and blue ribbon image.  I adjusted it until it looked about the right size for my frame and printed it out.  I laid the mat over the image to ensure that it would fit properly and then carefully cut out the design leaving no background.
  3. Distress the frame. My bargain frame had a few scratches and dings in the finish.  I could have lived with them, but upon further inspection, I decided the frame would look great with some distressing.  I used a medium grit sanding block and sanded the frame in small sections, wiping the dust off every so often, until I had the distressed look I was wanting.  I am so pleased with how it turned out.
  4. Assemble. I used double stick tape to attach my patriotic image directly to the burlap backing before carefully placing the mat over it to make sure it was centered correctly. I them reassembled the frame using the glass to press the image flat down to the backing. Voila! A simple and fun project.
  5. Display. I haven’t fully decided where to place this little gem in my house yet.  It would be cute hanging by itself or as part of a patriotic display.  I will most likely use my frame on my mantel with some other red, white and blue goodies. I know I will use it for years to come!

 

I hope this fun little project has inspired you to add your own patriotic touches to your home this summer. As soon as I found this little frame, it just cried out with possibilities.  Don’t you love it when you find things like that? Wishing you wonderful red, white and blue holidays this summer.

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