This time of year I love to use patriotic decor around my home. My husband recently replaced a large section of privacy fence so we have an abundant supply of old pickets. I want to put the pickets to use, and because the 4th is just around the corner I decided to try some old picket patriotic tags. Don’t you just LOVE taking something meant for the trash and making it new?!?
All the details…
Once I found a dry picket (we’ve had SO much rain lately in Oklahoma) I used the Miter saw to cut three pieces, one 8 inch, and two 7 inch. Now give each piece a good sanding and then drill holes in the top of each to add jute or rope later.
Next up, paint one of the 7″ pieces white and the 8″ piece white. I’ll use Waverly Chalk Paint in white, but you can also use acrylic. Paint the remaining 7″ piece blue.
Now you are ready to add a star to the 7″ blue piece, stripes to the 7″ white piece, and “1776” to the 8″ piece. I make my own stencils from poster board using my Cricut, but you can buy pre-made stencils to use as well. Blue painters tape works well for the stripes, just be sure the edges are tight against the board so the paint does not bleed.
I’ll use red acrylic paint for the stripes and black acrylic paint for the “1776.” After the stripes, star, and “1776” are painted, let the paint dry several hours or overnight before moving on to the next step.
In the final step, use an orbital sander to sand the sides, top, and bottom of each tag. Then, use a small amount of stain to cover all of the sanded areas. I’ll be using my favorite stain, Minwax in Espresso. Remember those holes I drilled? It’s time to add some jute or rope to each tag.
Since I’ll be using these tags on the porch, I’ll spray a top coat on each one to give them more protection from the elements. Now the old picket patriotic tags are all finished and ready for display! I’m crazy about how they turned out!!
