DIY Patriotic Home Decor

Hello fellow DIY fans, it's Audrey! Are you, like me, looking for some easy and inexpensive ways to decorate your home or dress up your 4th of July barbecue this year? Then follow along with me today as I share this upcycled thrift store flag frame made from a DIY fabric canvas and just a few simple materials. Let's get started.

Patriotic Home Decor

Supplies: Therm O Web GinaK Designs Premium Cardstock: Luxury White Therm O Web GinaK Designs Stitched Rectangles Large Die Set Therm O Web Fabric Fuse Adhesive Therm O Web Pixie Spray Therm O Web Purple Tape 1.5" and .5" Other: Recycled Fabric (cotton or muslin), Paint (red, white, and blue), Recycled Frame (5x7), Foam Brush, Sandpaper

Patriotic Home Decor Frame

To begin, take apart an old 5x7 frame. Set aside the glass, and keep the backing chipboard that comes with the frame. Coat the chipboard with a thin, even layer of Fabric Fuse adhesive using a foam brush. Cut out a piece of neutral-colored cotton or muslin fabric that is slightly larger than the chipboard. Place the fabric down onto the adhesive, and smooth the fabric out with your fingers. Flip the chipboard over to the back side. Cut the fabric at a diagonal across each corner. Fold the fabric excess over to the back, and adhere it with more Fabric Fuse adhesive.

Sand the Frame

Lightly sand the frame to remove some of the varnish, and then paint both the frame and the DIY canvas with white acrylic paint. *If your fabric is already white, you can skip this step. But I wanted the entire surface painted, so I went ahead and painted mine. Set the pieces aside to dry. You may want to add a second coat of paint to the frame. Once it's completely dry, lightly sand some of the areas of the frame to create an aged, shabby appearance. Using a ruler makes marks 2.5" down from the top of the canvas, and then draw a light pencil line across. Gather the two star shapes from the Large Stitched Rectangle die set, and die cut a bunch of stars from Luxury White cardstock. You can create whatever star pattern you wish, but I went with 8 of the larger stars, and 3 of the smaller. Spray the star die cuts with Pixie Spray. Allow the spray to set a minute to become tacky, and then arrange the stars across the top of the canvas. Press them into place to make sure all the points are tacked down. Place a strip of 1.5" Purple Tape across the bottom of the pencil line.

Paint the Stripes

Paint the top section with blue acrylic paint. Set the canvas aside to dry, and then remove the tape and stars. Make 1" pencil marks across the bottom and top edge of the remaining section of canvas, and then draw lines to create 5 even stripes across the bottom. Mask off the top of the canvas and along the edges of the white stripes using both the 1.5" and the .5" Purple Tape. Paint the two remaining stripes with red acrylic paint. Set the canvas aside to dry, and then remove the Purple Tape. Place the canvas back inside the frame, and there you have it! A quick and easy DIY decor project, perfect for the summer months and the upcoming holiday. Enjoy!