~craft night~{diy wood flags}

If you follow me on instagram you will know that I just posted pictures of our last craft night.

Once a month I host a craft night. 

It's been going on for about 6 months now, maybe a little longer, and it's something I look forward to every month.

I've got quite a group of regulars that come, but am always open to new people joining us, so if you live in my area and want to join in on the fun, pls. email me!

This month we painted flags.

Union Jack and American, just in time for the 4th.

The idea came from this great blog, go check it out!

I had lots of requests for a DIY, so here we go.

Bear with me, this was a tricky one to try and explain!

I will show you how to make the Union Jack plaque, because if you can make this one, the American flag will be a piece of cake.

Here is what you are going to make, and you can do any color combination you'd like.

 Start out with a piece of 1 x 12 pine board. 

I cut them into 19" lengths and pre-stained them ahead of time for everyone.

Minwax jacobean is the color I used.

You will need 2 diff. widths of painters tape, whatever paint you choose, a ruler, and an x-acto knife.

 Start with the largest tape and make a cross.

You can eyeball this or measure it.

 Next, using the largest

 {fat} 

tape make a X.

Then using your skinnier tape outline the center.

{refer to the red}

 Again using the skinny tape, outline the center large tape.

 Now outline the X's {fat tape} with the skinnier tape.

Your board should be almost entirely covered with tape and look like the photo below. 

You are now done taping.

 Using an x-acto knife and a ruler as a guide, you are going to cut away the sections that get painted.

Start with the center. You are essentially removing the fat cross you did in the first step.

Using the same technique, remove the X sections of fat tape.

When your board looks like the one below, you are done and ready for paint.

 We used small bottles of craft paint, but any paint will do.

After the paint dried, we sanded them and applied light and dark wax to finish them off.

Add a sawtooth hanger to the back, and you are done!

You are now ready to tackle your American flag~all on your own :)

 Here are some photos from our fun evening.

 If a 10 year old can do it, you can do it!

 I asked my friend Tanya if she wouldn't mind driving home naked cuz

 I wanted to steal her outfit.

She didn't go for it.

Darn.

 My friend Trina requested a giant piece of wood for hers.

Go big or go home.

Here she is on the floor

{no room for her on the table}

trying to figure out the layout for her stripes on the American flag.

 Waiting patiently for paint to dry.

 Ta-da! 

Thanks again to Boxwood Clippings for the inspiration!

Now, go make yourself a flag or two!

xoxo