you're a grand old flag

Reason #57 it's great to have just one car: plenty of room in the garage for craft projects. 

Maybe it was Steve's idea or maybe it was mine, but at some point this summer, we started talking about making a big American flag out of plywood.  You know, to prop up on the front porch or somewhere in the house.  I love flags and think they are a perfect summer decoration.

Last week we set out to do it and, I am happy to report, it only took three evenings (less than an hour each day) and $.53 in purchased supplies.  Talk about your chipper chicken. 

First, Steve looked through his plywood collection (a parting gift from a friend) and found a piece that was just the right size!  We assumed we'd have to cut the wood, but got to skip that step entirely. 

Then, we painted the front with some leftover white primer. 

The next evening, we taped off the stripes and painted the red...

then moved the tape and painted the blue.  We used some old blue paint that was kind of dried up, but we thinned it with water and it worked fine.  We splurged on a $.53 bottle of red craft paint at Walmart for the stripes. 

The last thing to do was add the stars, which was definitely the most challenging part.  After drawing a star we liked on paper, we cut it out and traced it onto an old mousepad.  Then I used an exacto knife to cut the mousepad and make a stamp.  We stuck a couple of toothpicks in the back of the stamp so we'd have something to hold onto.  Steve also cut out about 20 paper circles to use as place holders. 

We spaced out the circles across the top and down one side so we didn't run out of room for the stars and then I moved each one as Steve stamped the star.  Teamwork! 

We let it dry for about an hour before bringing it inside. 

Right now, it's propped in front of the fireplace, just adding to the charm of the summer mantle.  Next year, I may even put it on the mantle!  I'd also like to try it on the front porch and in the dining room.  Our flag is about 46" wide, so it really makes a statement and I love statement pieces for our house.  What I love most about projects like this though is how much fun we have working on them together.

I hope your fourth of July is full of watermelon and sunshine!  We're planning on a little grilling, lots of relaxing, and hopefully some fireworks!