Just Janet Coffee and Crafts: American Flag Decor -- Pottery Barn Knock Off

American Flag Decor -- Pottery Barn Knock Off:

I was goofing off on the Pottery Barn website a few days ago and fell in love...once again...with one of their items. I have been wanting to do some patriotic crafts. I fell in love with a painted American flag...decided $129 was too much...and knocked it off. How much is my version? It was $0...FREE...I had everything on hand! Let's get started!

First of all how about a side by side comparison. My version versus the Pottery Barn version. The PB version is on the left while my version is on the right. I did lighten up my colors to match the rest of the Americana decor I have planned for this summer.

I started with a piece of plywood that was laying in the garage. It is about 2 foot by 3 1/2 foot. It was already this size so I went with it.

I needed to paint the entire board white. I have a super easy secret weapon. I just discovered these fancy bottle tops from Plaid. They are available in the craft section at Walmart.

Just screw it onto your paint bottle and you have a paint roller! I covered this board in no time flat using this little trick!

The final Pottery Barn version was very rustic. So I kept it simple. I did one coat on the plywood. Yes there were still some poorly covered areas. It will help later with our rustic look.

I then measured, compared to the online picture, measured some more, etc, etc. Finally coming up with a layout that worked and drawing it on in pencil.

I used my Silhouette to cut out two rows of stars. I used that template to draw fifty stars into the upper left hand rectangle. Again, the placement was developed by measuring and looking at the original picture.

Another secret to sign making for y'all. I am not very steady with a paint brush. But if you trace your lines with the Elmer's Painters Paint Markers you have tons more control.

After you are finished, you have broader lines that are easy to paint around with a brush.

Then just take your brush and fill in the white areas. Remember, we are going to be making this rustic so areas of light paint are okay.

I then painted the lines with a brush and I was ready to do some sanding. Yes the board was not cut completely straight on the bottom. Once I got it on the shelf in my home, you could not see the bottom at all anyway. Trust me it will still look fab. :)

Now we sand. Break out some ROUGH sand paper. I used 60 grit. Sand til you get bare spots. Make it look rustic...just like that Pottery Barn original.

But those sanded areas don't look very "worn" or "old"?? We are going to make them look that way! I mixed equal parts water based stain and water in a disposable bowl. Also grab an old paint brush...this one has seen better days.

Cover small areas with your stain mixture then wipe it right off.

In the picture below, the upper stripes have had stain wiped on them but the lower ones have not. It changes the appearance and makes your sign look old, worn, and rustic....in other words PERFECT!

Gorgeous rustic wear in just a few minutes time....

Once I stain wiped the entire thing, I just let it dry and it was ready! I would recommend if you are using this one outside, seal with a clear sealer to be on the safe side.

I was smitten with this one as soon as the stain was wiped away. It made it perfectly rustic for my taste plus to better match that gorgeous Pottery Barn version that I fell in love with...

These stars and stripes are going to become part of a summer mantle that y'all are going to love. I will be posting about it later this week...so stay tuned!

Until then, you can start your own Pottery Barn Knock Off American Flag tonight!

Have y'all been drooling over the Pottery Barn catalog lately? Have any of you made any knock offs lately? Decorating for the fourth of July already like a mad woman? Oh yes I am in that same club...