I am once again trying to craft my way through a mountain of wood pieces leftover from our recent deck construction. So today I am sharing two more projects that are easy and fun Patriotic painting ideas just in time for your Fourth of July celebration.

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THIS POST IS PART OF THE CREATIVE CRAFT BLOG HOP HOSTED EACH MONTH BY SARA FROM BIRDZ OF A FEATHER.

 

 

If you are visiting from Niki’s site, Life As A LEO Wife then welcome!  I know you will enjoy her project for Easy & Affordable Coastal Farmhouse Wood Bead Wreath project this month.  At the very bottom of this post, I will direct you to the next stop on this blog hop venture, but I can assure you that you don’t want to miss any of the other talented bloggers participating this month.

 

 

Fun 4th of July crafts

Over the last couple of years, I have shared so many Patriotic craft ideas and fun Independence Day ideas on my blog.  The most recent is this Patriotic Uncle Sam woodcraft made from the same pile of scrap wood from our deck construction.

I have always enjoyed making colorful red, white, and blue crafts, wreaths, and knickknacks for the summer holidays.  And yes, there are several colorfully painted and fun Patriotic crafts that are part of my summer crafting lineup each year.

My Patriotic art projects have included a Patriotic Flower painted on burlap, a painted clothespin wreath, a Patriotic tray made from an old cabinet door, painted miniature houses, and some simple painted 2 x 4 projects like the ones I am sharing today.

 

 

Patriotic 4th of July Crafts

While these easy craft tutorials I am sharing today are nothing new to the crafting world, I still decided to share them here because they are a good reminder of a fun way to make your own seasonal decorations.

My first painted project out of scrap wood is these adorable 2 x 4 wood firecrackers.

I have seen several versions of these on Pinterest of course but let me show you how I made mine.  I made two sets of 2 x 4 Patriotic painted wood firecrackers using a combination of acrylic paints in red, white, and blue, and Varathane Poly+Stain in Antique Walnut. 

It was what I had available in my craft stash of course.

 

 

Each repurposed 2 x 4 I used were about 6.5 inches to 7.5 inches in height.  They were already cut to those lengths but you can cut your own 2 x 4 to any length you wish.

After lightly sanding the rough edges of each piece, I applied a base coat of paint in either red, white, or blue on each piece. 

I wanted to display these 2 x 4 wood firecrackers in sets of three, so I decided to make one for each color in red, white, or blue.  It took at least three coats of acrylic paint to completely cover each one.

After the base coat of acrylic paint, I then used painter’s tape on a few of the white ones to create red stripes in various sizes. 

 

 

There are just so many fun ways to paint your own version of woodblock firecrackers.

On one of the white painted 2 x 4s, I wrote the year 1776 with a pencil and painted it with blue acrylic paint.  On the other white 2 x 4, I used blue painter’s tape to create a stripe pattern and painted in red stripes. 

When you create your own version, the design can be classic, whimsical, or as creative as you want it to be.  Actually, these are such easy crafts to make for the whole family, even little kids. 

The vision I had for my wood firecrackers was an aged and rustic look.

After the acrylic paint had dried, I used 120-grit sandpaper to rough up the edges and sides of the wood to remove sections of the paint and expose the raw wood underneath.  An aged look is easy to create by applying a thin layer of dark wood stain on all sides of the wood block.  

 

 

I used a sponge brush and applied the stain to one side of the wood and quickly rub the stain back off.  Turning it over and repeating this process on all sides of the 2 x 4. You get an instant-aged look with this method.  It really is that simple.

 

 

After painting the 2 x 4s with red, white, and blue acrylic paint, sanding them down, and aging the finish with stain, the last thing to do is add a piece of jute twine to the top as the wick.

Drill a small hole at the top of each 2 x 4.  Then use a dab of hot glue and a toothpick to insert the end of the jute twine in the hole.

 

Gathered in a set of three and put out on display, these 2 x 4 wood firecrackers will quickly become one of your favorite Patriotic decorations.

 

 

 

 

Or you can wrap a burlap ribbon around any of the painted wood firecrackers and you have an easy and fun Patriotic table centerpiece.

 

 

 

Another Fun Idea for a painted Patriotic craft project for the summer.

The second project I was making at the same time was just a way to use up these triangle-cut pieces leftover from the scrap wood black cats I made back in the Fall.  Another scrap wood project of course.

 

 

I painted each one in blue and used the same steps described above to sand them down and aged them with stain. 

These triangle pieces, with white wood star shapes applied to one side, were then glued to the top of a red and white painted striped 2 x 4 to create a wood block house.  Lastly, I wrapped jute twine around them for a little extra whimsical character. 

 

 

Together these two scrap wood pieces created an adorable little Patriotic house-shaped centerpiece for Memorial Day, Independence Day, and through the Labor Day holidays.  They are just a fun Fourth of July craft!

Honestly, both of these scrap wood decorations are fun Fourth of July crafts. I may have to make several more for next year. Maybe a wide piece as a backdrop with a fireworks painting would be a great craft idea for next year’s Patriotic holidays.

However you decide to paint them, these easy and fun Patriotic painting projects are a great way to celebrate all of the summer holidays. Not to mention a great way to repurpose leftover scrap wood pieces. 

Pin For Later

 

I invite you to now take the time to visit the other talented bloggers who participated in the Creative Craft Hop this month!

 

 

 

 

Hugs,