a found & foraged flag

You know, I enjoy sometimes decorating with red white and blue
just as much as the next patriotic American... but... 

what if I don't want to use red and blue in my home, 

and want to stick with white + warm neutrals?

Well... I found a way to do exactly that,
and still have a focus on the flag for the Fourth of July!

I found some items in my garage, left from my closed homewardFOUND shop.

When I looked at the weathered white fence pickets,
and the blue-ish zinc metal scraps, I saw a flag.

My whole 'schtick' here on the blog is re-using, re-cycling, re-imagining
stuff that I already have to create new stuff... 
It's born out of my 45-year long career in retail visual merchandising/display,
where nothing is created to last a long time 
and change is the only constant!

  I quickly got busy assembling things on the workbench...
and that metal in the top photo isn't what you think it is!

...continue reading to see how I made my own faux zinc!

This project really wasn't hard to make...

 For the 'stripes', I just nailed the vintage painted fence pickets
to two scrap wood supports on the back side. 

 
I had originally planned to attach the vintage zinc metal scrap to the pickets,
in the upper left corner,

but the metal piece was too big - and I REALLY did NOT want to cut it. 

I have another project in mind for it. So, there went plan A. 

On to plan B: Finding something else to use instead.

Then I spied a clipboard on my workbench...
the size wasn't perfect, but it could work.

...but it was my DAD's clipboard, from his warehouse
and it was wood, not metal, and I really did not want to paint it.

But what IF, I thought...

  What IF I could cover it with something that I could paint now
and take off later. Something like... aluminum foil!

I wrapped the back of the clipboard in heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Some of my fave faux painting techniques worked to create
the effect of weathered, aged zinc metal...

Basically, my technique for this effect is a lot of thin coats of spray paint.

Start with a few medium coats of Krylon hammered finish silver,
then a spray of flat black paint - applied in a 'mist' over the entire surface.

 Next, a heavy spray of bleach mixed with water,
applied generously dripping on the surface -

followed immediately by a heavy spray of hammered silver.

The bleach and water cause the oil-base paint to separate, or 'ciss',
and form a mottled pattern similar to zinc.

Let that coat dry completely, then spray the black in a light mist once more,

with one final very light mist of hammered silver to finish it off. 

This builds up the pattern in varied layers, looking more realistic. 

When dry, I took a bunch of the vintage soda bottle cap charms I already had,
and taped the backs of them onto the foil in a grid -
 to represent the idea of stars on our flag. (No, there aren't 50!)

The painted clipboard was just CLIPPED onto the wood pickets
(the clip faces backward, as shown here),
making it very easy to remove when I am done decorating with the flag

and am ready to turn the picket fence background into something new...

Because I create decor for each season,
I try to keep permanent alterations / applications to a minimum.
That enables me to use and REuse materials many times over - 
which helps me stick to my 'create, don't shop' mantra!

PS: check out this post to see how I turned an old wood ladder
into an easel to display this artwork!

(That project has a family element, too)

I love the look of the flag in neutral tones, and this kind of 'beachy' style.
(Of course, it fits industrial rustic and farmhouse style, too!)

Isn't it nice to know that we don't have to just go along with
what stores and websites offer as home decor -
We can decorate our homes OUR way, every season of the year!

I hope this project inspires you to look at what you have already
and find ways to use it in your summer decorating projects!
  

Welcome to everyone visiting in 2025 from the HOMEtalk email feature!
I'm so appreciative of the way HOMEtalk helps us share our creativity
and to connect with so many inspiring people... 
please look around to see what else I have here on the blog for you!

(fyi: My content is best viewed on a laptop or iPad for larger images ;) ) 

related projects:

If you DO want red, white, and blue summer decor inspiration, 
check out ALL of my past summertime projects here !

shared online:

creatively beth | creative crafts linky party #99

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #433

Thank you for featuring my project, Miss Donna!