Patriotic Flag Pins

Thanks to Plaid Crafts for sponsoring today’s post; all opinions are honestly my own.

Summer is a great time for celebrating and having tons of family fun. Here’s a simple, super-inexpensive craft you can make together with the little people in your life as we get ready to celebrate America’s birthday!

DIY PATRIOTIC FLAG PINS

You’ll need:

Apple Barrel Multi-Surface Paint Set: We used Candy Apple, White, and Primary Blue.

Unfinished wooden rectangles {ours were 3-1/2″ X 4-1/2″X 1/8″}

FolkArt paintbrushes

1 1/2″ adhesive bar pins

These little pins are festive and fun to make for kids of all ages. School-age children like my boys will have no trouble painting their own with no help necessary, and I confess, I quite enjoyed creating a few myself. Smaller kids can certainly do this project too, you just might need to be a little more hands-on and assist them with their designs. This craft was especially fun for our family since “Scout” will be celebrating the 4th of July for the first time! He already loves everything “USA” and seeks out everything he can find with the American flag, so he couldn’t wait to make these himself.

Step 1:

Cover your work surface with a paper towel, then paint your wooden rectangles to resemble the American flag. We started by making the upper left corner blue, then adding alternating red and white stripes. Once the blue is dry, all that’s left to do is add tiny white dots to represent the stars.

None of our pins ended up being exactly accurate with 13 stripes and 50 stars, but you can still easily tell they’re the American flag. One of my boys opted to do a throwback version with the stars in a circle. One coat of paint was plenty to give us bright, vibrant colors and full coverage.

We’re pretty sure these pins are so fun to make that you won’t want to stop after just one…we sure didn’t! So, here are a few other variations you can try if you don’t want an entire collection of flags. One option is to give the rectangle a base coat, then paint red, white, and blue stars on top. Another idea is to write USA or any other patriotic saying you like. Really, any combination of stars, stripes, and words in patriotic colors will be a hit! Our family’s newest American citizen gives them a big thumbs up.

Step 2:

Once your paint is completely dry, add a bar pin to the back of each rectangle. Ours were adhesive, so all we had to do was peel and stick. If yours aren’t, a quick dab of hot glue or craft glue will do the trick and secure them in place.

These little pins couldn’t be easier to make, and they’re absolutely perfect for summer celebrations! You and your kiddos can make them for yourselves, then make more as gifts for family and friends. We are hosting a 4th of July celebration at our house, so the boys are anxious to give them to our guests as a party favor.

The Apple Barrel Multi-Surface Paint Set we used is perfect not just for this project but for all of your summer crafting needs. It provides the same results as the Original Apple Barrel Paint while also allowing for multi-surface coverage, including tin, terracotta, paper mache, canvas, wood, plaster, rigid plastic, fabric, concrete, glass, and ceramics. It’s indoor/outdoor and dishwasher-safe, so you can use it for all types of crafts. The set is available on Amazon and contains sixteen 2 oz. bottles of paint.

What are you waiting for? Grab your supplies and get started on your own Patriotic Pins today! I’d love to see how yours turn out. Share your photos with us in the Amy Latta and Friends Facebook group so we can all be inspired.