Add a touch of red, white, and blue to your summer decor with this dollar store reverse canvas American flag craft.
Showcase your patriotic spirit and decorate for Memorial Day or the 4th of July, all without breaking the bank. Make a rustic American flag craft with dollar store supplies.
Summer is here, and it’s time to bring out all of the patriotic decor and craft projects. Celebrate the 4th of July in style with a trendy reverse canvas craft – an American flag in a wooden frame, hung on a string of wood beads.
P.S. If you’re looking from more American flag-inspired crafts, be sure to check out this Watercolor USA Map Sign that I made!
What is a Reverse Canvas?
As you’ll see in the tutorial, I start this project with a plain 8×10 stretched canvas. But if you cut the canvas fabric, you will reveal a little wooden frame inside. This wooden frame can be used to make a TON of cool DIY wall decor projects. If you want to learn more about this craft trend, you can read my Reverse Canvas 101 Tutorial or watch this quick video below:
The inside of the reverse canvas frame can be filled with anything you like – a printable, heat transfer vinyl cut on your Cricut, etc. But in today’s craft, I’m going to make an American flag from some dollar store supplies: wooden craft sticks, lace ribbon, and a piece of faux tin tile.
Making a Patriotic Red, White, and Blue Reverse Canvas American Flag
Embellishments for the stars and stripes. I choose to use a piece of faux tin tile painted blue, as well as some dollar store white lace ribbon and wooden craft sticks painted red.
Dollar store wood bead garland (optional) and screw eye hooks to hang your American flag craft
The process is really so fun – and completely customizable. You just cut the canvas from the wooden frame. Stain the frame. Then trim the canvas down to size, and re-attach it to the back of the frame.
From there, you can create and embellish the canvas with your American flag.
Get creative with materials you already have in your craft stash. Think ribbon, twine, scrap fabrics, craft sticks, buttons, and anything else with texture and dimension.
I choose to paint some craft sticks red for the flag stripes.
To add dimension, I distressed the blue painted tile with a piece of clean dish sponge and a tiny bit of white paint. Sometimes, a dish sponge gives a smoother finish without lines like a paint brush would.
Video Tutorial: How to Make a Reverse Canvas American Flag with Dollar Store Supplies
Watch the video tutorial before you begin, and let that be your visual guide for this project.
Use a PenBlade to remove the canvas fabric from the wooden frame. Carefully work around the staples. If you want a smooth back to the project, remove the staples as well. This can be a bit tricky, so it’s really a matter of personal preference. For this project, I left the staples in.
Stain the wooden frame and wood bead garland. Brush on an even coat of gel stain. Dab away excess stain with a paper towel. Let dry.
Trim the canvas piece down to size. Make sure that the canvas is cut just a bit smaller than the outside edge of the wooden frame. Apply hot glue to the back of the wooden frame. Work quickly and be sure to get a fair amount in each corner and the center of each frame side. Set the canvas in place on the frame back and press to secure.
Cut a rectangle of faux tin tile. Paint it blue, and let dry. Apply a tiny bit of white paint to a piece of clean dish sponge. Dab off excess paint on a piece of paper. Lightly brush the sponge over the raised surfaces of the tile. This will give it a worn appearance. Hot glue the tile piece into the upper left corner of the canvas.
Use miter shears to trim wooden craft sticks down to size. Lay them down on the canvas to determine the right size and spacing. Keep the sticks in order, and transfer to scrap cardboard. Paint the sticks red with a "dry brush" technique - leaving some wood exposed and poking through the paint. Set aside to let the paint dry. Hot glue the painted sticks in place.
Fill in the spaces between the red craft sticks with lace ribbon. Cut the ribbon to length and hot glue in place. A silicone fingetip protector is helpful to prevent burns.
Screw two eye hooks into the top of the wood frame, approximately 2 inches from each edge.* String the wood bead garland through the eye hooks and double knot on each end.
Notes
*TIP for adding the eye hooks: Hammer a small nail into the wood frame about 1/4-inch, and then remove. This will create a small "pilot hole" for your eye hook, making it easier to screw in.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
