Crew Member Alison Osborn puts her heart into her work as you can see in her fanciful interpretation of a U.S. map. In an unexpected combination of wood, glass, fabric and paint, her parade of patriotic symbols across the mantel stirs up the strains of “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Whether you’re patriotic for the day or red, white and blue all the way, Alison’s designs are sure to create a bright spot in your home.
Are you decorating for the 4th of July or would you just like some festive colors added to your home? I’m sharing some décor ideas that are sure to give your mantel American flair.
Supplies Used – Canvas Corp
- 12×12 Fabric Sheet – Denim
- 12×12 Canvas Sheet – Red
- Ticking Fabric – 30″ x 36″
- 12 x 12 Burlap Sheet – Red
- Red & White Mini Dot Reverse
- Red & White Big Stripe
- Royal Blue & White Stars
- Silver & Kraft Stars
- 12×12 E-Flute White
- Mini Clothespins- Red (25 pieces)
- Cord – Hemp Rope Hank – Red – 45′
Tattered Angels
Other Items: Tree Slices, Wooden Pallet and Paper maché letters. Paper doilies and red cord for garland.
Tools Used: Scissors, X-Acto knife, hot glue gun, paint brush & sandpaper
To start, you will need a wooden pallet or some sort of wooden surface you’d like to paint. The pallet I used is about 2ft x 2ft with 4 slats. I painted 2 coats of Scarlet paint onto the pallet. After drying, I distressed the wood with sandpaper. You may want to test a corner to see how much paint will come off with the type of sandpaper you’re using.
I then taped a few 8 ½ x 11 paper sheets together to make one large sheet for my map template of the USA. You can print a map from Google and enlarge it on a copier or you may even have a map on hand that you can trace onto your paper. Once I had my map shape cut out, I placed it over the pallet to see where to section it into 4 parts so that it could spread across the front. (There may be more sections depending on how you cut your map.) I then used those 4 sections to trace out my paper and fabric shapes. Remember to flip your template over so that you don’t trace your shape backwards. I decoupaged the paper and fabric onto the pallet. For final touches I cut the shape of Ohio (my home state) out of denim, stitched a red border and added a heart to the center.
I then designed a few lettering pieces. I used small “USA” paper maché letters onto which I decoupaged Silver & Kraft Star paper. You can use the paper maché letters themselves for tracing.
For the tree slices I painted the larger one Cerulean and the smaller one Amethyst. I then hand lettered both the “Land of the Free” and “Brave” on paper. Again you can use an online lettering template or something you may even design on your computer. Once I had my lettering design, I completely covered the back side of the paper with pencil, placed it where I wanted on the tree slice and lightly traced around the letters. That transferred the pencil from the back of the paper onto the wood. Be sure not to press too hard, you don’t want to indent the wood. I then painted in the lettering, let it dry and distressed it with sandpaper. For some extra texture I added ticking fabric, canvas and some paper stars.
Together these pieces are sure to give your home the All American Mantel. Wishing you a fun and festive summer! Happy Crafting!
To see more of Alison’s work follow her on Instagram or Pinterest. You can also sign up to receive our blog newsletter once a week with more great ideas – Canvas Corp Brands Blog Newsletter
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