DIY American Flag made from Dip-dyed Coffee Filter Flowers – plus 5 more Sensational Patriot Projects from the DecoArt Core Bloggers!
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Hi guys! Today I have a much anticipated (in my mind) project to share with you. And, not just my project, but a total of 6 Sensational Patriot Projects from the DecoArt Core Bloggers!
I’m so privileged to be a part of this amazingly talented group, and I’m certain you are going to be inspired by all the fun, 4th of July DIYs.
If you have been here before, you might have seen my Heart Shaped Coffee Filter Wreath. I made it a while ago, and I’ve been itching to do something else with these BEAUTIFUL flowers.
So, I had this crazy idea to jump out of the box and, instead of making a wreath, make an American Flag. Holy smokes. What do you think? I’m trying so hard to be all cool about this, but I’m crazy over how it turned out!
How to make this DIY American Flag from Coffee Filter Flowers
First, you’ll need some stuff:
- a 20×30 white foam board
- about 200 coffee filters
- Red and Blue Americana MultiSurface Paint from DecoArt – I used Lipstick and True Blue
- Hot Glue Gun
- Something on Netflix to watch as you make 200 coffee filter flowers – haha!
Pop over to this post on How to Make Beautiful Coffee Filter Flowers for the full low down. Here are some new tips:
For this wreath, I decided to dip-dye the filters instead of immersion dyeing them. I wanted the color to be much more saturated, just to make sure the red stripes didn’t come out pink like the Heart Wreath. So I started out making the flowers from white coffee filters.
If you dye them after you make them, you can gather a pile and cut as many at one time as your trusty scissors can handle. I divided each stack into about thirds and that worked well.
I also just used one coffee filter for each flower in this project. In the heart wreath, I used two per flower.
Once you have all your flowers made, it’s time to dye them.
Again, here is the post with the directions to make the flowers.
For the 20″ x 30″ white board, I calculated up how many of each color I needed by laying them across and down the board. Here’s a diagram of how it worked out for me:
- Blue – 49
- Red – 77
- White – 69
That comes out to a total of 195 flowers. Make some extra for testing the colors.
But you might want to try it out before you start dyeing and glueing them down to see if your flowers are bigger or smaller. You might need more or you might need fewer.
How to Dip-Dye the filters
Grab a plastic bowl and squirt some paint in. Don’t worry about exact measurements. I didn’t, and it was fine.
Then fill it with a cup or so of water and stir well.
Test to see if it’s the right depth of color.
If you are happy, then start dyeing them! Otherwise add more paint or water depending on how saturated you want the color.
To dry them, just line some trays with paper towels and gently place them upside-down to drip dry.
Before they dry completely, remove the paper towels and flip the flowers right-side up. At this point, you need to start separating the “petals’ a little so they don’t stick together and make your life miserable. Trust me. This step is important! They pull apart so much easier when they are still a little damp.
If you forget to separate the red ones, grab your iron and steam them a little. That will help. #gottaloveexperience
Once dried, you can start placing them on your board and hot glueing them down. This actually goes rather quickly.
Start by placing the top row of flowers and the left side. Spread them out evenly and then glue them down so they can be your guides.
If you want to get very specific, you can measure and mark this all out. I’m in more of the “this looks about right” camp.
So pretty, right?
I’ll totally keep this for next year. I just love these coffee filter flowers!
Oh, I just realized you are getting a sneak peak of my newly painted foyer and piano! I’ve got more plans for this space, so stay tuned!
If you want, you can see the Pear Green “before” here.
What’s the next holiday again? Maybe another coffee filter flower project will appear!
Now, go check out all the other amazing DecoArt Core Bloggers and their Patriotic Projects down below. Just click on the image and you’ll be magically transported to their post!
So CUTE! Your flowers are perfect and the flag is just amazing! ox
Thank you, Robin! It was so fun to make!
Gwen, this is so creative! What a cool idea and it would make a great backdrop of 4th of July photos. Pinning!
Thank you, Malia! I love it on the white wall!
This is SUCH a fun idea, Gwen!! And I love how the flag came out. SO pretty!
Thank you SO much, Michele! It took some time, but it was worth it, I think! 🙂
Gwen, I absolutely LOVE this project! Visiting from shaken together and pinning! Thanks for sharing and have a fabulous weekend!
Thank you so much, Cindy! I’m so glad you popped over from Keri’s!
Happy Friday!