Over the past few years we’ve seen the fox, owl and raccoon become “hip” animals. Songs have been written about them, planters and figurines are made in their shape, and their faces have been stitched across the chest of fashionable sweaters.
Was this the same kind of popularity that ducks had back in the eighties?
The thrift store is filled with countless pieces of wooden décor covered with painted pictures of ducks, geese and mallards. I found this particular wooden paddle at the Goodwill on Waterloo for only $1.
It sat in my basement for months (as do many of my random thrifted finds), until just recently when I was inspired by all the 4th of July vignettes I was seeing on Pinterest.
Just a little paint, tracing paper, and a sanding sponge was all it took to give this paddle a makeover.
Step 1: Buy a wooden paddle from Goodwill
Step 2: Flip it over and use the back side. If the back side happens to be painted as well, I recommend sanding down the paint otherwise the edges (blue circle and ducks) will show through.
Step 3: Using Rustoleum’s 2x Ultra Cover White spray paint primer, spray 2-3 coats, allowing 20 minutes between each coat for drying
Step 4: Paint. I used a random can of blue paint I had on hand and made a quick mixture of DIY chalk paint so that it would be easier to sand. I never measure… I just grab a plastic cup from the cupboard, add 2-3 spoonfuls of plaster of paris, a little water, mix it together, add in paint, mix together again, and done! More detailed directions can be found all over the internet, simply do a search for “DIY chalk paint.”
Step 5: Tape off a few sections on the handle to make stripes. Print out a silhouette (in my case, the state of Ohio), and place a piece of tracing paper below it. Trace the outline, then fill in with white paint. For the stripes and silhouette I used white Annie Sloan chalk paint that I already had on hand.
Step 6: I painted on a few red stars using basic red craft paint, let dry, and then sanded the whole paddle down using a fine grit sanding sponge.
I grouped the paddle with an adorable pair of kid’s vintage red rain boots that I got from the Lakemore Goodwill for only $2.40, some American flags, an old galvanized bucket-turned-planter that I got at a garage sale, and of course some bunting! I made this bunting from plaid fabric napkins that were likely purchased at Goodwill a few years ago.
Happy Thrifting!
Katie