Beach decor is probably my all time favorite. I love making things with starfish, seashells, and sand dollars. There’s something about beach decor that brings the ocean indoors and reminds me of how relaxed I feel when I’m there. I live in the midwest, quite a ways from the ocean, so bringing it into my decor is the next best thing.
Recently, someone gave me a big box of paint sticks, so I tucked them away for a future project. I’ve actually been meaning to make this beach flag for quite some time and was finally able to sit down for a couple of hours and get it done.
I’m in love with beachy colors. I chose to use DecoArt’s Americana paint in Cool White, Sea Glass, Whispering Turquoise, and Oyster Beige. I’ve used DecoArt paints on many, many projects and love it!
My bathroom is decorated with some other beach projects I’ve created, like this Weathered Newport Beach Sign, these Textured Glass Beach Canisters, and this Beach Starfish Plaque. The Weathered Beach Signs are among my favorites. Here are all my beach crafts if you want to have a look.
This flag measures about 12-inches wide. Eventually I’d like to make another one that’s much larger, similar in size to my PB Inspired Rustic Colonial American Flag.
Before I show you how I made this, I should probably clear something up right away. I know that the American flag has 13 stripes. I also know that its colors are red, white and blue. This project was “inspired” by the American flag, it’s not meant to be a replica. With that said, I hope that you enjoy the project!
I started by lining up seven paint sticks. Some of them were a little warped, but gently bending them with my hands helped bring them back to shape. I laid out the starfish to help me decide which ones to use.
I painted the sticks, alternating colors as I went. The end result was 2 green, 2 blue and 3 white. After they had dried, I dry brushed white over the blue and green sticks. I used a sponge applicator to paint the starfish white, and once they were dry I added a layer of Oyster Beige.
Sanding all the edges and corners came next. I also sanded the face of the sticks and the starfish.
I hot glued the sticks together, one by one, gluing from the backside so that the glue wouldn’t show. Next, I tied a hanger out of twine and glued that to the back, then turned the whole thing over and glued the starfish in place.
All done and ready to hang!
I am a DecoArt Core Blogger. I was compensated for this post, but have always loved DecoArt products! Therefore, all opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
Amanda Formaro
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Maureen Steele says
October 17, 2017 at 8:34 pmMy friend and I are making these for a school bazaar but we are having trouble getting the sticks to stayed glued together. The hot glue works but looks gappy and tried gorilla wood glue (not hot) and they didn’t seem to be staying glued. any suggestions?
Amanda Formaro says
October 26, 2017 at 3:57 pmTry Beacons 3-in-1 http://amzn.to/2gFGdop or E6000 http://amzn.to/2gGfmsk – Tacky Glue will work too, but you may want clamp the pieces together with something while they dry. :)
Vicky says
November 5, 2017 at 10:11 amI glued a couple of cut paint stirrers on each side
MELA says
June 6, 2019 at 7:08 amSeeing this in 2019- pinterestnproject on s different site used E6000 or gorilla glue combined with hot glue. So get the permanent weather-tolerable e6000 and the immediate hold of hot glue.
Amanda Formaro says
June 6, 2019 at 7:56 amgreat tip, thanks!
Barbara Henderson Bishop says
July 9, 2017 at 4:03 amI just got most of my stuff together for my beachie flags except I didn’t get my star fish yet do u think I be able to get them at Hobby Lobby?
Amanda Formaro says
July 9, 2017 at 10:13 amHi, Barbara! I believe Hobby Lobby should have the starfish :) If not, try Michaels as well. Best of luck!
Donna Muscara says
June 3, 2017 at 4:59 pmWhere did u get the sticks? Also I couldnt get oyster beige,
.
Amanda Formaro says
June 4, 2017 at 5:08 pmHi, Donna. You can find sticks on Amazon here http://amzn.to/2qQWPAV and Oyster Beige can be found here > http://amzn.to/2s721Ri or possibly at Michaels. Good luck!
Page says
May 19, 2017 at 9:16 pmCute! Can I ask what wood glue you recommend? I’m having a hard time with glues being very messy when I put wood or items onto wood. Any brand you like using? Thanks.
Amanda Formaro says
June 3, 2017 at 10:53 amI have had good results with Gorilla brand wood glue :)
Debie Woodbeck says
May 13, 2017 at 12:07 pmI love this but we are “mountain lake people” not beachy. What would you use instead of starfish?
Amanda Formaro says
June 3, 2017 at 10:58 amFun! I think little pine trees would be cute, or if you want a more nature inspired look, I would try wood chips, tiny pinecones or stones.
Kaitlyn says
December 12, 2016 at 12:43 pmThis is so cute and beachy! Thanks for sharing this DIY! I can’t wait to recreate it.
Lindsey says
July 20, 2016 at 3:13 pmCan you explain the dry-brush of white over the blue and green sticks? I’ve never done that. I LOVE this project and can’t wait to do it.
Amanda Formaro says
July 22, 2016 at 9:14 pmHi Lindsey :) Dry brush basically is what it sounds like. You dip your paintbrush into the paint, then use painting strokes on a paper towel or cloth to remove the excess paint. The paintbrush should be pretty dry but still hold paint. When you apply the dry brush to your surface, it should leave kind of a “scratchy” look.
Deb says
June 9, 2016 at 5:15 pmLove this flag. Started making one. My question where did you get the small starfish?
Amanda Formaro says
June 16, 2016 at 8:46 amI found those at Michaels! They have an aisle with vase filler etc and a bunch of beach themed stuff :)
Deb says
June 22, 2016 at 11:22 amThank you! Now to make a trip to Michael’s.
Meg Mayo says
September 22, 2014 at 11:05 pmI’d like to have my Girl Scouts make this. But, we don’t use hot glue. What would be your suggestion for a glue to glue the sticks together, and add the starfish? We’d let it dry till our next meeting (2 weeks!)
Amanda Formaro says
September 23, 2014 at 9:55 amHi Meg. White craft glue will work fine as will wood glue or an instant grab glue like Beacons 3 in 1 advanced
afc350 says
July 17, 2014 at 2:03 pmI fell for this project the minute I saw it. Have all the supplies and going to make it this weekend. My question is, did you give the paint sticks a heavy coat of paint, or a thin coat where the grain of the paint sticks showed? I so love your creativity. Thanks for sharing.
Amanda Formaro says
July 20, 2014 at 8:08 amJust a regular coat of paint, not too thin, not too thick :)
sue allen says
June 9, 2014 at 4:39 pmI am soooo going to make this–I wish I was as creative as you!
Amanda Formaro says
June 10, 2014 at 7:16 amAww thank you Sue! Hope you have fun with it :)
amy @ one artsy mama says
March 11, 2014 at 6:24 amI love this! I’m all about anything beachy, and this is an awesome way to upcycle paint stirrers!
Amanda Formaro says
March 13, 2014 at 6:51 amThank you Amy!
Liz says
October 2, 2013 at 10:14 amAmanda, I just wanted to tell you how much I like this project. I am redoing a bedroom in a coastal theme. This is the first project for my room. I am just finishing it and I love it. Thank for posting it. Liz.
Amanda Formaro says
October 3, 2013 at 7:49 amThat’s awesome Liz! I would love to see a picture if you can!
Kristeen says
July 24, 2013 at 9:05 amI may have overlooked this but where did you get your starfish from?
Amanda Formaro says
July 24, 2013 at 10:14 amHi Kristeen! I got them from Michaels over by the floral and all the vases and marbles. They had bags of various sized starfish. I had used the bigger ones on another project, and these little ones were what was left in the bag. :)
Henri says
June 10, 2013 at 2:58 pmthis is so neat and easy to do with grandkids as is. I took it a step farther and painted a sail boat &small waves and a lighthouse. I finished it and a visiting neighbor took it for a church sale. BOO HOO, never got a pic. But thatnks for the inspiration. YOU are a gem.
Marcy @ day2day SuperMom says
June 5, 2013 at 10:58 pmOh my I just love this project! I found your feature on Someday Crafts and pin’d ya before I even read the post! The tutorial is fantastic, love all the pics!
Amanda Formaro says
June 7, 2013 at 8:33 pmThank you Marcy! I really appreciate that!
Miranda @ Someday Crafts says
June 5, 2013 at 12:30 amThese are beautiful! I love the pastel, beachy theme. Thanks for linking up at Whatever Goes Wednesday last week. This was the most viewed link, so we’ll be highlighting this at tomorrow’s party. We hope you’ll come take a look and join in the party fun again!
Amanda Formaro says
June 7, 2013 at 8:36 pmThank you so much Miranda! i really appreciate that!
DesignedByBH says
June 4, 2013 at 4:33 pmLove this! If we are ever able to get our condo at the beach, this is a decoration I must make! :)
Amanda Formaro says
June 7, 2013 at 8:38 pmI would love to have a ondo on the beach! ;)
Victoria says
June 2, 2013 at 6:24 pmLove this idea and thank you for inspiring me.
Amanda Formaro says
June 3, 2013 at 8:41 amThanks Victoria, so glad you liked it!
Atta Girl Amy says
May 30, 2013 at 12:28 pmI love this, Amanda. So cute. I’ve just called my dad who was on the way to Lowe’s for a project he’s working on at my house and asked him to grab me 7 paint sticks. (They tend to hid them at my local store, so I hope he is successful.)
Amanda Formaro says
June 3, 2013 at 8:49 amThanks Amy! I hope you have fun making it, and I hope he was able to get the paint sticks for you :)
Laura / The Shed blog by Pet Scribbles says
May 30, 2013 at 10:06 amWow – this is so creative and perfectly beachy! Love it and pinned it! :)
Amanda Formaro says
June 3, 2013 at 8:56 amThank you Laura, so nice of you!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
May 30, 2013 at 7:12 amWhat a great project, I love flags!
Melissa says
May 29, 2013 at 6:17 pmI love this idea! Will have to make for our bathroom wall.
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 7:00 pmThank you Melissa!
patty says
May 29, 2013 at 4:06 pmDo you think it could be hung on the outside of the house?
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 6:59 pmHi Patty! If you want to do that I would make sure you use an outdoor sealer. I didn’t use any sealer on this since it’s for indoor use.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
May 29, 2013 at 1:43 pmHow do you come up with these thing!?! You talent just amazes me, Amanda.
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 6:59 pmAww thanks Lana! I was inspired by another project when I made this, but couldn’t find it when I posted. I saw it last year :) Theirs was different and only blue and white, but it inspired me just the same!
Sarah Forhan says
May 29, 2013 at 1:36 pmGreat idea and so inexpensive to make! Impressive!
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 6:58 pmThank you Sarah, really appreciate that!
Terri Betz says
May 29, 2013 at 12:00 pmWowed! Beauty! Amanda you’ve done it again! Can’t wait to make this sign! Thanks so much! I just love your stuff! :)
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 6:57 pmThank you so much Terri, that’s so nice of you!
Deborah says
May 29, 2013 at 9:21 amLove this! I’m not even crafty, but I could totally do this!
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 9:29 amThanks Deborah! It’s not hard at all, and the supplies are so easy to get!
Patricia Krank says
May 29, 2013 at 8:49 amThis is adorable. I love the colors. Another PIN to my projects board! Blessings,
[email protected]
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 9:29 amThank you so much Patti!
Elise says
May 29, 2013 at 8:37 amThis is awesome! I love the beach so this is perfect :)
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 9:29 amThank you Elise!
Elle says
May 29, 2013 at 8:16 amI must make this! I adore it.
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 8:20 amThank you Elle! If you do make one, I’d love to see it!
Kammy's Korner says
May 29, 2013 at 7:58 amSuper cute!!! Love it and pinning.
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 8:20 amThanks Kammy, and thanks so much for the pin!
Suzanne says
May 29, 2013 at 7:56 amThis is such a sweet idea! Love the coastal look and you have captured it beautifully on this Flag.
Thanks for sharing,
Suzanne
Amanda Formaro says
May 29, 2013 at 8:21 amThank you Suzanne, I appreciate that!
Kim @ Sand & Sisal says
May 29, 2013 at 6:51 amI love this Amanda! So creative! Pinned it ;)
Amanda Formaro says
May 30, 2013 at 6:51 amThank you Kim, and thanks so much for sharing it on Facebook too!