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When it comes to home decor and photography props, I love getting crafty. I often see things online or out and about and think, “I could do that!” So I do. For photography props that I purchase, I prefer things that are multifunctional and can be used in many ways. So the shoot specific items are often created, as needed, by myself.
Today I will share how I made these super simple and cute “firework” decor or props, depending on your needed use!
Supplies needed:
- 2×4(s), cut to desired sizes (I used some scrap wood and cut a couple down)
- acrylic paint (I had various colors from previous projects)
- Paint brushes of various sizes
- Painter’s tape (for taping off areas for designs)
- sand paper (for distressing)
- medium to thick cord or rope (for “fuse”)
First I cut down my scrap wood to the sizes I wanted. I didn’t measure, I just did it by eye. I had one small piece that I used for the “pop” one and then just cut some larger scraps to various heights based on that original piece.
Then I sanded them down. I mainly did this because it was rough wood and the cut pieces didn’t have smooth edges. I smoothed all the edges and corners down and any rough edges that I didn’t want to catch on things (or kids) while on display.
Next I decided what patterns I wanted on each block. This helped me choose what base color I need to add to the wood. The stars and stripes one needed a white base layer, and then I taped off and added the blue, then taped off and added the red stripes. Because I was in a rush (nap time crafting), I only taped one side of each red stripe to get me a guideline and was okay with some imperfections. I also used tape to tape-off stripes on another base white block. I used the painter’s tape to determine the size of the white stripes underneath. Again, because I was feeling rushed from nap time crafting, I didn’t take the time to cut down my tape to a thinner size, or buy some thinner tape.
I made one solid blue and hand painted stars on it. Once I got to my stars and stripes block I got crafty with some felt that had adhesive backing, and made a DIY stamp. It served its purpose to make my job easier, and the stars more uniform.
After I was done painting and had let the paint dry, I grabbed some general purpose sandpaper that I had on hand. I sanded down on the edges like before, and then gently sanded down the flat edges of the blocks from top to bottom to create some wear and texture to the finish. Personally I liked them a lot better after distressing them, and it made me less frustrated with the imperfections in my paint jobs.
The last thing that I did was grab some rope, some nails, and a hammer. I cut the rope to 2-3 inches each and used some small nails we had in the garage. I folded over one of the ends slightly, placed it on the top of the board, pushed in the nail gently, and hammered away until they were securely fastened. It was pretty easy. Then I had a nice assortment of firework props for the house or photos.
Once completely done, I got to work on my photo set up for 4th of July. Some flag decor here, some fireworks there, stars, fruit infused water, and some watermelon: bam! Done. I love it. I can’t wait to share finished images with you!
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