Happy holiday week dear friends! I can’t believe the Fourth of July is just two days away! Just a few days ago I got the idea to upcyle some vintage salvaged chair spindles into farmhouse style American flags. I rushed to get them finished up so I could share a post with you today. They were super fast and simple to make and I love how they turned out! *This post contains affiliate links.

I made a couple of different kinds of flags using some old chair spindles salvaged from a chair similar to the antique pressed back chairs in my dining room. For the actual flag parts I used small dollar store flags and red ticking stripe paper napkins.

I have had the spindles in my stash for a while just waiting for the day when inspiration would strike. Well, inspiration struck! I got so excited about making the flags that I didn’t take a before picture of the spindles, but they  were just plain, chippy white. The original paint was a little glossy so I quickly went over the spindles with some creamy white acrylic paint mixed with a linen white chalk paint. After that dried I started rubbing Dixie Bell Best Dang Wax  (Brown) all over the spindles with a paper towel, making sure to get the wax down in all the ridges and crevices.

To remove the excess dark wax I used Valspar clear antiquing wax. You can use any kind of clear wax to remove excess dark wax until you achieve your desired patina.

Here is how my spindles looked after painting and waxing. They look even grungier and older than they did before which is exactly what I was hoping for. The dark wax made the details stand out much better.

For a few of the spindle flags I used small dollar store flags. I simply removed them from their wooden dowels and hot glued them directly to the sides of the spindles.

I really wanted to make some primitive-farmhouse looking flags using red and white ticking stripe fabric, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I used some of the extra ticking stripe paper napkins from my Stars and Stripes Forever Patriotic Tablescape.

I folded the napkins into a flag shape and cut them just slightly bigger than the little dollar store flags. I cut out the stars from some extra flags in my stash and hot glued them to the top left of the napkins to resemble an American flag. I did have to hot glue the edges of the napkins together to keep them from coming apart. I will probably pick up some ticking stripe fabric and redo the flags later on but the napkin flags are just fine for now.

I just finished up the flags today and stuck them down in an old ironstone pitcher with a couple of extra spindles that I left plain so I could use them in vignettes year round.

They really turned out quite cute, I think!

Since I just finished the flags this afternoon I haven’t really found a spot for them just yet, but I have been playing around with them in the dining room with my other vintage patriotic treasures.

I also had my husband drill a hole in the top of another little salvaged wood piece and stuck a flag down in the top. It reminds me of a miniature version of the old porch posts you see with American flags on top. Love it!

I have had the most fun with my patriotic vignettes this year, especially this one. The little bust was a recent thrift store find. I am not sure how I got the idea to make a colonial style patriotic hat for him but the thought “just popped in there.” The old band programs are from my grandfather’s high school band concerts. My grandfather was my first music teacher, and he was my main influence for becoming a music teacher! I miss him so much around the Fourth of July, especially when I hear “The Stars and Stripes Forever!” He loved music so much, marching bands especially!

The croquet balls are from the 1920’s and belonged to my great grandmother (my grandfather’s mother). She was also very musical. She played piano in rag time style for silent movies during the 19-teens and 20’s! Isn’t that so cool? I inherited my “play by ear” piano talents from her!

Moving the antique chest of drawers from the living room into the dining room has been one of my favorite decor changes this summer. It gave me another spot to display vintage treasures and vignettes that will change year round.

There are so many things I love about this vignette, especially the beautiful antique oval frame with red, blue, and gold paint. Below is a better picture of the frame from Memorial Day this year.

I had so much fun repurposing these old spindles into American flags! Tomorrow I will mess around with finding a good decorating spot for them. I might end up changing around the my Stars and Stripes Forever tablescape centerpiece by finding some way to incorporate them.  I will certainly share these flags again on Thursday to celebrate the Fourth of July at Thursday Favorite Things, so be sure to stop by the party to see what I come up with and to join in the fun!

As you can see it is super easy to upcycle vintage chair spindles into farmhouse American flags. Old, broken chairs are fairly easy to come by, so just keep your eyes open for vintage chairs at yard sales, thrift shops or along the side of the road. If you end up making some chair spindle American flags I would love for you to share them with me!

I hope you have a very happy and safe Fourth of July dear friends! Thanks for visiting today!

Amber

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