Plaid Shamrock Decoration Craft
Crafted from a wooden shamrock shape, scrap ribbons, and paint, this Buffalo Plaid Shamrock will welcome all your St. Patrick’s Day guests in style. Here's a step-by-step tutorial outlining how to create this colorful and decorative shamrock.
Equipment
- 1 Paintbrush
- 1 glue gun and glue sticks
- 1 roll of painter’s tape 1” wide
- 1 Scissors
- 1 Ruler
Materials
- 1 wooden shamrock plaque available in Dollar Store and other craft supply stores
- 1 wooden LUCK shape available in Dollar Store and other craft supply stores
- craft paint white, light green, medium green, dark green, and gold colors.
- glitter glue gold color
- 1 yard natural twine
- ribbon pieces scraps in shades of green
Instructions
- Gather all supplies. Apply a basecoat to the wooden shamrock plaque using white craft paint. Let the shamrock dry and apply a second coat, if necessary for complete coverage.
- Starting in the middle of the shamrock, apply a stripe of painter’s tape vertically through the center of the plaque. Use a small piece of painter’s tape as a spacer and continue applying vertical stripes of painter’s tape out to the right and left edges. Burnish the edges of the tape with a fingernail or bone folder.
- Apply a light coat of white craft paint over the painters tape. Allow the paint to dry. This seals the edges, of the tape so that the green paint won’t bleed underneath.
- Apply a light coat of light green craft paint using a dry brush over the exposed surface of the wooden shamrock. Allow to dry, then remove the strips of painter’s tape. Set these strips of tape aside to use later. Let the paint dry completely. Don’t worry if some brush strokes are visible because it adds to the textured check effect.
- Next, let's create the perpendicular stripes of the plaid pattern. Starting in the middle, apply painter’s tape horizontally through the center of the wooden shamrock plaque. Use a small piece of painter’s tape as a spacer and continue applying horizontal stripes of painter’s tape out to the top and bottom edges of the wooden shamrock. Burnish the edges of the tape with a fingernail or bone folder.
- Apply a light coat of white craft paint, over the painters tape, let dry. Apply a light coat of medium green craft paint using a dry brush and then let the paint dry completely.
- Apply the vertical strips of painters tape back onto the shamrock, starting in the middle.
- With a flat paintbrush, apply dark green craft paint in each square. Then, allow to dry. Apply a second coat of paint, if necessary.
- Remove the painter's tape to reveal the plaid or check pattern.
- Measure and cut off a 20” length of natural jute twine. Flip over the shamrock plaque/ Use a glue gun or super glue to attach the ends of the twine to the right and left sides of the shamrock. This will form the hanger.
- Measure scraps of ribbon, lace, and trims that are 6” long. Stack in an “X” pattern on top of a 12” length of natural jute twine. Tie the jute twine tightly in the center of the ribbons, securing with a knot. Fluff ribbons, and then trim any excess ribbons with scissors.
- Paint the wooden LUCK shape with gold craft paint. You can use any other Irish themed decorative piece for the center. Allow it to dry, then apply a second coat of paint if necessary. Apply a thick layer of gold glitter glue and spread the glitter out with a paintbrush. Set the centerpiece decoration aside to dry.
- Using a glue gun with melting glue sticks, attach the ribbon bundle to the center of the wooden shamrock plaque. Then place and glue the gold LUCK shape to the center of the ribbon bundle.
- Display your checkered plaid shamrock using the twine hanger.
