Mixed Media Americana Pallet Decor

Hey friends!  Adrianne Surian here with you today to share a bit of Americana using some of the new mixed media and wood supplies at Consumer Crafts.  I spotted this unfinished USA pallet and added some colorful touches outside the traditional red white and blue to blend with my decor year-round.

I love mixed media, because of all the artistic techniques, I find it to be the most forgiving!  That means it’s beginner-friendly, because hey, we all make mistakes.  I used a base of the newly-added Marabu Acrylic Mousse and embellished it with tin stars and Stickles Glitter Glue.  Here’s what you will need to get the look!

Supplies needed to make your own USA pallet decor:

• Unfinished USA Wood Pallet Decor
• Marabu Acrylic Mousse in:
  • Light Gray
  • White
  • Caribbean Green
• Marabu Simple Mandala Stencil
• Stickles Glitter Glue, Silver
• Stickles Glitter Glue, Icicle
• Darice Rustic Accents Tin Stars, Assorted
• E6000 (or other heavy-duty adhesive)
• Sponge or Paintbrush
• Straight Edge Cardstock or Ruler

Begin by painting the surface of the pallet with a light coat of Light Gray mousse.  The Acryl Mousse is excellent for texture, so it will help to fill in big gaps and smooth down any raw areas prone to splintering.  It’s also quick-drying, so you don’t have to wait long before moving on to the next step.

Lay the stencil down on any areas you wish to keep gray.  This negative-space stencil will allow the gray base to show through, as you paint stripes on top of the stencil.  I honestly had the best luck painting the mousse on with my fingers, so don’t be afraid to get messy!  As you create stripes, a piece of card stock or a slim ruler can help you keep a straight edge.  Only paint the stripes in the area where you are adding the stencil, so that you can move the stencil to other gray areas and continue painting and alternately, you can buy several stencils, lay them all out, and paint your stripes.

When your stripes have dried, you’ll probably want some embellishment!  I glued tin stars in random places on the pallet using E6000.  (Note: if you find that you don’t enjoy the look of the rough, textured edges, you can lightly sand some of the texture away.  And, if you make a mistake, you can let it dry, and paint over it!

Finally, I added a bit of glitter to the USA pallet to give it a little bit of shine!  I used Ranger Stickles Glitter Glue in Silver and Icicle, so that the glitter wouldn’t rub off and leave a trail everywhere.  I filled some of the stenciled areas to give the gray color a little boost.

In the end, I have a fun piece that works not only for patriotic holidays, but year-round.  It fits in with my colors and my (eclectic) style – but of course, you can take this idea and modify it to fit your space!

Love the USA pallet look? Check out this fun DIY pallet flag project! Thanks for joining me to learn more about this mixed media art and I’ll see you again soon!

Adrianne

Adrianne is a writer, artist, designer, wife, and mom of 2 kids. She blogs at happyhourprojects.com where the theme is tutorials and recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Her favorite projects are jewelry-making, paper crafts, and recycled crafts. She participates annually in ArtPrize, an international art competition, and she’s the author of the book DIY T-Shirt Crafts: 50 Ways to Recycle a T-Shirt (August 2015).