April 22nd is Earth Day, so I’ll be showing you how to make an upcycled denim blue flower in a frame for an eco-friendly craft.
I used a scrap of burlap, a natural material left over from another project, and an old pair of blue jeans that my husband had added to our thrift store pile. Of course, I snagged the jeans thinking I could use the fabric for a craft someday, and today’s that day!
Denim flowers are super easy to make and you can create so many different crafts using them. You can attach them to pillows or wreaths, attach them to floral stems to make a bouquet for a vase, or even use them to create a brooch.
UPCYCLED DENIM BLUE FLOWER IN A FRAME
The following photo that I pinned from Pinterest was my inspiration for creating my denim blue jean flowers. I put my own spin on the style that I used for my upcycled denim craft. The flowers below were made by Paulien Van Den Bosch via scrapbook.com.
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- Plaid unfinished wood frame
- Apple Barrel brown and blue craft paints
- Mod Podge
- sponge brush
- old artist brush
- thrift jeans
- burlap fabric scrap
- bauble or button
- glue gun
- scissors
- marker
- ruler
HOW TO MAKE A DENIM FLOWER CRAFT
STEP 1 – DRAW AND CUT OUT THE FLOWERS
- Use a marker to draw flowers of varying sizes on the reverse side of jean pant leg.
- The flowers don’t need to be perfect for this project.
- Cut the flowers out along the inside of the marker lines.
- Adjust flower shapes by trimming, if needed.
- Use your fingernail to scrap along the edges of each petal to fray them.
Experiment with your shape sizes to put together a stack that’s pleasing to you. I ended up using only 5 flower shapes to stack large to small to make the one flower.
STEP 2 – PAINT THE FRAME
- Pry up the 4 prongs/braces on the back side of the frame and remove the backing piece.
- Use the foam brush to paint the back side brown, and use an old artist brush to paint inside the holes (used for hanging) and the inset of the frame opening.
- Flip the frame over and let the prongs/braces prop up the frame on your table.
- Paint the top side of the frame brown, leaving the side edges unpainted.
- Once the brown paint is dry, paint the edges blue.
I started using Nutmeg Brown paint, as seen in the supply photo, but ended up wanting a darker chocolate brown color. I had to mix my own shade since I didn’t have a dark chocolate color on hand. You can mix Nutmeg Brown with Black to get a darker brown.
STEP 3 – ATTACH THE BACKGROUND TO THE FRAME BACKING
- Take your burlap scrap and measure and mark a 5×7 shape, or just use the frame backing as a cutting guide. Slightly snip corners.
- Test the size of burlap compared to the backing before gluing to make sure it fits perfectly.
- Use a foam brush to apply Mod Podge to the frame backing. Press the burlap in place. (Mod Podge dries clear)
- Once dry, return the backing in the frame and press the prongs/braces down.
STEP 4 – CUT OUT AND PAINT THE LEAVES
- Cut 3 leaf shapes from burlap scraps.
- Use an old artist brush to stipple the green paint on one side of leaf shapes. Don’t use a heavy coat of paint, refer to finished project photo.
STEP 5 – ATTACH THE FLOWER AND LEAVES
- Stack the flower shapes from large to small on top of the burlap backing. Pay attention to alternating petal placement from one shape to the next.
- Once flower shapes create one flower, insert the leaves under the flower.
- Use hot glue gun to attach all shapes. Carefully, lift up each layer and glue.
STEP 6 – ATTACH A BAUBLE OR BUTTON
Use hot glue gun to attach a bauble or button. I used a piece of wood jewelry from my junk craft stash that I painted.
Will you use your upcycled denim blue flower in a frame or another creative way? Have fun using your imagination to create your project!
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THESE UPCYCLED PROJECTS!
Do you love using Pinterest to pin your favorite photos for ideas and inspiration? I’m participating in a Pinterest Challenge with a group of fellow bloggers where we create one of our pins from our Pinterest boards. This month our theme was to create an upcycled/eco-friendly craft. Be sure to click the links at the end of this post to see more upcycled projects. Don’t miss out!
SEE MORE UPCYCLED AND ECO-FRIENDLY CRAFTS BELOW
Farm Girl Reformed | Sew Crafty Crochet | Mom Home Guide
Treasures Made from Yarn | Little Vintage Cottage
Southern Sunflowers | Stone Cottage Adventures | EyeLoveKnots
On Rockwood Lane | The Apple Street Cottage | Our Good Life
Pandora’s Box | Our Sutton Place
Sharing my upcycled denim flower craft at these fabulous blogs!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AllysonAllyson is the founder and content creator of Southern Sunflowers. She shares tutorials for DIY crafts and decor on a budget.
CONGRATS Allyson! Your post is FEATURED at A Themed Linkup 117 for Laughter Is the Best Medicine from the previous linkup for Denim, Burlap, or Lace Crafts and Décor.
Thanks for featuring my denim and flower frame, Dee!
How pretty, looks so cute! Thanks so much for linking up at A Themed Linkup 116 for Denim, Burlap, or Lace Crafts and Décor. Pinned.
Dee, thank you for letting me share and thanks for pinning my frame!
This is so pretty!! And you made it look so simple with your tutorial. Thank you!
Michelle, glad you like my denim flower project. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Thanks so much for the easy step-by-step! This is so cute and would make a great gift too! Hope you have the best week, CoCo
Glad you like my framed denim flower, CoCo! I’m keeping this one for myself since it matches my family room decor lol!
C U T E ! ! I love Terri’s idea of making this into a greeting card! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Thanks, Marci! I’ll have to experiment with smaller denim pieces to try and create a card.
I love your pretty flower. Pinned.
So glad you like my denim flower, Joanne! 🙂
I think this would make an adorable greeting card as well!
Yes, it would! Thanks for dropping in! 🙂
I love a good denim upcycle craft, and this flower is too cute! I also love that you used burlap! So cute!!!
Thank you! That denim was just asking for a burlap background. Glad you like my upcycled project!
Really pretty! I really like how you’ve done different sized petals, and the shaping is lovely! Did you seal the edges of the denim in any way?
I didn’t seal the edges since it’s framed, but it could be an option if the flowers are used on a pillow using a fray sealant. I like the frayed look, though.
That is SO pretty, Allyson! You’ve inspired me to make some flowers with my denim stash. Pinning…
I’m glad I’ve inspired you to make some denim flowers! Thanks for pinning.
Cute project – these would also be cute on a pillow!
Thanks, Patti! I would love to make a pillow with lots of these flowers…if only I had more time.
This is so cute! It would be sweet with colored denim too 🙂
Tania
I hadn’t thought of using colored denim! That’s a good excuse to make a thrift store visit to look for colors to add to my craft stash. Glad you like my upcycled project.