Easy Upcycled Retro Yard Flamingo Revamp

One of my favorite things to do in summer is projects for my garden! I have not really done too many outdoor projects this year. My mom was cleaning out the hall closet the other day at her house and found a set of pink flamingos we had used for my dad’s birthday party a couple of years ago. She was going to toss them, but I decided to take them home for my yard. They looked a bit plain to me, and you all know how I have to mess with everything, so I decided to give these two a style revamp with some paint. Now they totally fit in with the rest of my funky garden!

Here’s What You Need:

*Yard Flamingos

*Martha Stewart Gold and Black Craft Paint

*Painter’s Tape or Washi Tape

*Ballet Pink Spray Paint (Rustoleum Brand)

*Aqua Paint for the dots (I used an interior behr brand sample I had in the color Aqua Spray)

*Small Foam Dabber

*String and Beads (optional)

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is spray paint your flamingos. Push the legs of each into the ground a little and spray paint them. I used a little tin foil on the ground to keep from getting too much paint everywhere. You will probably need two to three light coats. Let them dry thoroughly.

Bring the birds back inside and lay them on their side. Put some of the aqua paint on a paper plate or a bit of foil. Lightly dip your foam dabber into the paint and then push the dabber down onto your flamingo and then off to make a dot shape. Repeat this process making polka dots where you like on the one side of your flamingo. Let the paint dry thoroughly and then flip over the piece and polka dot the other side. Let dry.

Tape around the beak where it is black and paint the tip of the beak aqua. Remove the tape and let the aqua dry tip dry thoroughly. You can then paint the black part of the beak gold. You will need several coats of the gold. Let the gold dry. Paint in a black dot in the eye with a small paint brush.

Next, tape every half inch or so from the top of the legs to near the bottom. Make sure the tape is nice a smooth and there is no space for paint to seep in. I was not so careful and ended up with messy lines on my legs. Once taped, paint the legs with your aqua paint. Set aside to dry.

To finish off your flamingo you can make them a little necklace. Knot a long piece of string with a long tail. String on several beads, I used around 13 10mm beads for each necklace. Knot the other side and then tie the necklace around the neck of the flamingo.

I have to say, I absolutely love my revamped flamingoes! They are probably a little too quirky or tacky for some people, but they are just kitschy enough for me! So next time you see an old plastic flamingo at the thrift store or at a yard sale, pick it up to funkify your own space! It’s a fun summer project that is easy and fast too! I’ll be back next week with another cool DIY project. Until then…

Happy Crafting!