s e n i o r: Vintage American Flag Shorts DIY

Okay, so Emily and I have been OBSESSED with the American flag shorts on Pinterest and have been wanting to make them ever since we saw them. There was just one problem, though. None of the pictures' links had step by step instructions! In honor of July 4, here are the steps to the way that I did the shorts. Hope this helps!

First, you're going to need everything pictured here.

Painter's tape

Sponge brushes

Simply Spray paint in Red, Blue Jay and Textured White

A star stencil (the one I used was very flexible which is super important)

STEP ONE:

Tape off EVERYTHING you want to stay denim. I taped off the inside of the pockets, the sides, the belt loops, the top, and the bottom because my shorts came pre-folded. Also, don't forget to tape off the section between your legs. Try to fold the tape over any edges you can so there's no way the paint can seep in. Depending on how much paint you use, you may need to double tape some spots to insure the denim stays clean.

STEP TWO:

Spray each side with the paint. We had no problem with the blue but the white goes on splotchy. To avoid the splotches, just spray the shorts and then smooth the paint over the denim with the sponge brush. Take care to paint in the same direction as the grain of the denim.

It's okay if there are some streaks. They won't be noticeable at the end.

STEP THREE:

Stencil the stars onto the shorts. We used the smallest star that was on the stencil and cut it off of the stencil sheet to make it easier to work with. Emily took special care to make her stars perfect but since I was going for more of a vintage look, it wasn't as important to make every line straight. Tightly hold the stencil to the denim and spray the white paint in the middle. Then brush the paint outward to the tips of the star.

STEP FOUR:

Tape off the stripes. I taped mine about an inch apart and 3/4 of an inch thick. Again, Emily measured hers exactly but I eyeballed mine for a vintage look. (I measured after for blogging sake.)