DIY Arrow Painted Vintage Paddle Deck Decor
I will show you how to paint an arrow design on a vintage paddle and display it in your home.
Have you ever wondered the difference between a paddle and an oar?
I think that for years I would get the two mixed up and may or may not have been inadvertently calling one the other.
In fact, when I was first writing this post, I kept wanting to call this an oar.
But it’s not.
It’s a paddle.
Oars are the ones with the thick handles that connect into the boat with a rowlock. Paddles are hand held.
Like this little guy.
Doesn’t he look like he would give you a lovely smooth canoe ride?
The backdrop for our deck is a sea of white vinyl siding. I have to admit, it’s not my favourite. But it is what it is, until one day in our dreams we might replace it with some lovely painted cedar shingles.
Until then, I like to distract from it as much as possible. I suppose it makes a pretty good blank slate backdrop for fun hits of colour.
Like this DIY Arrow Painted Vintage Paddle.
I started with a vintage oar that I found at a thrift store…
I spray painted the whole thing with a couple of coats of one of my favourite spray paint colours Bahama Sea.
And then I used my FrogTape to tape out an arrow design…
Then I covered the bottom of the paddle with a drop cloth so that I could spray the untaped arrow design…
Spray, spray, spray…. away from anything important. There have been some spray paint incidents around here.
Done! We had this as our house address sign for a while but it was time for a change on our front porch, so I have repurposed it to our lakefront deck.
It adds a little bit of interest above our long outdoor sectional couch and under our kitchen windows…
The deck is feeling much more ready for summer now… in fact, I will be back tomorrow to share some more details on our outdoor eating area as well as a pretty little summer tablescape with you!
Although I love how this paddle looks outdoors, and I did use a good indoor/outdoor spray paint so I know it will hold up to outside; I also think it would look great hung up somewhere indoors.
I guess you never quite know where things might end up next around here. Keeps things interesting for my husband after all these years together. It’s never boring to come home;)
Do you have an old vintage paddle hanging around and think you might want to try it? Or maybe you need to keep your eyes out at thrift stores and garage sales for an old paddle {or an oar!}?
Save it to remember it!
This is the final week in the Outdoor Extravaganza series that I have been taking part in with some amazing fellow bloggers.
They have some beautiful outdoor paint projects to share with us today, as well!
Amazing projects, right?
Patio Dining Set Makeover by Craftberry Bush
DIY White Washed Terra Cotta Pots by Setting for Four
Make Painted Rock Garden Markers by The DIY Mommy
Succulents in Weathered Pots by Satori Design for Living
The Perfect Accent to my Front Porch by City Farmhouse
We will be back tomorrow with a fun LINK UP for all you bloggers out there who want to share any and everything outdoors – outdoor projects, DIYs, decor, and decorating ideas!
I may link up at some of these fabulous places below, for more info check out housie parties: Monday Funday , Inspiration Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Project Inspire{d} , Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Wow Me Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday , From Dream to Reality, The Inspiration Exchange, Wow Us Wednesday, Live Laugh Rowe Live Laugh Linky, Thursdays Are Your Days, Inspire Me Please, Catch as Catch Can, Fabulously Creative Friday, Party Junk, Pinworthy Projects , Link Party Palooza,, Weekend Bloggy Reading, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Spotlight Saturday, Suburbs Mama , That DIY Party
Love it Krista!!! You picked the perfect color to tie in with your cushions too! Such a gorgeous deck you have – I’m on my way over! 😉
Hi Krista. It looks great. How did you hang it up there? I would love to do the same but I’m a little afraid to make any holes in the siding of our house.
Hi Marie-Claude! I used a few heavy duty command strips – we have also drilled into our vinyl before to hang some things, but I know that it is not recommended to do so, so I didn’t for this paddle. If you don’t have vinyl then other siding types can likely be patched and painted (wood siding definitely can).
Krista, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the furnishings and colors….the paddle was perfect! Btw how do you shade your area?
Thank you Karen! Ah! That is such a good question. We have one large umbrella with a weighted base that we can use – but otherwise it is quite a sunny spot until about 4:30 in the afternoon. It’s nicest in the mornings and the evenings. I would love to add some sort of permanent shade – I was even checking out retractable awnings yesterday – or perhaps a pergola of some kind – for down the road. During the middle of the day if it is nice outside, we would tend to be out on the dock rather then on the deck, but it would be great to have some more shade for times we want to be out there mid-afternoon.
I was wondering how you hung the paddle up on the vinyl?
Hi Sue! I used a few heavy duty command strips – we have also drilled into our vinyl before to hang some things, but I know that it is not recommended to do so, so I didn’t for this paddle.
I love it Krista, it looks perfect with out outdoor decor!
Thank you Mindi!!
Your paddle (thanks for the lesson btw) is the perfect decor piece for your outdoor setting by the lake. I love how it sits perfectly above your lounge area adding the right touch of colour and whimsy.
Thanks Shauna!! It’s such a boring backdrop with our white vinyl siding… dreaming of midnight blue painted shingles one day. But until then…
You made this look so easy! I’m going to keep my eye out at thrift stores for paddles from now on.
Hi Lauren! Paddles and oars are one of those things on my list that I always keep my eyes peeled for when I’m out thrifting. I feel like I can never have enough… my husband may feel otherwise;)