If the neighbors had any doubt that we are the strangest people on the block, I think that my latest project just might confirm our status as the neighborhood weirdos. Lots of folks around here have plastic flamingos on their lawn – one guy even has a collection of them that he rearranges into different configurations every few days – but nobody else in town has a zebra flamingo. (Zemingo? Flebra?) Want to add a little weird to your yard as well? Read on…
Project estimate:
- Plastic flamingo, $1 and up
- Spray primer, on hand or $1 and up
- Black paint, on hand or $1 and up
Total: $1 and up
I was so excited to see plastic lawn flamingos at Dollar Tree that I had to resist snatching up a whole armload of them. Instead, I grabbed a pair. If you can’t find them at your local store, check for them on the Dollar Tree website; while seasonal items come and go from their inventory, when I looked I found them available with a minimum order quantity of four!
I knew that I wanted to give my flamingos a complete makeover, so the first thing I did was give them a few coats of white spray primer. Be patient and use lots of light coats to get good coverage in all of the cracks created by the feathers without making the paint look drippy.
Before you start painting the zebra stripes, look at some photos of real zebras to get an idea of what they should look like. I kept a photo of a zebra up on my computer screen as I was working so I always had something to refer to. This picture is from Wikimedia Commons; if you want to see more pictures of zebras from different angles, try a Google image search. A little research goes a long way!
The great thing about painting zebra stripes is that, due to their unique-like-a-fingerprint nature, they are actually very forgiving. I had five or six “oops” moments while painting this one and you can’t even tell!
I still have one more flamingo left to paint, but I am debating what to do with it. Should I paint it with zebra stripes as well, or should I try painting one with giraffe spots? (Wouldn’t that be funny??) What’s your vote?
13 Comments
Shelly Rae Wood
Definitely Giraffe! :)
Beverly
Already had a trip to Dollar Tree planned for today. Just added a new item to my list! Will definitely be making these!! Love the zebra, but I’m also thinking leopard. How about flags for 4th of July??
Michelle L
You win the internet today, HANDS DOWN. Cannot tell you how much I love this!!! I vote giraffe for sure!
E. Stablein
I love the idea of the animals (leopard, zebra, & giraffe); BUT flags for the 4th of July filling the yard would be neat also.
Erin Lindsey
Ummm I vote for Zemingo and I want one! Let’s combine Zemingos with the above comment and make red white and blue flamingos too!
Rebecca
I’m thinking lots of PINK and even MORE GLITTER!!!
Louise
LOL! That’s awesome. I would love to see one with giraffe spots. And red, white and blue for the Fourth of July is just the tip of the iceberg. I can see Flaming O’Lanterns for Halloween, green St. Paddy’s flamingos, Santa flamingos, etc.
Esther
Hello, love these! Bought some last night getting ready to paint one! I am wondering if we should spray some kind of finish at the end to protect them from peeling etc….? Did you use a finish on yours? I’m going to paint mine with my paints. Thanks
rhonda
Hi Esther, and thank you!
I didn’t seal mine because I used paints that are formulated for outdoor use (DecoArt Patio Paints), which are weather resistant and won’t chip or peel – depending on the kind of paint you use, you might want to give it a clear coat just in case!