As a stickler for recycling things that would naturally be trash,today's post makes for a very fulfilling project.
Cardboard letters have been rocking the craft scene for a while and this is my very first attempt at making some.
Have you ever had one of those light bulb ideas that have you patting yourself on the back, wondering how the world hasn't yet discovered your genius. Only to realize that your 'idea' is probably as old as sliced bread? Well, that happened to me on this project. I was trying to decide what words I wanted to form with my letters; Hazel and Cinnamon was obviously too long, my name too cliche and then it hit me! 'SEW HAPPY!' Right.....For about an hour I was so giddy with excitement at my smartness then that annoying sensible voice kept saying that the play on the word was too obvious that no one else had done it. So I decided to disprove her by going on the most reliable source for craft information, Pinterest obviously (lol) and then my bubble slowly deflated when I saw my beloved genius idea plastered all over the place. Sigh. Anyway, I wasn't about to be deterred my that so I set out on the project.
I really love the way it turned out, although you probably might not see how pretty it actually looked because my camera skills are still in their incubation period.
What you would need;
- Cardboard (Carton paper)
- Mod podge ( I wish I had an alternative because I know this isn't easy to get here in Nigeria)
- Sponge/ Sponge brush
- Spray Paint
- Scissors and Exacto knife (Pen knife, Switch blade, whatever precison cutter you have)
- Computer paper to print out your letter template
- Printer
- Double sided tape
- GLITTER
STAGE 1 ( CUTTING OUT THE LETTERS)
On Microsoft word, I typed out my letters using Cooper Black font, sizing it at 500px and printed with a standard printer.
Next, cut out the letters and stick them to the cardboard using double sided tape to prevent them from shifting when you are tracing them out.
Now the hardest part is actually cutting out the letters. I tried all forms of techniques till I found what worked for me. The cardboard is really thick so when I used only the knife, I found it didn't cut through all the layers. Then I switched to scissors and soon discovered I was probably going to cause myself some nerve damage if I kept at it. So in the end, I cut through with the knife first and then used the scissors to finish up the work especially at the rounded ends. That way the knife had already cut through most of the cardboard so just one layer was left to cut out with the scissors.
Please use a cutting mat or place the cardboard on a surface you wouldn't mind scratching when cutting with the knife. It took me about 45 minutes to cut out all the letters.
STAGE 2 ( PAINTING AND GLITTERING)
Since I was using gold glitter, I decided to spray paint the cardboard gold first. This way any spaces in between the glitter wouldn't be blatantly obvious. In a well ventilated area, nose and mouth covered (we don't want any lung diseases) I spray painted the letters in a cardboard box in two batches.
When the paint dried, I used a sponge (regular kitchen sponge which I cut up) to apply a thin layer of mod podge as you can see in the picture. I used about a coin size amount per letter. Then with a paper underneath to collect the excess, I poured the glitter on and set aside to dry. After applying glitter on a letter, I shook off the excess and turned it from the paper back into the glitter bottle before applying glitter on the next letter.
After the glue had dried,i applied a second layer of mod podge using the same quantity but dabbing it on this time so i don't brush off the glitter. This helps to seal in the glitter and also reduce the shine. You can see the difference in the picture above. Then I let this dry out (about 15 minutes)
STAGE 3 (HANGING)
Initially, I hung up the letters banner style but then It wasn't working for me, so I took them off and used some mounting tape I had on hand to put them up.
If you are going to hang them up with ribbon like I did, turn the letters and place them in reverse. It should read WES YPPAH with the Ps facing backwards. Then apply glue on the top edges of the letters and apply the ribbon. Allow to dry and hang up.
Now pat yourself on the back and stare at them for maybe 5 hours. Hahaha.
Thanks for stopping by.X
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