Friday, March 4, 2011

DIY: Decorated Wooden Letters

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I was asked to make some letters for a baby gift.  I made these letters to coordinate with the nursery bedding.  I LOVE the way they turned out and thought I would share with you how I did it and what worked for me.

~DIY Instructions~

1. Lightly sand the letters on both the front and the back.  Make sure to wipe all of the dust off the letters.  Paint the letters, let dry.  Paint a second coat.  Let dry completely.  I let mine dry overnight.

2. Stamp the flourishes.  I used Vintage Cream ink and it took a VERY long time to dry.  I heat dried it and it still smudged a little so I used Workable Fixative spray and that worked well.  Spray with 2-3 coats of sealer following the directions on the can.  Let dry completely.

3. Make the ribbon bow hangers.  Cut a 10 inch length of ribbon and staple evenly to the back of the letter using a staple gun.  Cut a 7 inch length of ribbon.  Place about a 1/2 inch piece of Scor-tape in the center and loop the ribbon ends to adhere in the center.  Cut another piece of ribbon about 7 inches and tie the loop bow to the hanger making a knot in the back.  This will adhere the bow to the ribbon hanger so that it can slide easily for adjustment. Trim the ends evenly.

4. Make the butterflies.  Large butterflies- Stamp the image onto vellum using ink that matches your cardstock.  Heat emboss using clear embossing powder.  Punch out the image with the butterfly punch.  Punch out another butterfly from the matching cardstock.  Bend the wings towards the center.  Adhere the vellum to the cardstock by placing a small amount of clear drying glue to the center.  Small butterflies- Punch out the butterfly from cardstock.  Cover the butterfly with adhesive and dip in glitter.  Bend the wings of the butterflies toward the center. Adhere the butterflies to the letter by painting E-6000 glue onto just the center of the butterflies.  Let dry completely.

~Supplies I used~

Wooden letters (Michael’s), Krylon Fusion spray paint in Expresso, Fancy Flourishes stamp set(Papertrey Ink), Vintage Cream ink , Krylon Workable Fixative, Krylon Satin sealer, Hibiscus Burst grosgrain ribbon, Hibiscus Burst ink and cardstock, butterfly stamp (Purple Daisy Designs), transcendence embossing powder,  large butterfly punch(EK Success), monarch butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), vellum, Scor-tape, Scotch clear glue (to adhere the vellum), Martha Stewart glue pen (to adhere the glitter), E-6000 glue (to adhere the  butterflies), staple gun

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen~

3 comments:

Lorraine said...

Wow, Karen, your wooden letters are gorgeous! I so love the colors and design. I bet they look so beautiful in the nursery!

Scrapping Julie said...

stunning Karen!!!!
i have done something similar a few years ago.. not nearly as beautiful as these!

Little Birdie Blessings said...

These are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. ~ Abby