Y’all it’s getting so hard to share DIY projects on the blog! Most of them are Christmas presents & the ones that aren’t, are too big to tackle at the moment! This DIY large letter is part of a special project for a Christmas gift. I’ll show y’all the bulk of the project, but not the final product. Y’all will have to wait until my end-of-year roundup to see it finished. ; )
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission if you buy something through my link or ad. This does not change your cost it just helps keep this blog running. Thanks for your support! See Privacy Policy & Affiliate Deals page for more information.
Making a Large Letter
This little project started with a text message from my step-daughter that was a hint for a Christmas gift. It involves the first letter of her name & her favorite movie character. I have so. many. boxes. laying around my house at the moment because I’ve been ordering things for Christmas online. Oh, and food for my dogs!
While some boxes are useful for wrapping presents, some are just in my way! I thought they would be perfect for this little project! I cut the largest one into four panels along the fold marks.
Next, I drew up an “A” on one of the smaller panels. It may help to look at a font if you have trouble with this. This is just something I made up!
I used a razor knife to cut through the first layer of cardboard. Then I used heavy duty scissors to cut through the straight bits. Finally, I used the razor knife like a saw to get around the curves.
I thought there must be a better way to do this & found this “Canary” corrugated cardboard cutter. It looks like it would work much better & I’ll be adding it to my toolbox!
Originally, I was going to use 3 layers of cardboard. I decided I liked the idea of leaving the bends in the “A” to help it stand & 2 layers works better for that. I aligned the first letter with the creases & traced around it.
To stick it all together I’m using good old rubber cement!
Once it was all dry, I bent the folds in opposite directions to help it stand. This did cause the cardboard to offset, but I like it!
Now, let’s make this a little prettier!
Painting Cardboard
To prep the cardboard surface for painting, I’m using acrylic gesso.
This is a paste like substance used to prime porous surfaces for painting. It’s a little thicker than toothpaste.
I rubbed on the first coat with a stencil brush to help get into all the grooves.
It really helps fill in the cardboard holes as well.
I did add a second coat of gesso, but it’s not absolutely necessary. While it was drying, I propped it up to hold the bends in place. I also sliced down the bends with the razor knife & filled that in with more gesso.
Once everything was dry, I gave it two coats of chalk paint in teal.
To add some detail, I went over the bottom of the center cut out & legs with with a Sharpie Oil-Based Paint pen with a bold tip in black.
This is what the back looks like at the moment, I’ll be covering it up eventually…
I will be adding some decoupage & other details to finish this out, but this is all I can show y’all for now! This picture reminds me watching Sesame Street when I was younger….
The letter for today is “A”! : D
Y’all have a wonderful Wednesday!
