DIY: Spruce Up Your Cardboard Letters

Previously I posted Project: Children's Playroom which showcased a DIY project using paper mache' (cardboard) letters. Some of you may have already seen the DIY letters around the blogs or on Pinterest. But just in case you haven't and you are interested in creating these for one of your spaces, below is my take on how to turn these basic little letters into something special and it is super easy to do!

For this project you will need:

1. Letters (obviously =)) 2. Some crochet yarn (of your choice) 3. Hot glue gun 4. And a couple of hours (as easy as it is, wrapping these big ol' letters takes time)

Of course I headed to JoAnn Fabrics with my 50% coupons in tow to pick up my letters and yarn. And an FYI, JoAnn's will take multiple coupons in one exchange and they accept competitors coupons also. Saving some dollars! Isn't that just awesome?!! Another great thing is that JoAnn's carries these letters in different sizes. I have not found this at any other crafting store.

So to begin, I opted for the largest size letters because of the high ceiling height in the space. These letters are 23.5" tall, so they vertically fill up wall space nicely.

Next, I began to wrap the letters from the top down to the corner, color blocking my yarn. I started with the purple yarn. Because of the shape of the N and because I was color blocking, I had to overlap the purple yarn. I found the inner curves and the corners to be the trickiest because I had to keep everything nice and tight. The curves on this N were challenging because it met with an inner corner. I had to almost squeeze the two sides of yarn into the same tight little area.

I'm not sure how I would do this differently if I had to do it again, especially if working with another N or an M (or a letter similar in shape). If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

When wrapping the yarn around the letters I did not hot glue each yarn wrap. I placed a bead of hot glue at the beginning of each color block of yarn and at the end of the color block. I made certain to firmly pull the yarn around the letter and adjust each yarn wrap to tightly sit under the previous wrap.

In the case of the J - since the it was rounded on the end and not square like the N, closing the yarn wrap required me to loop it around like a swirl. Sorry the pic isn't as clear as the others. Not sure what happened here! =/ Hopefully you all can see exactly what I'm talking about!

That's about it! A super easy DIY project for you to try! The finished letters!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome weekend!

Making Home, Home! Kathleen