Weekend Project

I told you guys last week that I was dying to try to make this awesome DIY project that I found over here. It's crazy because every now and then you come across one of those projects that you just absolutely have to make. There's a million projects that I would love to do but never get around to but this one was a "have to". I took a bunch of pictures so you can see how everything was done. 

I took a picture after it was finished just so you can get an idea how it turned out. It hasn't found it's permanent spot in our house yet so maybe I'll take some pictures when I get it all set up. 

 What you need:

23.5" Cardboard Paper Mache Letter (here) 

Round Bulb String Lights 25ct (here)

Xacto Knife

Paint

 Carefully cut the back off of your letter and take out the insides. 

 Flip it over and arrange your bulbs the way you want them. 

You could totally measure to make sure you get them perfect but I didn't feel like it so I just eyed it. 

 Mark where you want to make the holes. 

 Cut out the holes carefully with your xacto knife.

 Put something down to keep your surface clean and paint. 

Let it dry. 

I'm sure the fastest, easiest way would have been to spray paint it but I didn't want to risk all the fumes in  our small apartment so I just brushed it with acrylic paint. 

After its dry very carefully arrange your lights back inside your letter and screw the bulbs back together from the front. Make sure you think about which end you want the cord to come out of (most likely the bottom) so your cord won't dangle all the way from the top. Does that make sense?

Anyway...that's basically it. I found after I put the lights back in that it was kind of un sturdy so I ended up putting the insides back in and taping the back on again. It made a world of difference on how sturdy it was. Yes this is just cardboard and lights but it has a really awesome effect and it gave me this without paying $400. Of course if you have and would rather spend the money. By all means....feel free. :) I think the total cost of this was around $30. 

Tips:

If you can find the lights somewhere else other than Target that's great. Unfortunately the ones I bought don't sell in store so I had to have them shipped. 

Joanns is the only place (correct me if I'm wrong) that sells 2 ft paper mache letters. The cool thing is you can use their 40% off coupon and get it for cheaper. Also, something I just learned....Joanns, Hobby Lobby and Michaels accept competitors coupons. Nice for me since I can always access Hobby Lobby's online 40% off coupon from my phone and don't have to remember to carry the flyer or coupon to the store. Very handy!