My oldest daughter always finds items from catalogs she wants to buy to decorate her room with. She is a tween and changes her mind constantly so I try to re-create these ideas for less at home. The latest items she wanted were some decorative wall letters for about $15.00 each. Below are the directions to make similar decorative letters for only about 50 cents per letter. These foam board craft project letters are a stylish and fun way to personalize your child’s room.
Materials:
Foam Board
Spray Adhesive Glue
Pencil
Ruler
Craft or Utility Knife
Simply Tacky – Sticky Putty
Letter Stencils or Scrap Paper
Cutting Board or Scrap Piece of Cardboard
Scrapbook Paper (In Any Choice of Colors)
Directions:
1) First step in our foam board wall letters are to prepare your scrapbook paper. The sheets we purchased were eight and ½ inches by five inches. I cut them down to five by five inches. This made the size perfect and easier to get the letters the right proportion when I drew them. Our foam core board was on sale at Hobby Lobby for 50% off; we got two for $1.99. I wanted to have an extra just in case I made some mistakes. Each board measures 30 inches by 20 inches. After I cut our scrapbook papers into squares I used the spray adhesive glue to apply them to the foam core board side by side.
2) While my foam board sat I took scratch paper in five by five inches and began to draw out the letters for my daughter’s nickname. Her name is Skyler and as you can see in our competed craft photo she wanted her nickname Sky on her wall. If you do not feel comfortable trying to draw your letters yourself you can buy packs of letter stencils. I found them at my craft store, they varied in prices from about $6 to $12, depending on the size. I did not want to spend that much for letters so I decided to wing it. Using my scratch paper and a ruler it took a little while but after a couple of tries and a good eraser I got the result I wanted. Once I got the letters drawn on my scratch paper I placed each paper one by one on a sheet of the scrapbook paper and traced the letters. Be sure you push hard enough so you will be able to see the letter outline on the scrapbook paper to cut it out later. After tracing all your letters you are ready to go to step three.
3) The next step in our craft project is to cut our foam board letters. To do this you will need either a craft knife or utility knife. A craft knife works wonderfully, as always use caution since they are very sharp. Place your foam core board on either a cutting mat or a scrap piece of cardboard. You want something under to protect your table when you start cutting. All you need to do now is cut around the letters. This sounds simple but it was quite a workout for my, my arm was sore when I was done. The foam core board I used was pretty thick so it can also take some time to cut all the letters out. Be sure to cut slowly for safety and not to mess up the lines of your letters. Once you have all your letters cut out use your craft knife to clean up and of the edges if necessary.
4) Now you are ready to decorate your child’s room with the completed craft project. To affix them to the wall it is a good idea to use something that will not damage the paint if you move or remove them. Simply Tacky is the name of the product we like to use. It only costs $1.99 for a package. It resembles the texture of silly putty. Tear off a small piece of the simply tacky and roll it in a ball and place it on the back of your letter. Repeat this step for all your letters, I suggest using a few pieces per letter to be sure they stay up well. Then just place them on the wall push well. Now they can show off their cool new wall letters to their friends. As you can see in our craft photo my daughter picked polka dots, there are so many cute scrapbook papers perfect for boys and girls of all ages. This craft is easy on your budget and a way for your child to add a personal touch to their room.
