Project: Initials and Ampersand

Project: Initials and Ampersand

Inspiration: Images like these ones, from Pinterest. Again, the cost of buying these just seemed silly to me, plus I wanted to do something in our fun colors!

Cost/Materials: You can get the letters and ampersand at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 a piece. They're about 8" tall. I waited until there was an "all paper mache 50% off" sale and got them for closer to $1.50 each (so $4.50 total). You could also go back each week with a new 40% off coupon to purchase each one individually (hey - I'm not above it. #extremecouponing). For paint, I'd purchased some in our colors for about $3 a tube (Hobby Lobby - "The Fine Touch" 120 ml tubes, in Neutral Gray, Permanent Rose, and Naples Yellow). I figured $9 for three decent sized tubes would be a worthwhile investment since I'd paint several things. The pink I picked out wasn't quite coral-y enough, so I got a small $0.69 bottle of a better match later on and gave it a new coat. I used regular, nothing-special brushes to paint the letters.

How I Did It: I figured the pink-ish coral for my initial, yellow for my fiance's, and gray as our ampersand. I gave each letter a couple coats, making sure they dried in between. Took about an hour and a half total - getting in all of those creases was a little tougher than I thought. Make sure you're in good lighting so you can ensure proper coverage. I did mine while watching Netflix. You know you've got a show to binge watch, so why not be productive while you do it? Plus watching paint dry is just sad.

The Outcome: Here they are! So simple yet so cute. Not sure yet whether they will be on the sweetheart table, or elsewhere as decor.

Lessons Learned/Tips: I worked back and forth, alternating between the letters, so that I could touch the dry sections of each as I added new coats. If you paint one letter in its entirety you end up touching the wet paint. Also, I had seen seen somewhere online that a person decorated the letters with Washi tape (see picture, left), so I tried this. It might just be because the tape wasn't opaque enough, but it looked pretty gross/chintzy, so paint was definitely the way to go. The paint may have some lines/imperfection close up, but at any reasonable distance it looks great, and boldly colored!

Would I Do It Again: Sure! Super easy, not expensive, and they make cute decor to keep around after. That is something that's important to me - making sure a good number of the items aren't just for the "big day" and will have future purpose.