This week I worked on my fall mantle decor! I needed a fun, pop of color, so I created these bright recycled cardboard letters!
What You Will Need:
1. Recycled Cardboard. I used a cereal box.
2. A pencil
3. Scissors
4. Spray paint. If you can, opt for low VOC spray paint
5. Scrap pieces of paper
How To Do It:
1. Use a text editor (like Microsoft Word) and decide what kind of font you want to use. I used the website Picmonkey, and chose the font “Freshman.” I adjusted the font to the size that I wanted, and then put my scrap piece of paper up to my computer screen and traced it lightly (just like I did in the Quick and Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift post). The letters you trace on your scrap paper will become your stencils. If you’re awesome at bubble letters (unlike me), feel free to skip this step and draw your own!
2. Once you’ve traced all of your letters, cut them out.
3. Use your scrap paper stencils to draw the letters onto your recycled cardboard:
4. Cut them out!
5. You can leave your letters with the natural look of the cardboard, or, you can spray paint them! I recommend using a flat spray paint rather than glossy because it is hard to get a consistent look on the cardboard (glossy tends to get spotty). I did 3 or 4 light coats of mustard yellow spray paint. Remember, the cardboard will soak up the paint, so be patient and do several light coats.
Once the paint has completely dried, you can decorate with them! Like I mentioned earlier, I put mine on my faux fireplace fall mantle, but you could also turn them into a recycled garland or put them into a frame to make a cool piece of wall art!
What would you do with these bright and cheery letters?
