Crafts in the shape of a letter are a great element for decorating any holiday. This original and beautiful product can be made in various variations from scrap materials and tools. Plus it doesn't take long.
The letter design is not limited - it all depends on imagination and skills. The design and position of the letter can also be made to suit every taste.
How to make a craft letter from various materials? This issue will be discussed in detail in this article.
Styrofoam letter
One of the simplest, but not environmentally friendly ways. This manufacturing option is suitable if a lot of foam is lying around at home (for example, after purchasing equipment).
However, it is better not to keep the letters made of foam plastic for a long time because it is harmful to the environment, made of chemistry. A more environmentally friendly option would be a craft made of cardboard or wood. But for a one-time use, foam letters will also work.
What is needed for manufacturing?
- Styrofoam;
- Ribbon or any other material that you want to wrap a letter;
- Double-sided tape and scissors;
- Decorations.
How to make a letter from Styrofoam
The following is a step-by-step instruction on how to make a letter:
- First you need to find the letter of the appropriate font. Then you need to print it and cut it out of paper.
- A letter cut out of paper is applied to the foam and traced around it.
- After that, the foam is cut out along the drawn contour. Do not worry if the letter turns out to be uneven during the trimming process - it will not be visible under the ribbon.
- Now you need to glue the letter with double-sided tape.
- Wrap the letter with tape. In the middle of the letter, you can make a ribbon bow - it will hide flaws and additionally decorate the craft.
- Great, you're done! Now you can start decorating the letter. It turned out to be very light, so it can be easily placed on a shelf or glued to the wall with scotch tape.
Volumetric letter from cardboard
Execution of 3d letters is also possible from cardboard. These items are perfect as decorations for a wedding or birthday.
So, what is needed for manufacturing:
- Jute twine (many threads);
- Cardboard;
- Scissors;
- Double-sided adhesive tape;
- Hot glue.
How to make a letter from cardboard
Start by cutting a letter out of cardboard.
- A letter is drawn on a large piece, and then cut out along the contours.
- There is no need to cut two identical patterns, because we will still cover it with jute twine.
- However, such a full letter (with cardboard on each side) will be a little easier to glue.
- Then longitudinal strips of the same width are cut out so that the letter is three-dimensional.
- The letters are folded - the strips are glued to the template with hot glue.
- For round elements, the letters simply fold the cardboard and glue it well.
- Now the hardest and rather tedious job is to wrap the rope around the letter.
- It is better not to use hot glue here, it will be inconvenient.
- Double-sided tape is much better for these purposes.
- Scotch tape is glued to the walls of the letter and gradually wrapped with twine.
- The twine is laid as close to each other as possible so that the cardboard does not shine through the holes.
- Actually, that's all that is required. In such a simple way, a do-it-yourself craft letter from cardboard turned out.
Wood letter
If you want to make a decorative letter out of wood, you need to start with measurements, drawing and planning.You can also make a base from wood, on which a letter will be attached (or letters, if you plan to compose a whole word or sentence).
Roughly the same course of action will be in the manufacture of crafts a living letter.
Making a wooden letter
Of course, you can order a wooden letter or number from the Internet, but this is a more expensive solution. It is much more interesting to make it yourself, so also save money. So how do you make a craft letter of the alphabet?
First, you need to choose a beautiful font and make the desired inscription in any text editor (for example, Microsoft Word or Openoffice) the inscription. After that, you need to print each character on a separate sheet, cut out, cut out each letter separately.
This creates a template. It is good to print on thicker paper, because later on the tree it will be easier to transfer the lettering to the tree.
You also need to prepare the tree. For example, you can buy or make wooden blocks that will be carved with letters. Each of the blocks must be cut, sanded and also dried beforehand.
Then the letters are manually redrawn on each wooden element, and then they are cut out with a jigsaw. These letters or numbers can also be cut from plywood.
It will be even easier, but if you want to have a 3D effect, then a tree is more suitable. Cutting wood takes more time, but the finished letters are more expressive and effective.
Finally, each letter-shaped craft must be processed on an angle grinder or with sandpaper (it all depends on the capabilities and how much you want to smooth the product).
Wood lettering
To further emphasize the letters and create a three-dimensional lettering effect on the wood, the letters can be made in a different shade than the background. This will make them more visible. For example, brown is suitable for letters, which is closest to the natural, wood color.
Another option is also possible - instead of painting the wood, a stain is suitable, which will emphasize the natural structure of the material, without completely hiding its texture. The stain will add a delicate shade, and each subsequent application will deepen it.
Attention! This must be done carefully so that streaks do not appear. A regular brush is used for painting.
If the letters are attached to a wooden base, then the location of each element should be noted on it. After the letter, they are smeared with carpentry glue and glued to the board.
For reliability, the letters are nailed. Or, using a screwdriver, each letter is additionally reinforced from the back of the base. The screws are not visible, the letters are stable.
Protection of wood from external factors
Such a wooden sign, if it will stand / hang on the street, must be properly impregnated in order to protect it from environmental influences.
Homemade construction must be resistant to moisture, wind, sunlight and fading.
- A protective varnish for wood is suitable for this.
- It is better to use one that protects the tree outdoors from high temperatures (this can also be a yacht varnish).
- You can use matte varnish and paint everything - background, letters, edges and back.
- This procedure is repeated three times.
- After that, you need to wait a few days until everything is dry.
- It is also worth remembering that even a colorless varnish darkens the color of the wood.
This gives it a warmer, more expressive shade. In the photo of the wooden letter craft, this is clearly visible.
Photo craft letter
