So, this crafting thing is getting quite addictive now; the satisfaction of making something myself is amazing. Book ends is my next project…
We need book ends for the new shelf above our bed (definitely don’t want stray books falling down in the middle of the night). I had a look online and couldn’t find anything that I liked so I decided to make my own. They turned out really well so I wanted to share the idea with you. If you want to make a personalised gift, these would work well too: use printed photos, book pages, magazine pictures, mementos, like theatre tickets etc.
You will need:
Cardboard letters from Laines World for £2.99
PVA glue, water and pot
Paint brush
Wrapping paper or printed photos or book pages – I used Liberty print and Cavallini Vintage Ticket wrapping paper
Scissors
Varnish (optional)
Dried beans, peas, lentils or rice (for weighting the hollow letters) although sand would be ideal.
You will need: Cardboard letters, paper, scissors, PVA glue, brush, water, pot, dried food, varnish (optional).
Tutorial:
1. The letters are hollow so you will need to make a hole in the top and pour in something to weight it. I used dried peas, but sand would be ideal. When you begin to cover the letter with paper, you need to make sure you cover over the hole.
2. I decided to draw round the letter so I could keep the print in tact. However, you can use the decoupage method.
3. Mix together PVA and water (in equal parts). Brush it onto one of the sides of your letter.
4. Stick the paper onto the letter and then paint over it with the glue/water mixture.
5. Once you have covered the whole letter you will need to paint over it all again with the glue/water mixture and let it dry. If you have varnish, you can do a couple of layers of this too, alternatively do a couple more coats of the glue/water mix.
Done!
And done!
This took me no more than an hour (with a bit more drying time on top of that). It is so nice to have something to use in my home that I made and looks just as good as something I could have bought, but for far less money. Get crafting people! x
so delightful.
pretty!!
Brilliant ! You could make a whole child’s name out of these and put on shelves or on the wall. Especially as there are so many delightful retro wrapping papers out there for kids.
Yes! Look at my fb timeline to see a pic someone sent me of a whole name they made.
Do you want to practise.. I know a child who only has 3 letters in his name!
Who would that be?
Yes – love these ideas.
Love these. Could they be used as doorstops too? My big fire doors are constantly banging without something to hold them open.
I have decoupaged an old ikea coffee table with wallpaper samples cut up and re-designed. Very satisfying!