Decoupage Letters - as easy as A-B-C

 

My daughter is 5.  Anyone with a little girl knows that very quickly after birth, she forms opinions of what she thinks does and does NOT look good, from her clothes to MY clothes, to cars and decor.  "Mommy, I'm kind of tired of my room.  When can we fix it?"  I guess the answer is NOW. 

I had these letters made when she was a baby, and they've hung in her room since. They're sweet and soft and nice...but apparently "they're just too pink".

Instead of buying new and personalized letters, which would cost $17 each made like Mommy Ellie wanted. $85 for letters that would be obsolete in a few years?!  No thanks! I decided to make an attempt to redo the ones we had.  I will admit I had never done this ... meaning ANY kind of decoupage...before.   Not ever NEVER!  So here went nothing...

What I used:  wax paper (to protect my work surface), wooden letters, scrapbook paper, Mod Podge (any finish will do), sharp pencil, foam paintbrush, bristled paint brush, coordinating ribbon, and multi-surface adhesive (like Tacky Glue).

After removing the ribbon from the letters, I peeled off as much of the original wallpaper as possible by hand.  I used steam to moisten the adhesive and peel off the hard-to-remove pieces.  I now had a rough surface to work with.

I traced each letter on my chosen paper and carefully cut it out. 

I spread a thin coating on the top of my letter with my foam brush.  Once completely coated, I began at the top left corner of my letter and gently set the paper on top, careful to smooth and straighten the paper as I went.  Once set, I smoothed out any bubbles and wrinkles.  

With a bristled paintbrush, I applied a thin, even coat of Mod Podge to the top of the paper, brushing in one direction for a clean look.  I only wanted a single coat.  If you choose to do more for a more finished look, allow the coats to dry for at least 15 minutes before applying another. 

After the last letter dried, I used a sharp blade to trim any excess paper.  

I cut my chosen ribbon to 12" strips. Shorter would work, too.

To attach the ribbon, I used Tacky Glue, but any strong, multi-surface adhesive should work.  I placed a stripe of glue on the back of each letter and then pressed the ribbon into place.  I allowed them to dry several hours, but overnight is best.

Voila!  It really was THAT easy.  Total cost?  $12.  I have plans for lots more decoupage in this house.  Now if I could just get the dog to stand still long enough...