DIY Paper Mache Letter:
Better than any you could buy at the store
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I LOVE how this letter turned out. I absolutely love monograms, but there wasn’t a letter anywhere that I liked. So I decided I could make my own! In this tutorial I will show you how to make your own custom letter using a cereal box and paper mache.
First, find a font that you like. You can visit dafont.com and look through hundreds of custom fonts. Make sure when choosing that you pick one that you know will stand up ok. Make it the size you want in Microsoft Publisher. Mine was bigger than an 81/2 x 11 sheet so it printed onto 4 pieces. If that happens just tape them together.
When you have the letter you want trace and cut it out on a cereal box. Be sure to cut a mirror image for the back of the letter.
Now it’s time to construct your letter. You will need to cut strips out of the cereal box in the thickness you would like your letter. I did 2 inch strips. The next step would be to tape them in between the letters. Make sure you shape the strips around any curves or angles that are on the letter.
Make note, you will use A LOT of tape… Well, I did anyway. I didn’t want my letter to fall apart.
Once the construction part is done, it’s time to paper mache. Take a newspaper you have laying around and cut it into strips. I really can’t tell you how much to cut. I cut up 2 smaller newspapers and had a ton of strips left over.
To make the paste, you will mix one cup water, one cup flour and 1/2 tbs of salt. Be sure to mix well to get all the lumps out.
Dip the newspaper into the paste and wipe off excess paste and adhere it to your letter. Continue doing this until the front and back is covered.
Let dry completely.
Do a second layer of paper mache the same exact way.
Let dry completely. I set it outside each time to let it dry. I was impatient and wanted it to dry faster!
Once it’s dry you will want to take a fine sandpaper and sand down some of the rough spots.
I then painted it with a marigold color. It took two coats to cover the newspaper. Because it’s paper mache you will see bumps. I didn’t mind this, it made it look more distressed. If you want to cover these bumbs,you could take a texture paste and use a stencil to create a cool design before you paint.
When the paint was dry I took a gel stain and brushed it all over the letter then took a rag and wiped it off. I added a little more stain in places just so that it wasn’t all uniform. The stain gives an aged look that I like. I did this until I got the look I wanted.
That’s it! So easy! I’m thinking of other letters I can make!
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