Hi Infarrantly Creative friends! It’s Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs and I’m back to share a simple, vintage inspired letter tutorial – perfect for a gallery wall or to lean on a dresser or bookshelf!
I’ve admired large, vintage letters repurposed from buildings, but I’ve never found one within my budget. Today, I’m going to show you how to make your own vintage inspired, glossy letter for just a few dollars!
Materials:
1/4″ Plywood or MDF (I used a 1/4 sheet)
Veneer edging (available at home improvement store in the lumber section)
Heat gun or iron
Spray paint
Resin (available at any craft store)
Tools:
Pencil
Jigsaw
Scissors
Projector (or free hand or get printed large scale at copy store)
1. To get started, print desired text on 8.5×11 paper and project onto 1/4″ Plywood or MDF. Trace the outline with a pencil. If you don’t have a projector, free hand if you’re comfortable or get it printed large at a copy store, cut it out and then trace it. (Image below taken from my marquee letter tutorial).
2. Next, cut it out with a jigsaw. *Tip: when you get to a corner, back the saw out and cut at an angle towards the next point, go back once complete and cut off the extra pieces.
To cut any enclosed areas, drill a hole and then cut out with the jigsaw.
3. Next, apply the veneer edging. I used a leftover piece from my oversize cork board, so it’s thinner than the standard edging. Just make sure that it creates a raised lip around the edge to hold the resin.
4. Carefully use the heat gun to apply the veneer edging, melting the adhesive. It helps to have an extra set of hands to hold the edging in place (away from the heat) while the other uses the gun. An iron can also be used, but would be tricky to use inside the letter.
5. Seal any gaps (on the back) with glue to prevent the resin from seeping out.
That’s it! Enjoy your custom, affordable letter reminiscent of those from vintage shops!
This would be perfect in a gallery wall or simply leaned against a wall.
I love the glossy finish!
This was so easy, I can’t wait to make more!
Finally, here’s what we’ve been up to this past month:
Free printable available here
I recently updated my projects page, feel free to take a look here (image above is a screen shot, visit link for specific project links).
Great tutorial! I love the shiny look the resin adds! so pretty!
Trying to Pin this post but Pinterest says the link has been reported as spam or inappropriate content. Anything you can dispute and/or un-do?
Thanks for letting me know. I reported it to Pinterest today to see if I can get that removed. That has never happened before. I am not sure what happened.