CRAFT | "LOVE" letters

I am crazy-excited to share with you this clever little craft project I absolutely LOVE!!

It started out pretty generic with me purchasing wooden LOVE letters for Valentine's Day.
Not an original idea in the least so far, right?
After contemplating what crafting method to use to decorate them...(with paint or mod podge as the primary options)
I finally decided to paint them.

I chose black paint to coordinate with the other black decorative accent pieces around my home...
which also allows me to be "non-committal" on my color scheme selection for Valentine's Day.
(we all know this time next year I'll be wanting something different).
With the letters being black, I can now add whatever accent color I want through the use of various ribbon.

red gingham ribbon for a "classic" Valentine's feel...

very cute. and very simple.

The fun doesn't end there folks...we're just getting started.
Here's where the REAL creative ingenuity comes into play...

I wouldn't consider myself a frugal person...
BUT with that said...
I am always very conscientious as to whether or not a purchase will offer a variety of uses.
So it was bothering me that I was going to spend time painting these letters...
display them for Valentine's Day and then box them up until next year.

That's when this came to mind...

By printing out a variety of "accent" words...

I could do any of the following options for Valentine's Day...

or swap out the ribbon color to pink and white polka dots & add it to only one letter for a different look.

see how it's just tucked up underneath the ribbon - easy!

AND HERE'S the BRILLIANT PART!!!

change up the ribbon color and accent word to reflect the current season...

like this one for SUMMER...  "

or this one for Halloween?

a play on words from the phrase "a fool for love"...*wink*
LOVE this whole concept!!!

There are SO many different things you can do with this one word to personalize it for your home...

This one has a special place in my heart because our big thing with Ella right now is asking her...

"Guess what?"  and she responds "Love You!" Sooo...cute.

(Actually, Ella is now running up to us asking "Guess what?"...and then she responds for us with a resounding "Love You"!)

I kept the concept REALLY simple but feel free to get as creative as you like...
• paint it whatever neutral color you prefer to match your home decor (white, black, vintage blue, etc.)

• wrap the letters with any type of ribbon, fabric, scrapbook paper or just leave it plain

• add any word or a combination of words to make an entire phrase/sentence.
• make the "accent words" fancy by backing them with colored cardstock or turning them into cute tags to hang from your wooden letters.

and guess what...

you can use this same concept using a DIFFERENT word to display in your home year-round...

like "FAMILY"?!

I hope you are inspired.

This is SUCH an easy craft project that will be worth every bit of your time.

And because I ADORE you to pieces...

I created an entire 2 page .pdf of "LOVE" letter accent words
for each month of the year...just for YOU!!! (your version won't have the months written in) *wink*
FREE DOWNLOAD HERE

I'm in LOVE with this idea.

I hope you'll feel moved to try incorporating this into your own home decor.

You can even get your kids involved in the painting process...
Or have them come up with your own family words to print out...

You can even put someone in charge of changing out the word every month. *wink*

Tips/Suggetions:

• I purchased my letters from JoAnn's - they finally have a new selection of letters to choose from.

• I painted my letters with black acrylic paint...spray painting is an option too and will probably be a faster method.

• I sealed my letters after painting with a light mist of "matte" finish acrylic sealer. (like this)

• Attach your accent words by tucking them into your ribbon, punching a hole and dangling them from your ribbon or using tape that won't leave residue behind.
• Because the letters don't "free stand" very well, I lean my letters slightly back against a surface and then nestle them close together to keep them balanced.

KEEPING IT REAL

I completely left out the month of January in the .pdf...oops.

I decided to use the acrylic spray sealer on my letters after realizing during the first 1/2 of the photo shoot that the black paint was showing tiny scratches, smudges and painting imperfections. (reference the "love deeply" photos above).

In fact, I added another coat of paint and THEN used the sealer. MUCH better results.