DIY Vintage Aviation Letters

Decorating your new home, giving your bedroom a makeover, or setting up a child’s room or nursery can be fun and exciting! Unfortunately sometimes it can also be frustrating and overwhelming, especially if you are unable to find specific pieces that fit your theme! That is one reason why DIY home decor is such a great way to go- you can totally customize your pieces in any way you want and even add in things that make it sentimental to you! Marie Nicole decorated these chipboard letters in a vintage aviation theme to fit her son’s room. Using some of our papers, paints, a few items she had on hand, and even adding in her son’s aviation cap really brought these letters to life! 

Being born into a family where Daddy’s a pilot, my son had no chance when it came to all things aviation and airplanes! We set up his nursery in a vintage aviation theme, and now that he’s two he loves the planes and decor in his room. He is also at the age where letters and name recognition is becoming a big thing, so having his name spelled out on the wall is a great way to decorate AND help him recognize letters. I wanted his name to fit his room, so after picking up some chipboard letters on sale, I grabbed everything in my Canvas Corp stash that I thought would fit the theme. I love how these letters turned out, and can’t wait to get them up on his wall! – Marie

Materials Used:

CC Rust and Ivory French Linen Stripe
CC 12×12 E-Flute Chocolate
CC Rust and Ivory Tile
CC Bon Voyage on Ivory
CC Bon Voyage Stripe on Ivory
CC Kraft Cardstock
CC Jute Cord
CC Canvas Fabric Scraps
TA Sable DIY and Decor Paint
TA Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist
TA Coconut Shell Glimmer Glaze
7G Travel Charms
Chipboard Letters
Glue
Craft Knife
Scissors
Sandpaper
Metal Gears
Sewing Machine

THE PROCESS:

I picked up my chipboard letters on sale at my local craft store. After I got them home I laid them out and began picking papers and embellishments that I wanted to pair together. I first applied my adhesive to the whole front of my letters, being sure to get the edges well, and then I laid the letter down onto the back of my papers. After rubbing the paper on to make sure it would stick well, I took my craft knife and trimmed around the edges of the letters to make the paper fit perfectly. Next, I took some of my Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist, spritzed it into an old craft towel, and then rubbed it on all the edges to give the letters a worn, vintage feel. I also splattered some of the paint to create spots for some more texture. The last step to covering my letters was to take some rough sandpaper and sand the edges. This gave the letters and even more vintage feel, and also made sure the papers were perfectly fitted. Once all my letters were covered and aged, I just needed to embellish! Each letter is decorated in a unique way, trying to keep with the vintage aviation and travel theme.

The first letter is covered with the Rust and Ivory French Stripe paper. I then grabbed a belt from my closet that I never wear. I wanted to give the impression of an old luggage trunk with straps, so I cut my belt down to size and then painted it with some Sable DIY and Decor paint. Then, after the paint was dry, I just hot glued the straps onto the letter.

The paper for the letter “A” is some map papers that I adhered to the front. I wanted to use some of my husband’s old flight maps but as luck would have it he had just cleaned them out right before this project! I embellished this letter with some Jute Cord and also adhered some metal gears to the front. I also added some 7Gypsies charms I had on hand.

The letter “Y” is covered with some Chocolate E-Flute and then I used some Kraft Cardstock to create a propeller for the front. I just sketched the shape of the propeller, cut it out, and then stamped some woodgrain and inked the edges with Distress Ink. The brass center is actually the front of a locket that I detached from the back and then hot glued on. I thought the brass went well with the metal gears from the letter “A”.

The letter “D” is probably my favorite, just because I added my son’s aviation cap on top. This little cap is a sentimental piece for us because we used it to take our son’s monthly photos in  during his whole first year. The cap is just draped on, so there was no damage or altering done to the cap, but it can still be displayed to bring back memories. The paper I used here is the Rust and Ivory Tile.

The letter “E” has some more map paper on it, and I used some different travel themed papers from the Bon Voyage collection and fussy cut out some luggage trunks, tickets, and a globe to adhere on.  I also added another 7Gypsies charm to this letter, as well.

This last letter has some more of the Rust and Ivory French Stripe paper on it. I wrapped some more Jute Cord on the side, and then added the canvas tag that reads, “Remove Before Flight”. This tag was made with some canvas fabric scraps that I sewed together, and then stamped the words onto. I added the tag to the cord using a brass album ring.

With all the letters covered in paper and embellished, this project was finished! I just have to find the perfect place in my son’s room to hang these. The nice thing about using these chipboard letters is that they are light, so I plan on using some command adhesive to adhere them to the wall. When we move again in the future it will be easy to remove them without damaging the walls. Hope this gives you some inspiration on making your own themed letters! It it so simple to do with just a few papers and sentimental embellishments.

To see more of Marie Nicole’s work, please visit her BLOG or INSTAGRAM! 

Thanks for stopping by today, and Happy Crafting! 

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