DIY Alphabet Decor tattered angels canvas corp

Little Boy DIY Alphabet Decor

Asher is all smiles and we are pretty sure it is all for his amazing ASHER sign.  This mixed media take on letter decor is simply fabulous.  What a great idea to take blank letters and design them to match the decor of the bedroom, playroom or any space in the house.  Designing them to match the decor let’s them become a work of art and fit right in and gives you the chance to use your craft and mixed media tools and supplies to create something extra special.

Mixed Media Sign - letters

This elephant themed alphabet is perfect for Asher’s animal filled room.  The modern decor lends itself to the simple design of the letters and adds texture and design that we just love.  The grey and ivory tones work so well together and provide a cohesive look for room decor.  When choosing your supplies decide a theme and color palette and then begin to collect fabrics, yarns, ribbon, paper, paints, etc. that work with your them.  Let us show you how it was done….

but first here is what you will need to gather:

mixed media tools

  • chipboard, plastic or wooden letters
  • scissors, spatula, knife, paint brush, clothespins and glue
  • assorted fabrics
  • yarn
  • cardboard
  • and anything else fun you can think of to match your theme

Start with what you want to say – choose letters that have plenty of room to decorate and if you want them to be free standing, double-check they actually stand, oddly some of them do not.

chipboard letters Hobby Lobby

Decide how you want to design each letter, for this look choose one simple technique for each one letting them each stand out and also work so well together.  For the “A” we covered it completely with ticking fabric, but cutting and gluing it into place.

ticking fabric

We decided to cover the “S” with a wonderful grey yarn that is so soft and full of texture. Choosing a letter that is easy to wrap with little corners is a great option for wrapping yarn.  The entire letter is covered and the end result looks so good.  There are so many wonderful yarns on the market with the trend of knitting so strong, walk the aisles and you will be surprised at what you will find.   Hint:  use clothespins to hold any pieces in place until they dry and then remove the clothespins.

yard covered letter

The “H” is our favorite letter and ties the entire set together.  We started by adding The Crafters Workshop Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste to resembler the hide of an elephant using a pallet knife.  Don’t worry about being perfect, what elephant have you seen with perfect skin.  This unique paste is very dimensional and allows you to create the elephants wrinkles and texture.  Let this completely dry so that you have all the dimension you can get.

light and fluffy modeling paste

The Tarnished Silver Naturally Aged Kit by Tattered Angels is ideal for making elephant skin, who know??!!!  Simply mist, paint and mist again the grey tones from the kit.  If you don’t have this kit, grab a variety of grey and silver tones to create the depth and dimension of color.

glimmer mist elephant colorsLet the mist pool in some areas to get darker tones in the nooks and crannies.

silver glimmer mist

Cut ears from paper or cardboard and apply the modeling paste, while it is still wet, form the curves in the ears and let them dry.  You can find a range of elephant ears on the internet if you want a pattern.  For the truck, cardboard or paper is a great option.  create the wrinkles of the trunk with the paste and when they are all dry, paint them with the same selection of colors and then glue them into place.  Your name probably won’t have an “H” in the middle, but we suggest choosing the center or largest letter to be the focal point of your design.

elephant room decor ideas

We used a simple all over stencil from StencilGirl Stencils to create the “E”  start with canvas fabric and place the stencil onto the canvas, misting over the stencil to create a hand-painted fabric design.  You can also use a brush and make the design more defined.  Choose one of the accenting colors to help tie the color palette together.  This is a great way to make your own fabric when you cannot find what you are looking for in the fabric store.  So easy to do and you can use just about any stencil from your stash.  You can apply the stencil before you glue the fabric in place or after, you decide what works best for you.  Once dry, glue around the letter.  You an cut any size letter from the Canvas Corp 30×36″ Canvas Sheet.  This canvas is heavy duty and a must in your stash.

stencil girl stencil

The “R” brings us to the end of our word, so last but not least, we wrapped the letter Canvas Corp Grey Burlap Fringe.  The 1″ strips are ideal for home decor projects when you don’t need to buy yardage that you may or may not every use.  The rustic edges give a very DIY handmade look that we love.

grey burlap

Each letter has its own personality just like the pieces of furniture in a room, that are all a bit different, but they work well together.  You can spell the child’s name, make a Playroom Sign, make them for the classroom and even do the entire alphabet making each letter look like a word that it is used in.  So much fun and so simple to do.

modern alphabet art

Build your letters a bit at a time using like colors, fabrics and textures.  Next it was time to decide what to put the letters on, one thing we didn’t realize is that the S does not stand on its own, kinda silly right?  So we decided to place the name on a board, but that was not as easy as we thought.    You can find builders wood, but a unique plank to place letters on was not to be found, until we came across this faux style plank that is about 8″ wide at Lowes.  They cut it to size for us and now we had to decide how to finish it.  We tried Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and we were thrilled at how well it worked.  The plank had a faux wood embossing on it that the Glimmer Mist picked up on so very well.

painting faux wood

Put it all together and you have a work of art that will even help your little one learn the letters in his/her name.

DIY Alphabet Decor tattered angels canvas corp alphabet sign

These letters are about 8″ tall, so there was plenty of room for decorating.  You will find a wide range of different letters and styles at your local craft and hobby stores.  If you are looking for a fun way to decorate the new baby’s room, make a gift for a baby shower or fun way to update the classroom why not make a collection of letters that spells just what you want them to say.

Happy Creating!!

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About

Canvas Corp Brands is the home of Tattered Angels, 7Gypsies and Canvas Corp (Canvas Home Basics). We are a manufacturer of surfaces, paint and vintage reproductions coming to you from Springdale, Arkansas.


'Little Boy DIY Alphabet Decor' has 1 comment

  1. September 12, 2017 @ 4:10 pm Mary Holshouser

    I collect elephants. I love how you made the H into
    one. Have to try that. thank for sharing.
    Lucky boy to have his name in big letters.
    thanks for sharing.

    Reply


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This blog is a compilation of inspiration from the Canvas Corp Brands family including Canvas Corp, Tattered Angels and 7Gypsies.