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in Crafting· Crafts

The H that refused to quit; DIY cardboard letter

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This H was the biggest pain in the rear!

I swear it was the most annoying project I’ve ever done.

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Here’s how NOT to make a large block letter…

First off, DON’T start with a cereal box:

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If I do this again (which I probably will) I’ll use thicker cardboard like Christy did that wont buckle on me when it gets damp. Christy is much smarter than me!

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Fortunately for me, the letter H is symmetrical and easy to make. No curves or weird shapes.

So basically I cut out two identical H’s, and then I attached them to each other using rectangle pieces in between taped with box tape.

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Here’s what it looks like partially taped together.

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Almost done. I just cut pieces all the same width, but made each length the length of each side of the H.

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All done.

Next thing I did was the paper bag technique.

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So far so good. I should have just stopped here, but it just needed *something* else. Hmmmm…

The next thing you should NOT do is spray paint it this color.

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Yikes. Too late to go back. Dang it. What a waste of time! Now I have to fix it.

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Between the watery glue from the paper bags and the spray paint, the cardboard was too thin and buckled. Now it looks even worse!

So I traced it and cut out another H.

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And then I attached the H with more box tape. This made it a bit thicker on the front and covered up the buckle.

Then I did the paper bag technique again.

I will NOT give up so easily! This H will turn out if it kills me!

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So after the paper bag dried I printed Hepworth from the computer, cut out the letters, and glued them to the H.

I may be able to redeem this thing after all.

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I then coated the entire thing in Mod Podge. This was my first ever attempt at Mod Podge, and now I’m hooked. Love the stuff!

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I think I redeemed this H fairly well. The green was just awful, but I’m digging the neutral color with my last name running up the side.

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Live and learn, right? I could have done this project in 1/3 the time if I’d used thicker cardboard, but in the end, I’m happy with it.

Filed Under: Crafting, Crafts Tagged With: letter H, make your own monogram letter, Monogram, monogram craft, monogram H, monogram letter

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Comments

  1. ana @ iMadeItSo says

    06/14/2010 at 5:41 pm

    oh, good for you for trying to save it, allison. you weren’t the only one who had a craft-gone-wrong this week. i wrote about mine on my blog just a couple of days ago. makes you really appreciate when things do go well!

    and i agree, that’s a good photo of the H amongst the palm trees and sunshine!

    Reply
  2. Becky @ Betty Rocker says

    06/14/2010 at 3:50 pm

    It still came out cute

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    06/14/2010 at 4:33 pm

    Oh yes… we all have projects like that! 🙂 But it certainly did turn out great in the end!!

    Reply
  4. Calamity Anne says

    06/14/2010 at 5:14 pm

    Your “H” turned out very nice!!! I know it’s all about the craft and doing it yourself, but you can get some “already made” letters that measure about 23″ from Joann’s. I ordered mine online, and with the 40% off coupon, I got the darn thing for about $8, including shipping.

    Reply
  5. Lorie says

    06/14/2010 at 5:25 pm

    I love that in the two closeups (with the palm trees in the back) it look HUGE!

    I probably have some thicker cardboard/chipboard you could use.

    Reply
  6. Alecia says

    06/14/2010 at 5:37 pm

    I used modge podge for the first time on Sunday. Can you spell LOVE!

    Reply
  7. megan says

    06/14/2010 at 5:50 pm

    I really love it and your journey to a finished product had me laughing!

    Reply
  8. Kathryn says

    06/14/2010 at 6:06 pm

    Nothing like the smell of Mod Podge in the afternoon! 🙂 I just used some today on some frames… I can certainly appreciate your frustration with your project, but the end result is very cute 🙂

    Reply
  9. mhills02 says

    06/14/2010 at 6:46 pm

    Talk about thinking outside the box.. I love this. I am going to have to try this one. And mod podge.. I can’t believe you are so crafty and have never used it before. Between that and spray paint. You can re-do anything.

    Reply
  10. shelly says

    06/14/2010 at 9:19 pm

    Love ModgePodge! Your H is adorable!

    Reply
  11. SueAnn says

    06/15/2010 at 4:36 am

    Loving your “H”!! Very cool!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

    Reply
  12. Amanda says

    06/15/2010 at 5:56 am

    Haha — this post totally cracked me up! I love how your “H” turned out though — it looked like you were quite the architect while you were constructing it. 🙂

    Reply
  13. WENDY says

    06/15/2010 at 6:29 am

    Calamity Anne hooked me up with this project and she is right 40% Joann’s letter is alot less complicated. I really love how you left it a solid color and put your name up the side. I have another one to do and I just might steal that idea.

    Reply
  14. brenda says

    06/15/2010 at 7:45 am

    I don’t know what’s happening, but the photos on your posts have not be showing up for me lately. They show up for other blogs but not yours.

    Reply
  15. Ann says

    06/15/2010 at 10:26 am

    Good save, wedding singer! LOL! I know that Christy’s Creative Chaos made these letters look oh so easy, but you persevered and made something very cool. Love the paper bag technique. I want to make a big A for my craft room. Note to self-use HEAVY cardboard.

    Reply
  16. Laurel says

    06/15/2010 at 10:28 am

    I’m so glad you showed us the WHOLE process – we don’t do that enough on blogs! You did good!

    Reply
  17. Sunny's Life in Rehab says

    06/15/2010 at 10:35 am

    Hee hee, you don’t know how many times I’ve had a wrinkly Mod Podge experience, but keep going, it gets easier. And your H looks pretty darned good from here!

    Reply
  18. Jingle says

    06/15/2010 at 10:44 am

    I have SO had projects like that! LOL! It came out wonderfully, though! I love it!

    Reply
  19. Rebekah {All Thingz Related} says

    06/15/2010 at 6:22 pm

    I love that you put your last name on it!
    Thanks for sharing @ Anything Related No.11!
    {Rebekah}

    Reply
  20. Stephanie Lynn says

    06/15/2010 at 7:52 pm

    This post totally cracked me up! I love the finished project though – looks fabulous! I’m a sucker for monograms and family names – fantastic idea! Thanks so much for joining the Sunday Showcase Party! I greatly appreciate it. Hope you are having a wonderful week! ~ Stephanie Lynn

    Reply
  21. Emily @ LaForceBeWithYou says

    06/16/2010 at 12:54 pm

    I love the H and the font used for your last name!

    Reply
  22. Amanda says

    06/16/2010 at 6:58 pm

    I love your “what not to do” tutorial LOL! it’s good to see that you are human like the rest of us and make mistakes too. But look at how gorgeous it turned out! Glad you didn’t give up 🙂

    Reply
  23. Suki says

    06/17/2010 at 1:08 pm

    I agree! Mod Podge ROCKS.

    Reply
  24. Simies says

    06/18/2010 at 2:32 pm

    Great idea! I like it and I am gonna try it too! Thank you!

    Reply
  25. Sweet Charli says

    06/18/2010 at 2:43 pm

    Wow! You are so talented to have thought of that! It turned out great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
  26. Yanet says

    06/18/2010 at 9:26 pm

    That’s crazy cute! That is the most creative recycling I’ve ever seen!!! Great job.

    Reply
  27. Julie@ Frugal & Fabulous Design says

    06/22/2010 at 6:49 pm

    That project is totally the kind of thing I would do…lol…we are a tenacious bunch, aren’t we?

    Thanks for linking up to Fab Friday –

    Cheers!

    Reply
  28. Julie@ Frugal & Fabulous Design says

    06/22/2010 at 6:50 pm

    This is totally the kind of project I would get sucked into…lol….we are nothing if not tenacious. 🙂

    Thanks for linking up to Fab Friday –

    Cheers!

    Reply
  29. Amanda says

    08/24/2010 at 5:23 am

    I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the new Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. 🙂 My hope is to share many of the fabulous projects I see everyday with the vast CG audience. I hope you will not only stop by and subscribe to CG, but will tell your friends about the new category! Hope you see some traffic from it!

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/8-fun-letter-projects/

    If you would like a “featured by” button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

    Reply

Trackbacks

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