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DIY Vintage Marquee Letters

November 26, 2013

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DIY Vintage Marquee Letters

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas, Love Grows Wild readers! It’s Rachel again from Maison de Pax, and I’m so excited to share my favorite DIY Christmas project with you all today. I’ve obviously been feeling a little more craft-y than usual this holiday season, as evidenced by my sheet music Christmas trees on the hearth below, but this project was much more up my alley: it involved power tools and paint. My. kind. of. “craft”.

DIY vintage marquee letters


Aren’t they fabulous? The best part is that I’ve seen similar ones for sale for hundreds of dollars… and mine cost less than $50. Wouldn’t you like to make some for yourself?

DIY vintage marquee letters

Here is what you’ll need to make your own vintage marquee letters:

  • wooden letters (I got mine 40% off at Hobby Lobby, but to save even more money, you could cut them yourself from plywood using a jigsaw)
  • drill press (or drill with very large bit)
  • ribbed plastic shelf liner (I found this product at Target) – note: ribbed liner is not essential, but I love the way the ribbing looks like corrugated metal once painted and it provides a guide to keep it straight when applying it to the letters.
  • hot glue gun
  • chrome spray paint
  • globe string lights (I bought these from Target, too)
  • masking tape

To make your own vintage marquee letters:

  1. Lay your lights on your letters and decide where each bulb should go, then mark the spot with a pencil.
  2. Drill holes for your lights just large enough for the base of the light to fit through (you’ll have to unscrew the bulbs to do this). This is where a drill press comes in handy if you have access to one… If not, a handheld drill with a large bit will do the trick, but you’ll have to be careful to keep your holes clean.
  3. Cut the shelf liner into strips wide enough to create a lip around the letter. I used 13 ridges of the shelf liner I bought for each strip, but if you make smaller or larger letters, you may want more or less, so eyeball the material to your liking.
  4. Line up your shelf liner strip so that it has a very tiny overlap on the back of the letter (1-2 ridges only) and a significant overlap on the front. Then hot glue the strips around the edge of the letter, using the ridges in the shelf liner to guide your placement.
  5. Place the letters face up and spray paint silver.
  6. Place the letters face down and insert all the light bases through the holes, careful to keep the cords as flat as possible on the back of the letters (so they won’t be noticeable later).
  7. Tape down excess cords with masking tape.
  8. Place letters face up and screw in light bulbs.
  9. Plug it in and enjoy it!

You can see here the process for placing the light string through the holes, as well as the tiny overlap of shelf liner on the back. I did that to hide the cords if someone were looking at the letters from the side.

DIY vintage marquee letters

And here is the final state of the back. It may not be gorgeous, but it does the job.

DIY vintage marquee letters
But the front is stunning…

DIY vintage marquee letters

I love the vintage, almost industrial look. I love that they can rest on the mantel or hang on the wall because they’re really not very heavy. I chose to do JOY for Christmas, but you could choose anything; you could even do just a Monogram and leave it up all year. Hmmm… I may have another one to make in my future! In the meantime, I will relish these this Christmas season.

DIY vintage marquee letters


I hope your holiday is filled with JOY, as well!

Connect with Rachel:

Love Grows Wild Contributor Rachel of Maison de Pax

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P.S. I’m sharing this post at some awesome link parties… Check them out HERE!

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by Liz Fourez 
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Comments

  1. Kelly @ old blue silo says: November 26, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    Very cool, Rachel!!! LOVE šŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Jennifer @ 2 Bees in a Pod says: November 26, 2013 at 9:08 pm

    Such a creative and fun project…thanks so much for sharing!!!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: November 27, 2013 at 6:36 am

      You’re so welcome, Jennifer! I love how big the letters are… they make such a statement! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  3. Julie @ Creating This Life says: November 26, 2013 at 9:35 pm

    Love it! Such a neat project.

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: November 27, 2013 at 6:35 am

      Isn’t this fun, Julie? And pretty easy to make too! Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  4. Jenn says: November 27, 2013 at 1:09 am

    These look awesome! I love it!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: November 27, 2013 at 6:40 am

      Thanks Jenn! Don’t you just love them up on a mantel? What a show-stopper! Rachel did a fantastic job on them! Now I may have to recreate them in my house too šŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Mellisa says: November 27, 2013 at 8:59 am

    Looks Awesome! So jealous, I want some! Love It!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 2, 2013 at 6:45 am

      Me too, Mellisa! Rachel did such a great job on these! Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  6. Marisa @ Burlap and Bananas says: November 27, 2013 at 9:47 am

    This is AWSOME!! Thanks so much for sharing!! Found you on “Show & Tell”:)

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 2, 2013 at 6:46 am

      You are so welcome, Marisa!! I’m glad you stopped on over!

      Reply
  7. Samantha @ Five Heart Home says: November 27, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    These are just fabulous, ladies. I imagine they’re the focal point of all of the Christmas decor in the house…so much fun!

    Reply
  8. Audrey Zumwalt says: November 27, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    Very creative. I need to make some. Thanks for sharing.
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 2, 2013 at 6:47 am

      You’re very welcome, Audrey! I can’t wait to give these a try myself! Rachel did a fantastic job!

      Reply
  9. Jamie says: November 30, 2013 at 12:12 am

    OMG this is amazing! Way to go Rachel!
    Hugs,
    Jamie

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 2, 2013 at 7:14 am

      Right?? I LOVE what Rachel did! I definitely want some for my house now. Thanks for stopping by, Jamie!

      Reply
  10. Ginger says: December 5, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    Featuring this today over on my blog! Thanks so much for linking up to {wow me} wednesday.

    Ginger @ GingerSnapCrafts.com

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 9, 2013 at 6:26 am

      Thanks so much, Ginger! You’re the best!

      Reply
  11. Melanie Hamilton says: December 6, 2013 at 11:42 am

    This is gorgeous! Awesome job Rachel-thanks for sharing ladies! šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 9, 2013 at 6:30 am

      You are so very welcome, Melanie! I agree, Rachel rocked this project! She needs to come help decorate my house now! šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  12. Andrea Fogleman says: December 8, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    You make it look so easy, thanks for sharing! [email protected]

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 9, 2013 at 6:55 am

      You’re so welcome, Andrea! Rachel did a fantastic job on her tutorial. Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  13. elise says: December 19, 2013 at 2:29 am

    I might have missed you mentioning it, but I was wondering what height you used for the wood letters. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 19, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      Hi Elise! The letters used for this project were about 18″ tall. It was the biggest size wood letter from Hobby Lobby. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  14. The Concierge Mom says: December 22, 2013 at 11:00 pm

    Found your site as I was searching to buy new jOY lights as I have had to return my lights from Restoration Hardware four times! They haven’t all worked- so frustrating! Yours look awesome. Are you interested in making more and selling one to me?!!! :)- Suzanne

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: December 26, 2013 at 8:55 am

      What a bummer that they haven’t all worked! I bet you could tackle Rachel’s tutorial for these JOY lights! šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  15. Janet says: May 5, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    Love this! Thanks so much for the detailed instructions!

    Reply

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Welcome, sweet friends! My name is Liz, and I started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.
Here you’ll find simple project tutorials, holiday and entertaining ideas, and my journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse that I live in with my two boys and French bulldog.
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Liz Fourez started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.  From simple project tutorials, to holiday and entertaining ideas, to her journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse, Liz demonstrates how to create a beautiful and inviting home with a handmade touch. She turned her signature cozy, neutral style into a best-selling book in 2016 and continues to inspire readers with her captivating photography and easy decorating ideas. Read more about Liz > > > >

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Starting the weekend with a clean (ish) house is t Starting the weekend with a clean (ish) house is the best feeling. Also, going to bed at 9 on a Friday night and that first sip of coffee on a Saturday morning. It’s the little things that are bringing me joy today. šŸ˜“ā˜•ļøā˜€ļø

Happy weekend! 

HOW I STORE & ORGANIZE MY HOME DECOR:
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2019/01/organize-store-home-decor/
NEW BLOG POSTā•Raise your hand if you’ve ever b NEW BLOG POSTā•Raise your hand if you’ve ever been frustrated trying to find the right combination of pillows for your sofa… šŸ‘‹šŸ»

how many pillows?
what size pillows?
what color pillows?
too much pattern or not enough pattern?
do these colors even go together?
but wait… how many pillows are TOO MANY pillows??

Yep, I’ve been there too!

I hesitate calling what I’m about to share a ā€œformulaā€ because I truly believe there are no right or wrong ways to decorate your home. It’s all about what YOU love. But if you’ve ever gotten stuck or frustrated, here is one of my favorite easy tricks to make styling your sofa a breeze…

>> SIMPLE PILLOW FORMULA FOR YOUR SOFA <<
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2021/01/the-simple-pillow-formula-for-your-sofa/
neutral timeless simple a little bit vintage cl neutral  timeless  simple
a little bit vintage  clean

Guess which of those my house is NOT right now 😳🧐

KITCHEN DETAILS
link in my profile: 

https://lovegrowswild.com/2020/02/kitchen-curtains-counter-styling/
Hello, my favorite beach hat. I’ll wear you in t Hello, my favorite beach hat. I’ll wear you in the warm sunshine again one day! My suitcases are looking awfully lonely lately, and I’m getting the itch to take the boys somewhere... ANYwhere. I’d take a road trip and some sunshine and a change of scenery in a heartbeat. Anyone else feeling ready for spring and getting that travel bug?

Share some ideas for safe travel destinations that we can follow all the distancing rules, but feel just a little bit of normalcy again. ā¬‡ļø Where would you love to go this year? (even if all we can do right now is dream about it šŸ˜‰)

HOW TO PAINT WICKER FURNITURE:
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https://lovegrowswild.com/2019/06/how-to-paint-wicker/
The perfect example of design on a budget. I feel The perfect example of design on a budget. I feel like kids go through so many phases of what they do and don’t like as they get older, and we’re often changing the boys’ bedrooms to make them function better as they grow out of each phase (way too quickly, I might add 🄺).

I’m a big believer in teaching kids to be mindful of taking care of their belongings and their home from the time they are little, which is why I don’t worry so much about light colored couches in the living room or white walls throughout the house. BUT kids are also kids, and I design their bedrooms with a much more frugal budget so that if anything gets old & worn or needs to be replaced/repurposed... I don’t sweat the money that was spent!

In this room we used inexpensive pieces from IKEA, Target and Walmart to create a cozy teenage boy’s room, but it definitely doesn’t skimp on style. We’re planning a little makeover again in this room soon, and I’m excited to show you what we have up our sleeves for my now 15 year old... good grief, where does the time go?

You can find all the details of this room here:
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A weird side angle of the living room as proof tha A weird side angle of the living room as proof that a giant TV does in fact exist in here, and we are just a normal family who loves movie nights snuggled up on the couch with the dog & football Sundays with all the yummy food during the game (one benefit of having an open concept living/dining room). I purposely placed the TV in a spot where it isn’t the main focal point of the room and designed the space to draw your eye to other much prettier things like the big picture window just to the left of this photo.

Want to try something like this in your living room? See if you can arrange the furniture so the TV isn’t the main focal point in the room, but still has visibility from the majority of your seating. Try making the focus a fireplace, window, or create a gallery wall with pretty artwork if you don’t have any standout architectural elements!

Just a little tidbit of advice I’ve learned & loved & wanted to pass along... Happy Monday, sweet friends!

LIVING ROOM DETAILS: 
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https://lovegrowswild.com/2020/08/designing-around-a-tv-part-1/
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