When Inspiration Hits!

It's hard to know just what will inspire me! We've been to TGIF'S hundreds of times (we like TGIF'S Ok!) and I've seen this sign, and ones like it, hundreds of times, but this time it hit me. I want that sign for the shelf that's going over the kitchen window (yes, I decorate things before they exist, doesn't everyone?)!

So, after much thinking on exactly how to DIY a vintage lighted metal sign I came up with this:

Whatcha think? OK so it's not vintage (but it's vintage-y!) and it's not metal (but it looks like metal!)! Want to know how I did it?

This is what I started with. Cardboard cutouts. I got mine from JoAnn Fabrics, but I've seen them lots of places. You will also need a good sharp utility knife. The first thing you want to do is carefully cut the top off of each letter using the knife. Slide the blade down between the top and side and go all the way around each letter. Be careful not the slice the sides. Take out anything that might be inside the letter- mine had some folded cardboard to re-enforce it.

This is what the letters should look like when you're done- no top and hollow!

Now that you have them all cut out, sand the edges so they are all nice and smooth, use scissors to snip off any large chunks that the knife may have left. Keep your knife and sanding block handy, you will need them again later!

Now we are going to paint. I'm not going to show you every step of painting, I'll just show you the important paint and tell you the rest! First I spray painted them all black (inside and out), then I sprayed them Krylon Chrome (inside and out) I've used lots of different "metal" spray paints and I feel this one has the most shine. Now the tricky part- flip your letters over so you don't get any paint on the INSIDE of the letters. Spray ONLY the OUTSIDE of the letters in whatever color you want- I chose Rustoleums Leafy Green.

Green paint on the outside, silver on the inside!

Get your sanding block out again and gently sand off some of the green so that some of the silver shows. Now, it looks old and vintage-y!

These are the lights I used. Got them at Target in the patio/outdoor lighting section- they were $9.99 awesome!

Flip your letters over and mark off where you want each light bulb to be. I drew lines down the center and then layed the strand of lights on the letter and eyeballed where I wanted them, then marked the spot with a marker.

You need your utility knife again for this next step. Make an X over the mark (ignore the double marks on mine, I decided I didn't like the orginal placement) Be sure this is where you want your light bulb before you cut, once you've cut there's no going back!

Unscrew the lightbulbs from the sockets and GENTLY push  through the holes. Taking care not to rip the cardboard. Use the knife to make the slits bigger if you need to. This is what the back will look like when you are finished. It's a mess, but no one will see the back and you can take the wires down so they don't stick out too much!

Screw your lightbulbs back in and plug it in! Now you have a cool vintage-y lighted "metal" marquee sign!

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style                  The Well Crafted Home                  
Not JUST a Housewife                Doodles & Stitches
Shabby Chic Cottage
36th Avenue
House of Hepworths
Crafty, Scrappy, Happy
Primp
Chic on a Shoestring
Simple Home. Life
Lolly Jane
Freckled Laundry
Whipperberry
Be Different Act Normal
Funky Junk
Classy Clutter
Under the Table and Dreaming
DIY Showoff
AKA Design
Uncommon