This project was submitted by one of my college roommates and good friend, Lindsey. Lindsey painted the twins letters which now hang over their cribs. I absolutely LOVE them! Thank you Lindsey!!
Words of Wisdom:
Painting letters for a baby's room, whether for your own child or as a gift for another person, is an easy way to "monogram" their wall, add color to the room, and a great way to make very personal art for them. It is also a great way, depending on what you paint, to speak blessing over them. Funny, I always feel like I have "cuter" ideas for baby shower gifts than for my own children, probably because of something I once learned from the movie "An Affair to Remember". The main character loved to paint as a child but very few of his paintings "survived" his criticism. According to his grandmother while the artist in him would create the perfectionist in him would destroy. That said, my favorite quote when it comes to art is "resist the urge to be perfect". A lot of times in our attempt to make a thing "perfect" we take away from its character or even worse, make it look too made up. You do not have to be a great artist to make something that will be special to the recipient as long as you avoid getting too complicated with the design you choose and whatever you do with love in your heart.
Important Tips:
Some important things to remember when designing letters like these: try to think of things that are "special" to the person they are for (or for their parents) and use simple designs to create a memorable scene or pattern, choose complementary background and foreground colors (use a lighter background if you are using primarily darker background colors or vice versa), get "free" from feeling like it has to be perfect or that it has to turn out right the first time around (if you start and hate it you can paint over it), and allow yourself to enjoy the project, let it be therapeutic instead of something that adds stress to your life--you can't force creativity, so if you don't have a good idea wait on the idea or start with what you know, like what you want the background color to be, for instance.
I purchase my letters at Hobby Lobby and since Hobby Lobby puts them on 50% off nearly every other week I think they usually only cost me about $1.50 per letter. You can purchase similar letters at
Michaels as well. They are precut and primed so all you have to do is take them home and start painting. It is best to spray paint the background color (I recommend Krylon paint and use a CLOTH mat to paint on--you can buy at any paint store or for about $5 at Babies R Us you can buy a very durable yard blanket that has little weights in the edges so that unless it is high winds it won't fly up while you are painting).
Lay the letters flat and shake the can while you are spraying. I recommend going over the tops of the letters once and then spraying around all the edges and letting them dry for an hour or so before you paint. Then use acrylic paints to add your design. Acrylics are great because they are very forgiving. If you mess up any of the lines with them they will wipe off the background surface if removed when still fresh. However, know that you will need to go over them a few times to keep the background from bleeding through. This can be a little time consuming so expect to give yourself a couple of days to complete a project or plan on taking breaks to let one coat dry before adding another. After you are through with your design use a staple gun to add two ribbons in colors or patterns that match or complement your design to the back of each letter and tie in a bow for girls or knot for boys.
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