Lighted marquee letters are all the rage in home decor, but your options for color and finish can be limited. Did you know you can customize your lighted letter any way you want? Learn how in a few easy steps!
This tutorial is brought to you by our Warehouse Specialist and resident crafting guru, Emily Kocon. Perfect for gifts, home decor, businesses, and more, this letter can be made by crafters of all skill levels. Follow along with Emily and you'll have your own beautiful, unique letter in no time!
Materials needed:
- Lighted Letter of your choice
- Hot glue gun
- Glue (some form of scrap bookers glue works best)
- Decorative paper of your choice
- Tape
- Exacto knife
- Spray paint
- Matte finish spray paint
- 2 AA batteries
Step 1: Remove letter from its packaging and with a damp towel remove any dust or dirt. Wiping off the surface allows for a nicer more evenly applied layer of spray paint.
Step 2: Remove the black back of the letter by bending the metal tabs upward. The battery pack is attached to the back along with the string of lights. Next, gently remove the lights by pulling them out of their plastic bulb covering. Take note of which bulb sits directly behind the battery pack. This bulb has a shorter peg than the others. This light is also hot glued into place but can easily be removed and put back into place later. Set aside.
Step 3: This next step may be more challenging. The plastic bulbs need to be removed. The easiest way to do this is by pinching the pegs from behind while slightly moving from side to side. It may take a couple times but they should pop right out. If not, you can persuade it by firmly hitting the clip side of it with the handle of a screwdriver.
Step 4 (optional): You are now ready to spray paint your letter. When spray painting make sure to spray in a well ventilated area and wear clothes that can get ruined. You can also wear disposable rubber gloves in an attempt to save your fingernails. Apply one coat at a time, allowing time for it to dry. When applying make sure to get every corner and crack. For best results apply two coats of paint. When the spray paint has dried, apply the spray on matte finish to protect your letter from dust and keep the color looking good.
Step 5: Now it’s time to prepare your paper. Find the black back of your letter and tape it to your paper decorative side up. This will be your stencil. Next take your Exacto knife and very carefully trace and cutout the outline of your letter.
Step 6: You now have your traced paper to glue on to the front of your letter. Take your scrap bookers glue and apply it to the edges of your metal letter. Apply in small dots and place paper on top. You can test the glue out on some the cut out pieces of paper and make sure the glue doesn’t bleed through it.
Step 7: Give the glue some time to dry. Now you will need to take your Exacto knife and even more carefully cut the holes in your paper in order to put back in the plastic light bulb cases. Don’t worry about the holes being perfect; when you put the bulbs back in they will cover up any ripped edges. Once all the holes are cut you can pop the plastic cases back in. Remember to put the smaller case behind the battery pack.
Step 8: The last thing you will need to do it put the string back in their cases. You will need the hot glue gun for the light that sits by the battery pack. Place the black back on to the back of your letter and push the metal tabs back down. Put in the batteries, turn off the lights and enjoy!
