EAT Kitchen Letters Tutorial

As promised, here is the tutorial for my EAT kitchen letters!  This is a pretty detailed tutorial; probably too detailed (don't be offended when I instruct how to trace and cut out letters, for instance), but I figured I'd cover as much as possible.  :)

Supplies

Paper mache letters (E, A, and T) - you could use wood as well

scrapbooking paper

spray adhesive or mod podge

acrylic paint in a coordinating color

straight-edge (ruler or similar)

exacto knife

Start with your letters. 

 

Use your acrylic paint to cover the sides of the letters.  Also, paint a small edge onto the front of the letters.  This will be helpful when you're ready to put the scrapbook paper on. 
 

 

When you've painted all the letters, place your first letters on the back (or front, you won't see the marks when you're done) and use a pencil to trace around the letter.

It should look like this when you're finished tracing.

This next part is the most important for having clean lines on your letters when you're done.  Use a straight-edge (ruler or box edge) to cut slightly inside your traced line with an exacto knife.  Cut a little bit smaller than your traced shape so that a bit of the paint on the edge can be seen on the front.

Like so:

Now grab your spray adhesive or modge podge and glue the scrapbook paper to the front of all three letters.

 

There are several ways you could hang these up.  You could glue a string or sawtooth hanger on the back.  You could try some of those command strips.  I wanted quick, easy, and totally flush with the wall, so this is what I did.

First, measure down 1" (or 1/2", the important thing is for it to be a measured, specific distance) from the top of each lette:

Then use a ruler to measure the center.

And mark your location.  The point where the two lines meet is where you're going to make a small hole.

I decided to use a wood screw.  I hammer it in enough to break through the layer, then I pull it in and out and move it in a circle a little to make the hole a little bigger.  (Note: This only works because these are hollow paper mache letters.  If your letters are solid, you'll need to use another method for hanging.)

 

Repeat with all three letters,

and now they are ready to go up!

If you make some of these, I'd love to see how you made them your own!