building a b...

i've been wanting to do a letter wall in B's room since before he was born 

(fyi... he's 1 year old now...)

obviously, I'm a slacker. or procrastinator.

(or as my hubby and I like to say.... we're just very patient!)

but finally, when I was planning his 1st birthday party, 

I made it my goal to make a giant letter "B"........

and here's how I did it:

I started with poster board and masking tape. 

Not my ideal building materials, but all I had on hand.

(I'll explain that later...)

I cut out two large B's 

(about the size of the poster board - 24"ish tall, 18"ish wide) 

and then I cut some 4" strips of poster board. 

Using masking tape, I just taped it all together until I had a 3D "B"

At this point, Bryceroni wanted to check out the progress... 

Next, I had to cover the B. 

I really wanted a rustic brown look... 

so I used strips that I tore from brown paper grocery bags!

To attach the strips, I just used a simple mix of Elmer's glue and water 

(can't give you an exact recipe... just mixed some of each together in a bowl and called it good!)

I dipped the strips of paper into the "paper mache", 

used my fingers to squeegee off the excess,

and then covered the B piece by piece. 

This is a pic of the B before it's final layer of paper bag strips - 

the darker areas are still wet. 

So, why were the building materials not the best?? 

The moisture from the paper bag strips caused the poster board to buckle in a bit. 

If I had to do it again, I'd probably use a more water-resistant material to make the B 

(or possibly cover it in masking tape, or duct tape before covering with the paper mache?)

But for my purposes, it just took a few more layers than I had hoped, 

and pure luck that the front of the B didn't cave in much! 

(the back is slightly lumpier - but it didn't matter to me, because it will be hung on the wall)

Last thing I did was add some brown acrylic paint randomly with a dry brush to add a rustic touch. 

The final "B"? 

I think it turned out super cute! 

What do you think???

check out lots of other creative stuff at 

and