Wooden Marquee Light: A Pseudo DIY
I have been searching for the right Vintage Marquee Light in the right size in the right color for a while now… basically looking or a needle in a haystack. And all the DIY Tutorial’s out there have been out of foam core or poster board… I needed something a little more stable. So when I came across the shop Virago Demure on Etsy, I knew they could make the letter I wanted at the size that I wanted. They specialize in wood versions of the classic letters & symbols. Offering both finished & unfinished versions… I went with the unfinished knowing I was about to customize it myself & light this puppy up!
image via Virago Demure |
Items Needed:
Wooden Letter (Roughly 20-24″ Tall)
Drill with 5/8″ Drill Bit
Spray Primer
Spray Paint
Once I received my letter in the mail (& did my happy dance!) I went straight to work. I marked out the spacing of where I would drill my holes for the lights. Knowing I had 25 lights on my string light set, I marked my holes being sure to stay centered down the letter. I then used my 5/8″ Drill Bit & drilled all of my holes (after counting three times to make sure I had 25 & not 26!)
I then primed & painted the ampersand using Rustoleum’s Safety Red. Seriously, it is the PERFECT shade of red.
Once everything was dry, I hooked up my lights…
you can see the two year old helped me determine my drill marks… hence the blue squiggles. To string your lights simply start at one end & work your way through. The bulbs unscrew and the letter becomes sandwiched between the bulb & the socket holding it all together.
It looks pretty darn convincing in the end… and I am slightly obsessed with the results. Of course, I’ll still keep my eye out for the real deal but this will definitely keep me happy!
I can’t share the details on where it is really going to live yet… but it’s going to be good!
Happy Monday!!
xo-K
Love this idea – can't wait to see what you're going to do with it π
xx Ashleigh
http://www.ashflynn.blogspot.com
Love the color!
What a great idea! I love this.
Love this! Ampersands are one of my fave symbols. Where did you get your string lights (if you don't mind me asking)? I've been looking for a set like that!
Looks great Kristen! Love the blue squiggles from your little helper too…now the back of your new decor is a little piece of original art!
Fantastic! Love this!
Love what you did with the Ampersand it looks amazing! Thank you for including me.
love it. pinned it.
Super duper cute! Could easily pass for the real marquee letter. Thanks for the link to the Etsy shop. Pinned her shop for future.
This looks awesome!
Amazing! I saw your sneak peek on Instagram and totally thought it was cardboard of some sort. Nice to know they sell wooden letters you can customize!
Super cool! Awesome job and thanks for sharing! You must be so proud π
Love this! It turned out great, it doesn't look like a DIY at all! I'll be pinning this for future reference π
Steph
Love it! My favorite color too ~ π Thanks so much for sharing all the details.
xo
Pat
How adorable! Thanks so much for the tutorial!
Leslie
House on the Way
Off the charts creative.
Looks great! The suspense of the big reveal is killingggggg me!!!
It looks awesome! Great job
Visit my blog: http://girlfrombk.blogspot.com/
This is a great "pseudo-tutorial"! I've always loved the wooden marquee light tutorials more than the cardboard or foamboard ones, but I simply don't have the tools/space/talent to pull one off. Starting with one of these letters is a great idea!
This turned out SO cool! I can't wait to see where it ends up! π
Oh I love this. Can't wait to see where it is going to live!!!
Seriously?!?! Could you BE more amazing!!??
I'm in love! For real!
This is amazing! What a find those letters are!!!
Thanks for sharing. (But I don't know why you're calling it "a pseudo DIY". Take the credit. It's awesome!!)
Saw you over on Southern Hospitality and love your design aesthetic. Thanks for all the inspiration.
Love this idea…very inventive! DIY'ers rule!
Kristin, your blog is so inspirational. I love it! I'm in the Atlanta area too. Do you ever participate in any of the local blogger events? I would love to meet you!
Jen
OMG you made this!!!
Perfection! Have some of these in mind for our basement kid zone. thanks for sharing your sources!
I WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE YOUR TUTORIAL , PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS WOULD BE OK
LAUREN
Absolutely LOVE this and wanted to feature you in my upcoming DIY blog post on Tuesday. You are SO creative and I love, love, love everything you do! I love your site and want to tell you that you should be proud of your blog and work!
Cortney @www.organicallyopulent.com
Ahhh!! This is SO cool! I hope I can convince my son he NEEDS one for his room!
Another wonderful project! I'm pinning it to our Lighting pinboard. Check it out at pinterest.com/homedepot.
Another wonderful project! I'm going to link it to our Lighting pinboard. Check it out at pinterest.com/homedepot.
– Chante
Great find, thanks! You just saved me a lot of money.
I'm doing this for sure for my kids rooms!. Love it!.