Initial Attraction

Wanna see your names in lights? Follow our off-Broadway suggestion: Fashion inexpensive marquee-style signs by filling these super-affordable cardboard letters with strings of bulbs, hiding the cords on the other side of each figure.

See More: 5 Health Benefits of Crafting

Materials:
Craft knife
2 papier-mâché letters (available at consumercrafts.com)
1 C7 light strand
Gold spray paint
Hot glue

1. Using a craft knife, cut out the face of both mâché letters, leaving a 1/4-inch edge. On one of the letters, mark and cut Xs, 2 to 3 inches apart, where each light bulb will go. Remove bulbs from strand and insert into the Xs to test placement; remove bulbs and set the letter aside.

2. Place remaining letter open-face down and use the craft knife to cut a small opening at the bottom.

3. Wearing a respirator, spray-paint both letters inside and out. Once dry, fit the bulbs in the Xs one by one, screwing them back onto the strand as you go. When they’re all screwed in, plug the strand into an outlet to test the lighting.

4. Apply hot glue along the edge of the open-face letter that has the bottom opening, and press it to the back of the other letter, sandwiching and concealing the cord in between. (Make sure the tail of the light strand is pulled through the hole in the bottom of the letter before adhering.)

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