Tutorial: A LOVE-ly Little Project

I love living just a hop-skip away from Center City, Philadelphia.  For those of you who don't live here or don't already know this, Philadelphia has a strong commitment to public works of art, and if you walk around the city, you will see them everywhere.   My favorite example of this is the iconic LOVE statue, which is situated in Love Park right around 15th and Arch and JFK Streets.

I was looking for a quick, easy project and the LOVE statue inspired me to create my own similar piece.   I have seen those wooden signs that say "family" or "dream" or "love" all over the place and I thought, hmmm, why not try to DIY one instead and have it look like the LOVE statue with the tilted "O"?  Turns out, it was super simple, and hurrah, it cost hardly anything!  Here's what you'll need:

• Letters L-O-V-E (picked mine up at Michael's for $.99 each);
• Wood glue;
• Red craft paint;
• Small piece of wood (I grabbed a small wooden stake in the Michael's wood craft section for $.79) for a base & nails or screws.

The first step is to glue the letters together.  This was a little tricky since the "O" had to be slanted.  I used my wood stake as a straight line and just played around with the letters until I liked the angle that the "O" had.

Once the glue dries, paint your letters red and the wood base whatever color you'd like.  I went for a black base, since that's what I had on hand.  It took two coats of red craft paint to get the color the way I wanted it. 

Next, use small wood screws or even tiny nails to hold the letters onto the base.  Be careful not to drill or hammer too hard, lest you ruin your letters. I only needed two: one under the "L" and one under the "E".  Easy peasy.  

Once I had the letters on the stand, I had to cut off some of the base.  I just measured and cut with a hand saw, then sanded down the unfinished side.  

Before I painted the newly cut side of the base, I added a little sheen to the letters.  The finish felt a little flat, so I swiped on a light coat of the Polycrilic that I use for furniture.  I love the glossy look on the letters.  Once the polycrilic dried, I brought it in and touched up the black paint on the base.  And that's it!  Doesn't it look cute?  And for less than $5?   Here it is up close and on my kitchen windowsill, just to show how it looks on a shelf.

Stay tuned for where this sweet little homage to the LOVE statue is going in my home!  That is a post all onto itself.

What about you?  Have you done any fun and crafty decor projects lately?  I'd love to hear.

See you swoon,

{Philadelphia LOVE Statue picture found here}