Make a name plaque at home

By Jennifer Forker - 09/27/2008

With a little ingenuity and effort, much of what we find in home-decorating

catalogs and design stores can be recreated for

considerably less at home.

Toss in the added benefit of being able to say, "I made this!" and there appears to be no reason not to try.

The inspiration for this simple craft comes from the pages of The Company Store catalog: the "Gingham Wall Letters Plaque" in pink gingham, with coordinating pink ribbon for hanging. The catalog's sample name, "Molly," requires buying five letters at $8.50 each. Adding in $7.95 for shipping charges, this particular name costs $50.45.

The re-creation, while not an exact copy, cost about $12. (This assumes you have a few of the necessary tools on hand.) All of the supplies, some of which were on sale, were purchased at a national crafts store. With oodles of paper and ribbon designs out there, this project can be altered to fit any room or taste.

You be the judge: Is it worth the savings to do this one yourself?

The "Molly" Project

(The instructions are written to create the "Molly" name as it appears in the catalog. Please change the colors, patterns and sizing to meet your design needs.)

Supplies you'll need:

5 wooden letters, white, 4 by 5 inches

5 wooden plaques, unpainted, 5 by 7 inches

2 sheets of pink gingham scrapbook paper

Pink ribbon (about

1 yard per letter)

White acrylic paint,

2 fl. oz.-size

School glue

Glue gun with sticks

Staple gun with ¼-inch staples

Assembly:

1. Trace the front of the plaque onto the back of the scrapbook paper. Cut out, then trim the paper to fit on the plaque. You may want to trim extra paper to allow more of the white, wooden border to show, as in the sample. Use this as a template and cut out the other background papers.

2. Paint the wooden plaques, especially the sides and edges, since these will show.

3. Using the school glue, attach the background paper to the wooden plaque. Using a clean, white cloth, press firmly to remove bubbles and wrinkles.

4. Cut two pieces of ribbon, 13 to 15 inches each, for each plaque.

5. Attach 4 inches of each ribbon to the back of the plaque, using two staples per ribbon. This gives the ribbon more strength to hang the plaque. Tie the two ribbons into a bow.

6. Using a heated glue gun, attach the letter to the front of the plaque. Make sure all the letters are attached at about the same spot on their respective plaques.

7. Hang and admire.

On the Web: www.thecompanystore.com