Baby Isabella Wall Decoration

I have had a few friends ask me about the decorations I created for Isabella's nursery, so I figured I would make a post about Isabella's name decoration in case someone wanted to create their own!

::::Project Supply List::::
1.  Letters
2.  Wood Craft Paints
3.  Ribbon to match
4.  Wooden knobs
5.  Q-Tips
6.  Paper Plate
7.  Plastic for table
8.  Hot Glue Gun and matching glue sticks
9.  Nails (finishing w/ wide, shiny heads)
10. Hand Drill with bit

How to make Baby Name Wall Decoration::::

Planning, Prep, and Design::
First, I selected my room decor and color scheme.  Isabella's room has a green and brown theme.  Her bedding has stripes, polka dots and paisley on it, so I wanted to bring out one of those patterns.  I chose the polka dots for a couple reasons: 1. I like them and 2. I thought they would be easiest to start the project off with.  After I decided polka dots, I chose the coloring: brown, green, and tan to match the room decor.

Next I chose the letters and paint.  I bought my lettering at a local craft shop, but you can find these at many big box retailers, such as Michael's, AC Moore, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and many smaller stores.  Since I had picked polka dots, I looked for letters that had bubbles on the ends to go with the idea.  After I found letters in the right size- she has a longer name, so I chose smaller letters (5 in.) plus, I wanted it to fit above her bed.  If you want to spread them farther apart or have a smaller name to work with, then you could choose a larger letter.  

I then picked up some bright green, dark brown, and tan craft wood paint.  You can again find these paints at any local craft or big box retail store for only a couple dollars each bottle.  I suggest using a matte finish paint, as a glossy will be very streaky.  If you are interested in creating the glossy finish, I suggest a clear, glossy, finishing coat at the end.

I also picked up wooden drawer knobs at the hardware store. These are cheap (around $.40 each) and can be picked up at any Lowe's or Home Depot.  These seem to work best on a wall, as the other drawer knobs are pretty, but there isn't a great way to attach them to the wall (as they screw in from the back, rather than the front).  If anyone has a suggestion to attach the other knob style (back screw) I would definitely like to hear it- since they are so pretty! 

Creating the Letters::
Once I accumulated all of my supplies I painted the base color on the front of the letter (dark brown) and after this dried I painted the bright green on the sides of the letters.  Once both of these colors were dry, I touched up any mistakes then began the dots (tan).  

The dots are best applied with a Q-Tip (thanks Dottie for the great crafting tip!!).  I just rolled the tip of the Q-Tip in the paint, then 'dotted' it on the front of the letter.  Be careful not to press too hard, as it will make a paint 'void' in the middle of the dot, and you will have to touch it up after it dries.


 After all the paint had dried and all touch-ups were finished I began the ribbon.  I chose a thin ribbon with polka dots to match my theme, but not overwhelm the wooden knobs.  When choosing ribbon, it is best to choose after you have picked a knob, as this will determine how big your ribbon can be. 

To attach the ribbon, I just headed a glue gun and glued the ribbon on the back.  I chose not to tie bows at the top because it didn't work well, but I think it would look great if you chose to do that!  

I had green ribbon with tan polka dots that matched the green I chose for the sides of the letters, so I crossed the ribbon in a way that would allow the polka dots to face out.  I crossed the ribbon behind the letter (looks like a breast cancer awareness cross ribbon) and put a dot of glue to hold it in place.  Be careful where you place it, as this will potentially cause it to hang crooked on the wall (more power to it if you want them crooked on purpose- which is super cute!).  I hung the knobs first, as this determined how far down I wanted the letters to hang- determining the length of ribbon to use.

Finished letters with ribbon style and painted knobs

Creating the Knobs:: 
First I used the hand drill to drill a small hole down the middle of the knob.  This will be used to house the nail when it is nailed in the wall.

I painted the knob to match the letters.  I chose dark brown to pull in the dark brown background behind the polka dots.  Make sure the paint goes down in the hole so all you see is the painted color.

After they dried I took the decorative (pretty silver in my case), wide head, finishing nails and nailed the knobs to the wall.  Make sure you choose a nail that is long enough to go through the knob and still have room to hold in the wall.  I left the head of the nail flush with the knob, so it ends up that the knob has a pretty silver 'dot' in the middle of it when we finished.  Determine how far apart you want the letters and incorporate that into your measurement when you nail these to the wall (so the letters aren't too close or too far apart). 

Finishing the project::
After hanging the knobs and attaching the ribbon to the letters, all you have left to do is hang the letters on the wall!!  

One final tip::

Watch out for your pregnant belly if you are trying to hang them without moving the crib though!  

It might get in your way, especially if you are 9 months pregnant! ;)