Papier Mache Decor

I wanted to share a fun project that was started over a year ago when my baby Karis was born. I decided I wanted to decorate her nursery using a 23" papier mache letter "K" from Joann Fabrics and Crafts.( Click here for buying info from Joann Fabrics.) She had the patchwork star nursery bedding from Pottery Barn in pink, green and yellow. I decided I would mimic her quilt and so started my project.
Unfortunately I don't have start to finish photos since this post is an afterthought, but I started with a bare letter "K" like the letter "E" below.

Then I chose 12x12 patterned papers from Joann's open cardstock that matched the the colors in the quilt. You should only need 1 sheet of each type of paper, but having an extra sheet is always a good idea. I chose 5-7 different patterns/colors for each letter. I then cut each sheet into 2x2" squares. After my paper was cut, I laid my squares out in the order I wanted them and repeated this pattern top to bottom, side to side. Before gluing my paper, I painted the sides of my letter with acrylic craft paint. Once dry, I glued each piece by hand, making painstaking cuts where needed. After all my pieces were placed and everything was sufficiently glued down, I used Tim Holtz distress ink in Vintage photo to give it an aged, antiqued look. Then, using a foam brush, I covered the entire thing in Glossy Mod Podge. Once it was dry, I used upholstery tacks to outline the letter. Then, I traced one of the stars on the quilt and cut it out of one of my papers and adhered it along with a ribbon and some chipboard with Karis' name spelled out to embellish the letter. I also used a little bit of pom pom trim on the top and bottom. Here are the other two I have just finished for my other two kiddos Elliot and Olivia.

I used Basic Grey Sweet Threads papers for Olivia's "O"

I used the same technique with theirs because I like how Karis' turned out so well. These are a great impact piece in their rooms. I love the way they turned out! They were a fun and affordable to personalize their rooms.