We Do Wednesday: Floaties

So after writing my most recent Monogram Monday post, I realized there must be a way to make initials for the pool!  And a floral monogram, while great for a wedding or certain other occasions, isn't always the look one is going after.  With little images/tutorials on floral floating monograms, I took a leap and decided to tackle this one head on and devise a way for people to make these.  This project is NOT for the faint of heart and definitely requires some old fashion manual labor BUT I couldn't be more thrilled with how it all turned out.  Want to make your own?  Read along to find out how!

I started by printing out a large letter outline in my desired font across multiple pages.  I combined them together and cut it out to create my guide.

Next, I pinned the letter guide right inside the outline.  That way it wouldn't move while I was cutting.

 

While at Michaels, I saw a specialized tool for styrofoam cutting.  It was around $22 and plugged in as well.  I told myself I didn't need it, but after my primitive way of cutting it out with a knife by wobbling it back and forth each time I stuck it in the styrofoam, I would definitely look into buying it if more of these are in my future!

Cutting the letter out may take a while, so I liked to do it in sections, which also prevented me from going to fast and making mistakes. 

FINALLY all cut out!

I entertained the idea of spray painting it, or covering it with some foam sheets, but in the end, relied on my old friend duck tape!  I tried taping it to go with the curves of the letter, so it would look more like a textured design than plain old tape.

This also was slightly time consuming, but I figured it would pay off with a worthwhile final product.

All taped!

After taping the white, I decided to go back with red duck tape along the rims.  This was pretty quick and easy since the width of the rim was about the width of the duck tape, so i just went around the letter with the red tape pretty quick!

Needless to say, I am VERY happy with the result.  For such little money, I think this makes a big statement!

In the future, I'd love to experiment with 3 letter monograms instead of the single one like I did here.  Hey, may even explore the floral option!

Hope you enjoyed tagging along on my latest!

xo, Elissa