DIY Giant Word Home Decor: Paper Mache Word Wall Art

I love BIG gifts. Not big as in expensive – but big as in LARGE and in charge! One of my all-time favorite go-to handmade gifts is my DIY Giant Word Home Decor!

DIY GIANT WORD HOME DECOR:

If you are looking for some unique home decor ideas that would make a great gift, might I suggest large wall art? Specifically, our DIY Giant Word Home Decor! 

This DIY project is simple to make and is a great way to give a custom gift, but in a fun and clever way. Personally, I have made several sets of this word wall art for my own home, and I always get a ton of compliments. They are the perfect addition to any blank space (or those empty walls), they make a big impact, and are the ideal focal point to decorate around for the holidays.- I really could go on and on about how much I love them (LOL)!

Plus, from a gift-giving perspective, these letters are the ideal handmade pieces to make! This is because, unlike custom word signs or your standard wooden sign, you can create any word for half the price. Also, this piece of art can be made in any style, like modern farmhouse, coastal, shabby chic, etc. So, with all that in mind, the whole piece can be customized in a variety of ways to fit whoever you are gifting it to! – Oh, and did I mention that they take less than an hour to make (not including dry time)?!

The set we are making today is for the Fall, but if you are looking for some holiday inspiration, check out my post here! Also, make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post because I share two extra things. The first is how you can decorate and use this large word art in your home or for parties. Then the second thing is how to store them when you are not using them.

IDEAS AND TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR WORD:

Before we get into crafting, we need to talk about choosing a word for this project and large letters. In this section, I’m going to briefly cover ideas and tips for choosing a word for this DIY. 

You might already have a word in mind for this project; however, BEFORE you go shopping, make sure you have your chosen word written down! This may sound a bit weird, but if you are giving this as a gift, you want to make sure that 1) you have the word spelled correctly and 2) you have the right amount of letters to spell out your word (since you don’t want to make multiple trips to the craft store). Simply writing down the word and checking off each letter while you are placing them in your cart will save you so much time and help you avoid this rookie mistake.

Now, when choosing a word, the possibilities are truly endless! If you are stuck on what to pick, an easy way to get some ideas is to ask yourself the following questions: 

QUESTIONS:

• Is this a gift or a personal craft for myself? 
• What holiday, season, or party will I (or my gift recipient) be displaying this for? Christmas decorations, Halloween decorations, etc.
• Where is it going to be displayed? On the bare walls in the hallway or as shelf decor in the family room?
• How much am I willing to spend? – This more or less has to do with the cost per letter. For example, making the word ”Gather” is going to cost far less than something like ”Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (LOL). Ok, this example might be a bit of a stretch, but you see my point!

Finally, if you are looking for some examples of words you might use, below are a few options!

WORD IDEAS:

• A last name (this would also be good for bridal shower decor)
• A favorite word to celebrate the holidays (like Gather, Joy, etc.)
• A baby’s name (this would be good for a baby shower)
• A college name or abbreviation (this would be good for a graduation party)
• A word that evokes a certain thought or feeling (Faith, Love, Grow, etc.)
• A word that celebrates an event (Home could be used for someone who just bought a new home)
• A word that has to do with something the person loves or their favorite things (Crafts, Coffee, Plants, etc.)
• A pet’s name (cause I know we have some crafty Dog Moms and Cat Moms out there)
• Bible verses (you can also buy numbers, so you could do the abbreviation of a scripture)

NEXT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT LARGE LETTERS:

Large Letters are not all made equal, but the good news is that I do have a favorite (LOL)! 

For this simple DIY, you can use chipboard, papier-mache, or wood letters. Each one has its own pros and cons, but my favorite is the papier-mache letters from Hobby Lobby. This is because they are large-scale, lightweight, take paint beautifully, are easy to hang temporarily, and are so easy to store when not in use. 

The size of the Hobby Lobby letters is 8 1/4″ in height. So, personally, I like them because they are not too small but also not too big to display. The only con about ”these letters” is that they don’t have numbers as an option. Meaning, if you wanted to incorporate some numbers with your word, you would have to buy a different size, brand, or style. 

I have never used numbers for these large letter DIYs, but I wanted to mention it in case you were planning on incorporating numbers with the letters.

One thing to keep in mind is that different craft stores might carry different sizes of letters. So, you may want to shop around online or in stores first to see what options are in your area. When shopping online, always make sure you look at the size before you buy, since you don’t want to end up with tiny letters or large letters that can fit in your yard!

(FTC Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Plaid Crafts but the project and opinions are mine all mine! This post also contains affiliate links which means I may make a small commission on sales at no additional cost to you.}

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• PlaidCrafts FolkArt Treasure Gold – I used Gold and Rose Gold
• foam paintbrushes (you could use a small paintbrush)
• washi tape (you could also use painter’s tape)
• large chipboard/paper mache/wood letters (I used these paper mache letters)
• 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips (if you want to hang on them on the wall)

HOW TO MAKE DIY GIANT WORD HOME DECOR STEP TUTORIAL:

1. Wrap washi tape around each letter about halfway down from the top (adjust if you want to do multiple colors or if you want to feature more of one color than the other).

NOTE: If you don’t have washi tape, you can always make a light pencil mark where you want to paint your letters

2. Paint one half of the letter (I used Rose Gold) up to the washi tape. I always paint over a portion of the washi tape to give myself a clean line. Because these are going on the wall, I did not paint the backs – but if you want these for a display where you will see the backs, let the front dry for about 30 minutes, then flip over and repeat.

NOTE: You may want to use a drop cloth or a piece of poster board to cover your work surface while painting your letters.

3. Once the paint is dry, remove the washi tape. A good rule of thumb is to either wait less than an hour or more than 24 hours so the paint isn’t tacky and the tape comes off smoothly.

4. Apply new washi tape – lining the tape up with the Rose Gold paint line so you do not end up with any exposed/unpainted chipboard between the paint colors. Paint the second color (I used Gold) and let it dry, then remove the washi tape.

NOTE: I like these letters plain and simple; however, you can get even more creative with them once the paint dries! If you have a Cricut or Silhouette Machine, feel free to cut out additional design elements to add to your letters.

5. The last step is to display your letters! You can set the letters directly on your mantel, or if you want to hang them (as seen in the photo) you can use 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips. – These are a game-changer!

NOTE: If you create wood words instead of paper mache ones, you can use wood glue on the back to add a more permanent hanger.

HOW TO DECORATE WITH DIY LARGE WORD HOME DECOR:

If you love this project but are looking for wall decor ideas, then I have a few for you! 

There are so many different ways that you can use this DIY wall art for both your home and parties. Below are a few ways that you can use them

For your home, you could use this DIY home decor to decorate the following: 

• Living Room Mantel
• Front Porch
• Gallery Wall 
• Accent Wall or a Blank Wall
• Laundry Room
• Dining Room (you could stand them up and use them as a centerpiece on your table as well)

For party ideas, you could use this DIY piece in the following ways: 

• Wedding Shower / Bridal Shower
• Baby Shower
• Graduation
• Friendsgiving
• Christmas Party
• Superbowl party (you could have the name abbreviation of both team names)

No matter the place or function, these letters will surely make a big impact and be something that everyone will remember!

HOW TO STORE THIS GIANT DIY WALL HANGING OR LETTERS:

When it comes to large wall hangings or large home decor in general, one thing to always be concerned about is storage space. However, with our word letter wall decorations, you don’t have to be as gentle when storing them and you don’t need a ton of extra space! – Which, if you know me, then you know that is my type of storage! LOL

Since our letters are lightweight and made of paper mache, they can easily be stored in a variety of ways depending on the space that you have. For me, I just store them in a regular bin that you can find at any big box store. 

Now, if you want to go the extra mile to protect the paint or any embellishments you have added to the letters, you could wrap them in tissue paper, or simply place a piece of cardboard in between each letter if you are storing them in a bin. The choice is up to you, but overall, these big letters are not difficult to store at all!

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DIY Giant Word Home Decor: Paper Mache Word Wall Art

I love BIG gifts. Not big as in expensive – but big as in LARGE and in charge! One of my all-time favorite go-to handmade gifts is my DIY Giant Word Home Decor!

Author: Beth Kingston

Materials

• PlaidCrafts FolkArt Treasure Gold I used Gold and Rose Gold
• foam paintbrushes You could use a small paintbrush
• washi tape
• large chipboard/paper mache/wood letters
• 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips If you want to hang them on the wall

Instructions

• Wrap washi tape around each letter about halfway down from the top (adjust if you want to do multiple colors or if you want to feature more of one color than the other).

  NOTE: If you don’t have washi tape, you can always make a light pencil mark where you want to paint your letters
• Paint one half of the letter (I used Rose Gold) up to the washi tape. I always paint over a portion of the washi tape to give myself a clean line. Because these are going on the wall, I did not paint the backs – but if you want these for a display where you will see the backs, let the front dry for about 30 minutes, then flip over and repeat.

  NOTE: You may want to use a drop cloth or a piece of poster board to cover your work surface while painting your letters.
• Once the paint is dry, remove the washi tape. A good rule of thumb is to either wait less than an hour or more than 24 hours so the paint isn’t tacky and the tape comes off smoothly.
• Apply new washi tape – lining the tape up with the Rose Gold paint line so you do not end up with any exposed/unpainted chipboard between the paint colors. Paint the second color (I used Gold) and let it dry, then remove the washi tape.

  NOTE: I like these letters plain and simple; however, you can get even more creative with them once the paint dries! If you have a Cricut or Silhouette Machine, feel free to cut out additional design elements to add to your letters.
• The last step is to display your letters! You can set the letters directly on your mantel, or if you want to hang them (as seen in the photo) you can use 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips. – These are a game-changer!

  NOTE: If you create wood words instead of paper mache ones, you can use wood glue on the back to add a more permanent hanger.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A CHRISTMAS VERSION OF THESE LETTERS, CHECK OUT THE BLOG POST BELOW!