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When I called my dad up and asked him if he could help me build some marquee letters he was super excited. He is my OETA, after all! Yes my 'Original East Texas Assistant' was super stoked and basically worked out the project from start to finish. I wish I could take credit for any of it but, to be honest I was the assistant this go 'round. Daddy drew up the plans, executed them and then Rob took pictures while we worked. And in the end? We're all quite pleased with our efforts that will be neat to display in my Valentine's Day decor but look awesome any time of the year!
For this project you will need:
Poster board
Sheet of hardboard
1x2" furring strips
1x3" furring strips
Aluminum roof flashing
Large bulb Christmas lights
Aluminum foil or metallic poster board
Screws
Craft knife
Jigsaw
Miter saw or hand saw and a miter box
Cordless or corded drill
Tin snips
Sandpaper
On poster board draw an "X" and an "O". Alternatively you can have very large letters printed at a store like Staples. If you're not terribly tech savvy I've had good luck asking for help there. FYI - ours are 22" tall.
Cut out the letters from your poster board or paper and use as a pattern to trace onto your hardboard.
Using The Ultimate glue your lights. It may be necessary to pull the brackets off of each light as you go.
Our wood was old and dry so it would often split. If you have this problem the Ultimate also works well to piece the wood back together.
The size of your flashing will be dictated by the size of your letters. Since ours are large and our light bulbs are quite tall we went with 8" aluminum but choose according to size. Around curvy letters like this "O" cut a piece that will wrap around the entire letter. Cut an access point for the electrical cord as needed.
Apply a dot of The Ultimate to each support, or every few inches.
With the aluminum foil these letters are exceptionally reflective and they can almost entirely light up my bedroom by themselves. But feel free to make your design accordingly. You can glitter the hardboard or paint it a pretty color! You can paint the outer edges of the flashing or use lots and lots of screws for a very industrial riveted look. And the best thing? The cost! With an approximate cost of $9 for hardboard (with half a sheet left over), $7 for 6-inch flashing - or $15 for 8-inch - (over half a roll left), $20 for lights and another $6 for furring strips you're saving big money at $42-60 per two letters. That's $21-30 apiece. Not bad, not bad at all!