Being a Pinterest-enthusiast as I am, there is not a day when I have to remember myself that I need to take some time to make just one craft a month. But then again, when you are trying to run a blog, have a baby, an elementary school daughter and a husband; who has time to craft?!?!?! Well I do, or at least I try to. 

So today I’m going to be combining two elements that has always captivated me and make it into one. Those elements are big decorative letters and, black and white photos. This easy tutorial will require you to have the following materials:

1. Balsa panels (the ones I used are 3/32”x4”x36”) (These panels are similar to foam but with a wood look and feel. They are very easy to cut with an X-acto knife)


2. X-acto knife


3. Printable transparency paper


4. Glue (I used E-6000)

I started by selecting the letter that I wanted to do, the E. I then printed it on a sheet of legal size paper and cut it to use as template. With this at hand I measure each side of the letter. These measurements are to do the frame of the letter adding a 1.5” of width. On the example below you’ll notice how I measure each side (left part of the diagram) and then to each side I added the width (right side of the diagram).

(Left) How I took each side measurement (Right) The outter side of the letter (6”) plus the width (1.5”).

After all the parts are cut, I then glue the frame according to my letter template. When it was all dry, I painted it yellow (since we are celebrating the beginning of Spring). In the meantime (while the paint dried) I printed the photo I selected on the transparency paper using an ink printer. Always make sure that the transparency you select is according to your printer because they are also available for inkjet ones.

  

After the yellow paint was completely dry, I placed and glued the frame letter above the printed transparency photo. To ensure both were evenly and well adhered, I put over a couple of books. The final step was to cut the excess parts of the photo from the border of the frame.