Think Outside the Box: Beyond Initials

   [Hi.]

When I saw this "Yo" on Pinterest [from Kristen F. Davis Designs] I knew it was a perfect idea for my son's room. It's so fun and playful and yet still dude-ish [yes, that's a real word... at least here @ Salvage Savvy!].  However, when I showed it to my son, he said, "I like it, but I want mine to say something else... like "Hi." So. Brilliant. You see, this boy loves the word "hi." I have no idea why, but virtually every school paper has a little "hi" snuck onto it somewhere [much like a word search version of Where's Waldo]. And if you have ever recieved a present, card or note from my son... it has "hi" written on it somewhere [ok, not somewhere... everywhere!]. Therefore, it took just two little letters to make his room totally... him. "Hi" sums him up much better than his initials ever could!

Here's a quick little tutorial on how I made them:

It all began with typical paper mache letters.

Then I spray painted them a red-clay color [basically red with alot of brown in it]. Somehow I failed to photograph them painted... but I managed to get a picture of my drop cloth after painting them [I though it earned a few cool points with this graffiti-like image!]

Next, I turned to my tried & true DIY friend [insert drum roll here]. Silver Rub N' Buff!! I wanted it to feel old and industrial so I rubbed it on unevenly and made sure to let splotches of red show through.

And that is all. Done, completed & finished. Taking these pictures and writing this post took 3 times longer than the project itself [which is just wrong!]. How can you inject a little personal touch into your decor using letters? It's something to think about :)

[Bye]