Monday Made It: Classroom Decoration

I am linking up today with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It.

Want a cool project to add some spice to your classroom door?  I made these for my 3^rd grade teammates.  Shhh!  Don’t tell them- it’s a surprise.

   

Materials:

Spray paint

School glue

1 sponge paintbrush

1 small craft paintbrush

2 containers- I used Styrofoam bowls.

Newspaper or placemats- (It will be messy!)

Mod Podge- (I used gloss.)

Large wooden letter

Scrapbook paper- (I used 4 variations for each letter.)

I bought all the supplies at a local craft store.  The store had the letters in a variety of sizes and a few styles and also had an abundance of scrapbook paper.  I already had many of the materials on hand.  

I promise it’s easy!

Steps:

Spray paint the back side of the wooden letter in a well-ventilated area and allow the letter to dry.  I used black paint since I had some at home, and I sprayed the letters outside.

Lay out your newspaper on your work area.

Mix the school glue with some water in a container.  I didn't do any measuring; I just added water until the glue was easier to paint on the paper.

Tear the scrapbook paper into small pieces.  The size of the pieces really depend on the look that you want for you letter.

Paint the back of each piece of scrapbook paper with the glue mixture.  This is a really important step.  If you don’t glue the pieces of paper down well, the paper will bubble up when you apply the Mod Podge. (This happened to me the first time I tried it!)

Start placing the scrapbook pieces onto your wooden letter. Use the straight edges of the paper on the straight edges of your letter.  It’s like putting a puzzle together!  The pattern is totally up to you.

Continue to glue the pieces of paper until your letter is covered.  Allow the glue to set and dry.

Pour your Mod Podge into another container.  Use the sponge paintbrush to apply a coat of Mod Podge over the scrapbook paper on your letter.  Cover the whole letter.  I usually cover the sides of the letter as well.

I apply 3 coats of Mod Podge, allowing them time to dry in between.

That’s it!  You now have cool decoration for your classroom door!  

Of course this technique can be used on unlimited items in unlimited ways.  Just follow your imagination!