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DIY Marquee Letters

A DIY Marquee Light That Looks Like It Cost Hundreds

March 5, 2014 by Lisette Mejia

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I cut poster board into strips 3 1/2 inches wide for the sides of the ampersand.

Source: Happy Looks Good on You

We started with quarter-inch chip board. Curt drew the ampersand then cut it out using a jigsaw. We drilled 3/4 inch holes for the lights. At first we had 1/2 inch holes, then realized they were too small and had to make them bigger. That's why more than a few of them are mangled; I was struggling.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

I cut poster board into strips 3 1/2 inches wide for the sides of the ampersand.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

I made sure to get nice, crisp folds in the poster board. It helped the strips look and fit better around the ampersand.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

I used packing tape to attach the poster board strips to the chip board. The ampersand sits about 2 1/2 inches deep with about an inch of poster board on the back.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

It's all ready for some painting!
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

The ampersand received a few coats of glossy navy blue. And boy, does it look great!
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

Waiting for the paint to completely dry was almost painful. I couldn't wait to get the lights in!
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

I had a strand of 25 lights and that's also how many holes were in my ampersand. Curt planned it out perfectly. Once the lights were screwed in, I taped down the cords on the back of the ampersand.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

And here's the lighted beauty!
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

As fantastic as the ampersand looks all lit up, it's still pretty amazing without the lights on. The glossy sheen of the paint makes it appear like it's made of metal.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

I added a few other elements to give my mantel an industrial look; a chalkboard ampersand, an industrial photo that Curt took, a stack of vintage books and a few globes under a glass cloche.
Source: Happy Looks Good on You

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