Starting with a disclaimer – this project was a total steal. To check out the original, take a look at https://www.whatchaworkinon.com/archives/2292
What I can offer you though, is the confidence that anyone can do this! I really wanted to have some nice, rustic monogram letters at our wedding, but I just didn’t want to spend much money on them. Then I saw these on Pinterest, and decided that they looked worth a try…despite one of my bridesmaids warning me that it might not end up quite like the pictures (oh ye of little faith!) And I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out!
So, how is it done? You can of course take a look at the link I shared above…but feel free to keep reading for the dummy’s guide to antique foiling.
What you need:
- MDF or wooden letters – mine were the 25cm MDF letters from Hobbycraft, which don’t have the nice weight of wooden, but are very cheap and look exactly the same once they’re covered in foil and glue
- A pencil for drawing your pattern
- Tacky glue – this is your artistic medium for this challenge, so get ready to start swirling.
- Tin foil – the basic stuff is fine, just make sure it doesn’t have ‘Bacofoil’ or something similar imprinted all over it – this may happen if you don’t check, and it’s not the look you want
- Decoupage glue – here I discovered Mod Podge for the first time. I went for the basic matt one, but you can also go wild with glitter types etc. if you’re so inclined
- Shoe polish – I did a mixture of brown and black (largely because we had both), but you could opt for just the one
- A sponge or soft cloth to apply said shoe polish
How it’s done:
- Take your MDF letter, and draw your pattern onto it in pencil. Remember that you’re going to need to shape the foil round the pattern once it’s risen with the glue, so leave a bit of space between the swirls and dots (or whatever design you choose)
- Once you’re happy with your pattern, go over it with your tacky glue. You may want to do a second later once the first has dried, to make it more pronounced. This is an overnight job, so it’s probable that whoever you live with will come and ask what’s going on when they see these strange letters drying all over the kitchen
- Cover your letter with Mod Podge glue. Then, cut out a piece of foil in the shape of your letter, plus about half an inch extra. Press this down onto your letter, and mould round the edges, making tears if you need to. If you have holes in your letters, cut slits in the holes up to each corners and fold your foil over the sides
- Massage down the foil into the shapes made by your swirls, until you can see the pattern through
- At this point, your edges are likely to look a bit messy. Cut strips of foil that are the width of your edges, and glue these round. You can also foil the back of the letters if they’re going to be showing.
- Now for the fun bit – get your shoe polish, and squeeze onto a soft cloth (the type used for dusting is ideal). You can use brown, black, or a combination of both. Keep dabbing it on until you’re happy with the level of tarnish
- Coat with a layer of Mod Podge to seal your design, and let dry. I completed this step a couple of times to make the letters really strong, adding extra shoe polish each time
And your letters are ready! I added picture hooks onto the back of mine to hang them, but they can also lean against things.
I’m already trying to think of new ways that this tacky glue/Mod Podge/foil combination could be used for other crafts – if you have any ideas, let me know!
Craft it like Katie 