fri-DIY: pottery barn moss letter (part 1)

i'm still here!

i haven't blogged much this week. my excuse - wade and i took off for boston this morning! yay!!! that meant that this week was a short week in the office. even shorter because yesterday i was out of the office for a photo shoot. so excited to update you all on my trip (and too see my sister and her sweet family!).

in the meantime, here's the first part of a DIY i squeezed in last night. (i made this a 2 part because i ran out of time last night between laundry & packing ... oh and st patty's day. and a cab picking us up at 4.00am this morning. but i promise to wrap 'er up first thing when i return.)

i'm a bit partial to sheet moss. remember our wedding reception table decs:

so i loooove these live moss letters from pottery barn:

but let's be real ... at 79.00 bucks a pop, i won't be buying one from pottery barn in the near future. instead ... i decided to make my own:

supplies:
* 1" x 12" x 12" floral styrofoam sheet (i bought a 1" x 12" x 36" from michaels for 7.99 & cut it down to 12"x12")
* bag of dried moss (also from michaels)
* permanent marker and a ruler
* tacky glue & a sponge brush or a glue gun
* exact-o knife and a cutting board
* garbage bag or paper bags (as a work station)

{we'll use the acrylic paint in part 2}

1 // with your ruler and permanent marker, draw your monogram on to the styrofoam. if you don't trust your freehand, find a font and cut it out. then, trace it.

2 // cut out your monogram with your exact-o knife and cutting board.

3 // glue dried moss to the top and sides of the letter. i used a thick tacky glue and a foam brush - though if i decide to make a second, i'll probably try my glue gun. (truth: i can't find my glue gun! did you borrow it?!?)

try to pack the moss pretty tight - so that there aren't crazy strays.

... voila. that's it for part 1. part 2 - the finishing touches!