Scrapropos

I recently created a Christmas gift using wooden letters from Making Memories (found at my local Target), coordinated paper and fibers (also Making Memories), and assorted embellishments.

Covering the letters in paper is easier than you think. Here’s how:

Supplies needed:
Your letter
scrapbooking paper
glue (I use Alene’s)
water
foam brush
craft blade or scissors
bone folder, popsicle stick, or other smooth rubbing tool (I used the round barrel of my blade)
sanding pad

1. PAINT THE GLUE ONTO YOUR LETTER.
Squirt a liberal amount of glue onto a plate or paint tray. Dip your foam brush into water, then rub it into your glue, thinning out the glue. Paint the glue onto the entire top surface of your letter. You don’t want the glue too runny. (If it has bubbles in it when you paint it on, it’s too runny. Just brush the bubbles out.) You also don’t want it too thick, because then it doesn’t spread evenly.

2. PAINT THE GLUE ONTO THE BACK OF YOUR PAPER.
In this case, I used pre-cut 6×6 paper, which was the perfect size for my letters. Don’t worry about cutting your paper in the shape of your letter. Just cut it in a square or rectangle slightly larger than your letter. It’s especially important here to make sure the glue isn’t too runny, because it will make your paper buckle and wave. Spread the glue evenly over the back of the paper you’re using to cover the letter. You don’t need a heavy coating of glue - on the paper, the thinner, the better.

3. ADHERE PAPER TO YOUR LETTER
Carefully place the paper on top of your letter, being careful to line up the paper so that the entire surface of the letter is covered. Using a smoothing tool (I used the round barrel of my craft blade), smooth the paper and press it into the letter. You’re almost “ironing” the paper down to the letter. Make sure there are no bubbles, wrinkles, or unglued edges. Let dry.

4. CUT INTO CORNERS AND CURVES
Once the glue is completely dry, cut into the corners and curves of your letter using scissors or a blade. You’re not trying to cut around the letter - you’re simply cutting a straight line from the outside edge of the paper to the edge of the letter. Like so:

5. SAND OFF THE PAPER
This is the coolest part! Using your sanding pad (or a piece of fine sand paper), start on the straightest edge of your letter and begin sanding the edge of the paper. The paper will begin to fold along the edge of the letter (see above photo) and the sanding will eventually cut the paper off. Work your sanding pad into the corners and curves of your letter until all edges are smooth and clean.

Sometimes, there are little paper stragglers left after you’ve sanded off the bulk of the paper. Just go back with your sanding pad and sand them off. They shouldn’t be stuck to your letter, because the glue dried on the back of the paper before you began sanding. You can also carefully tear the paper off, but make sure to tear AWAY from the letter, not toward it.

VOILA! You’ve got a perfectly papered letter.
From here, you can ink the edges, add fibers and ribbons, photos, baubles and embellishments, etc. Have fun!

I’ll post part two of this series next week, after the recipient has received her gift.