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craft· DIY· home decor· How To Decorate· Modern Decor· Spray Paint 101

DIY Vintage Copper Marquee Lights

December 2, 2014 By Tanya 21 Comments

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How to make Marquee Lights twelveOeightblog.com #marquee #marqueelight #marqueeletters #diymarquee #diyideas #diyprojects #twelveOeightblog

 

 

My boys are finally getting their shared room makeover they have been waiting so long for.

Of course I was so excited to show them the first thing I am making for their rooms, their own Marquee letters for their
initials.  They weren’t super excited about the copper color, or the lights until it all came together.

Aren’t project always like that?

You are kind of unsure until it comes together, and you are able to stand back and really check it out.
The boys were extremely relieved because the copper paint doesn’t look “pink” after all…not sure when it did, but ok.
And the lights aren’t “girly” but they are cool.

So, it’s kid approved and now everyone else wants one and can’t understand why I haven’t made theirs yet.
Sheesh folks, give a girl some time!
But I was secretly smiling as the positive feedback came in, and then tonight they stood behind me in the dark hallway
watching me shoot the final photos.

Hopefully they love everything else I am doing in their room.
It’s going to be very different than what they have had up until now. I can’t wait!

Ok, here is what I used to make my own DIY Vintage Style Copper Marquee Light on the fly:

 

DIY Marquee Letter twelveOeightblog.com #Marquee #DIYMarquee #twelveOeightblog

 

Supplies:

  • Paper Mache letters, numbers or symbols (I used 24″ letters and I am glad I went with the larger letter)
  • Spray paint in color of your choice, I used a copper color
  • String of clear lights for each letter
  • Ping pong balls (enough for each light that will come through to the front etc…)
  • Accent screws for the corners of each letter if desired
  • Exacto knife or small sharp knife you can use to carefully remove the back from the letter
  • Hot glue/glue gun

Directions:

I began by painting my letter and then removing the back, but you can do it in the reverse as well.  I just wasn’t sure what
I was going to do with them at first so I ended up painting first.  Next I used the tip of the straight edge to make a small “x”
every 1 1/2″ to 2″ all around the front of the letter, just large enough to carefully pop the light through from the back.  Once
I was done with that, I made a small “x” in each ping pong ball and slid it over the light and into place.  A small dab of hot
glue at the base where the paper mache and ping pong ball meet keeps each in place and from moving around once you are
done.

DIY Marquee Lights twelveOeightblog.com

 

 

DIY Marquee Lights #diy #Marqee #twelveOeightblog twelveOeightblog.com

 

Plug your new DIY Marquee Light in and you are ready to enjoy your fabulousness!

 

DIY Marquee Lights twelveOeightblog.com #Marquee #diy

 

 That wasn’t that hard, and they are quite a bit less to make yourself than buy.   

The wheels are turning now for all kinds of fun outdoor projects too for summer, I know, it’s not even Christmas yet, and yes
I am planning out my patio for summer.  You gotta plan or it will never happen!

 

How to make Marquee Lights twelveOeightblog.com #marquee #marqueelight #marqueeletters #diymarquee #diyideas #diyprojects #twelveOeightblog

 

 

Thank you so much for creating with me today, and I would love to hear how and where you would use some of your own
DIY Marquee Lights should you make one (and I really hope you do!)

Have a blessed & creative day friend- until next time!

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connect with fab link parties I love click here
& http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
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Filed Under: craft, DIY, home decor, How To Decorate, Modern Decor, Spray Paint 101

Comments

  1. Christine says

    December 5, 2014 at 8:37 am

    super Tanya, I’ve been meaning to DIY some myself. PINNED. How are things????

    Reply
  2. LAuren says

    December 6, 2014 at 11:13 am

    I love this DIY! It´s so circus!!!!
    Love from Argentina!

    Reply
  3. Teresa says

    December 6, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    This is such a great idea! I love marquee lights and have been coveting them for some time, but can’t pull the trigger on the price. This is genius. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Gilly says

    December 8, 2014 at 12:08 am

    This is such a cute idea and sooo easy to make. thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Jamie | anderson + grant says

    December 8, 2014 at 9:25 am

    I never would have guessed this would have been so easy to do! Love this idea. Your boys are so lucky to have a creative mom! Thanks for sharing this with us this week at Your Turn to Shine!

    Reply
  6. Anna @Annabode says

    December 10, 2014 at 6:07 am

    Love these! I think I’m going to make some for our wedding reception. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Laura Irion // Avery Street Design says

    December 13, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    LOVE this project! You make it so simple, and I know this would look awesome in our house. I especially think my kids would love it.

    Reply
  8. Mike Calo says

    August 20, 2015 at 5:48 pm

    I was wondering how long you leave the lights on and if you’ve ever had the ping pong balls get soft or melt?

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      August 29, 2015 at 8:30 am

      Hi Mike,

      We leave them on all night or all day sometimes and have had no issues. Probably since I used Christmas Tree lights which are meant to stay cool even next to dry needles!

      xoxo, Tanya

      Reply
      • Mike Calo says

        October 16, 2015 at 10:27 am

        Thank you for the reply; I have posted a few more questions; I’d appreciate it if you’d give them a look. Thanks.

        Mike

        Reply
  9. Mike Calo says

    September 28, 2015 at 11:22 am

    Thanks, Tanya. I have three more questions for you;: 1) did you spray varnish or anything on the letters to make them sturdy or are they sturdy by themselves?; 2) did you hot-glue the light into the letters or did you just hot-glue the joints between the ping-pong balls and the letters?; and the most important question of them all: 3) where did you get your letters? Thanks! (Just so you know: I want to make a rooftop sign for the passengers on the planes that fly into and out of the airport near my house to see 🙂 )

    Reply
  10. David Reyes says

    January 18, 2017 at 11:36 pm

    A.R.K. Ramos plaques and letters are available in a variety of metals including aluminum, brass, bronze and stainless steel and zinc. They also offer a full line of glass plaques for dedication plaques and ADA signage.
    Customized plaques

    Reply
  11. Lelio Vieira Carneiro Junior says

    July 30, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    Stunning quest there. What occurred after?
    Good luck!

    Reply
  12. David Reyes says

    December 8, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    Absolutely precious! I love your style and enjoy your blog every single day! I will be doing these letter plaques as gifts and decor for my home this season….
    Marquee letters for sale

    Reply
  13. David Reyes says

    December 31, 2017 at 11:55 pm

    This is really a great stuff for sharing. I just love your site. You are so creative. It’s so bright, colorful and cheerful. I love it. Such beautiful ideas for hanging decorative letters. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing.
    Dedication plaques

    Reply
  14. Marquee letters for sale says

    May 17, 2018 at 4:00 am

    That looks great! I’ve really liked the marquee letters that I’ve been seeing everywhere. This post is providing some good stuff and ideas which I really like. Keep posting more good posts like this will us.
    Marquee letters for sale

    Reply
  15. marquee letters says

    July 16, 2018 at 8:48 pm

    You are so creative. It’s so bright, colorful and cheerful. I love it. Such beautiful ideas for hanging decorative letters. Keep it up. That looks great! I’ve really liked the marquee letters that I’ve been seeing everywhere. Thanks for sharing.
    marquee letters

    Reply
  16. suba pron says

    August 15, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    mJCNnI Wow, wonderful blog structure! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The total glance of your website is great, let alone the content material!

    Reply

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