Marquee Letter

We are getting married in September so I am trying to knock out some of the projects on our To-Do list. I found some amazing marquee letters on Etsy but were all way out of my price range so I decided to do some research on how to make one (thank you Pinterest) and here is how we did it...

I found the MDF letter on Etsy...http://www.etsy.com/shop/BuildACrossCanton
It's 18" tall and 3/8" thick for $11.99 plus shipping.

The remaining materials you will need:
Pencil
Room Essentials clear globe string lights from Target - $11.99
Paint - I bought a Valspar sample at Lowe's - $3.00
Paint Brush - preferrably foam
Primer - Kilz original in the spray can
Drop Cloth
Drill
Drill bit (1/4")
Paddle Drill Bit (1/2" and 3/4")
Zip Ties

Prep your work area with a drop cloth.

Measure out where your bulbs will go and make a dot that is about 1/4" big with a pencil. I would try and use all 25 lights if possible but if it doesnt measure out that way, you can just take the bulbs out that are left over and hide the cord within the rest of the strand.

With the letter facing up, drill a regular 1/4" hole all the way through the marked dots you made. This will help you on the next step.

Flip over the letter (backwards). You will need the drilll and 3/4" paddle drill bit to drill HALFWAY through the backside. This will allow the bulb to screw to the socket. The hole you drilled from the otherside will tell you where to drill.

Once you are done with that, flip the letter back over. You will take the drill and 1/2" paddle drill bit and drill all the way through the first hole you made.

Now you are ready to make sure the lights fit. There is a foot between each set of lights so you should be able to start on one side and make it to the to the other with no problem.

You are ready to paint. Always spray a primer before painting. We use Kilz original in the spray can.

Once the primer dries, you are ready to paint. We used our air compressor and spray gun but painting it by hand is definitely fine. I would recommend at least two coats.

Now the fun part, putting in the lights and turning them ON! Once you screw in all of the lights, use small zip ties to contain all of the excess part of the strand. This will neatly hide all of the wire behind the letter.

You now have your own handmade marquee letter!