anthropologie zinc letters vs. painted cardboard...who knew..

here was the inspiration: antropologie zinc letters. cost: 18$ each. i was assigned a studio project by Lisa Teague Studios, to recreate this look using...CARDBOARD! while i claim i can paint anything; this was going to be a stretch i thought to myself... here is what i started with:

cardboard letters i purchased at AC Moore for around 2$ each, and some left over paint from my living room: Green black from Sherwin Williams (yes, my living room is black, inspired by a J Crew retail store in austin, tx)....moving on: i painted each letter with two coats.

next i created a glaze using modern masters metallic paint. i used a latex extender and a little of my base color as the metallic had a slight gold tint to it, and we were looking for more of a silver. adding the black toned it down a bit. i dry brushed and blotted each letter as i saw fit. i let them dry and went back with my base coat to accent some edges for a worn look.

finished product:

the letters were delivered to the studio, and hung. oh the power of paint! don't be afraid to try your own! you don't necessarily have to do the multi-step metallic either--you could do white or pink for a nursery (prime with a coat of white first), navy, red or orange for a childs bedroom... or use whatever color paint you have lying around the house. we hung the letters with scotch 3m velcro picture hanging strips, two on each letter.