{ JOY, Letters For My Mantle }

So, I thought I'd hop on the bandwagon with trying out the paper mache letters wrapped in yarn. I love the way they look and I knew they would look fantastic above my fireplace for Christmas! I chose the word "J O Y ", it's short and sweet and there's so much to be joyous for during the Christmas season! There are so many shades, texture and varieties of yarn. I went with a bright red yarn with specks of silver. I tend to decorate with red, white and silver for Christmas, so this would be perfect!

Here's what you're going to need for this project:

• Paper mache letters of choice
• Yarn, one spool should be enough (I had lots left over)
• Scissors
• Glue gun and glue

Since this was my first time doing this, I started with my "O" so I could get the hang of things without having to pull out any tricks.. I cut off about 2 feet on yarn to start with and glued one end to the back of my letter and began wrapping. I chose to leave some spacing in between mine so you could see the brown color of the paper mache. I like how it looked :) I continued doing my letter in small sections, gluing as I went along until the entire letter was complete! Next I did the letter "Y". This is where a little experience would come into play... I began with the shorter, top sections of the letter first. Then, I went to the middle, placing a small glue dot on the front and pressing to hold the yarn into place. Continue for as long as needed, wrap the bottom and glue. So, as I was saying about experience... I should have started by cutting small pieces of yarn for the "tops" for several rows of the "Y" and gluing into place. This would of given it a more completed look. I quickly learned my lesson, and did this with my remaining letter, "J". It takes an extra minute, or two but really makes a world of difference. 

And there you have it, adorable, personalized letters perfect for your mantle! 

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