Tag: First Attempt

Create with Me: 3D Letter Typography

3d-letter-typography

Hey all! I’m back again with another Create with Me post.

For those who don’t know, Create with Me is a relatively new feature here in my blog. It’s kinda like Get Ready with Me for style bloggers but for my first- or second-attempt creative experiments.

The aim of this feature is just to experiment on different creative things. This is one of my little ways to feed my creativity with something new and unfamiliar.

Today, I’m showing you what happened to my first ever try at making 3D letter typography.

3d-letter-typography

I’ve always wanted one so bad but I couldn’t find them anywhere so I thought, “Hey, I’ll just make myself one!” Which was crazy of me considering I’m worse at crafts than with watercolors.

So that idea went to the back of my mind for a long time until I was on the school supplies store to buy myself a new notebook. I saw this rolled up cardboard that’s white on one side and brown on the other. And reminded by my idea to create a 3D letter typography, I grabbed for it.

Lesson #1: Embrace the spontaneity!

I didn’t plan for anything at all. The closest to a plan that I did was this tiny doodle in my notebook on how I’m forming the letter K. Plus I didn’t think about what materials I’ll use thoroughly. (See: cardboard impulsive-buying above) And that’s cool and all.

At first.

So I went on to follow that messy doodle I won’t even call a “guide” and arrived with this.

Letter K - 3D Letter Typography

Please note that perfectionist Kate took the reins at this point, and sloppy Kate was cast aside, which is why the letter K looked so good.

I cut out two of these using a cutter and a ruler because, like I said earlier, I suck at precision cutting with scissors. And I used masking tape to make the little strips that connect these two 2D K’s and make it one 3D K.

Putting it all together - 3D Letter Typography

And that’s when I realized: the cardboard is too thin to hold itself. *cue The Scream face*

Lesson #2: Spontaneity is good—at small enough doses. But always have a plan when doing crafts or DIY.

I don’t have a picture of it but when I tried to make place it upright, it bent and wobbled. As did my hopeful heart.

Then my aunt saw me and was like, “Why don’t you put sticks inside?”

And my heart soared like a kid in Halloween.

Lesson #3: When things get sucky, improvise and be resourceful.

We have unused barbecue sticks so I used those and picked thicker ones. I cut them to fit inside the letter K without it looking distorted.

Improvising with barbecue sticks - 3D Letter Typography

And it stood proudly like the Statue of Liberty!

After that, it was just a matter of buying a wrapping paper to cover it.

Finished letter unwrapped - 3D Letter Typography

I would have liked paint but A) we don’t have any, B) I don’t want to waste money buying a can for a first-time project I’m not even sure I could do right, and C) I wanted to cover the sticks.

So wrapping paper it was.

Patterned wrapping paper - 3D Letter Typography

I believe it was fate that this was the only non-holiday kind available.

And this is the finished look! Plus flowers as props for Insta.

Finished look - 3D Letter Typography

I still don’t know where I’m putting this so it’ll be kept in the cabinet temporarily. But with this, I’m now a wee bit confident at making other letters—using thicker board this time.

So the life lesson I got here is this: there will be moments when you can’t support your own so don’t be afraid to rely on others and ask for help. 😊

Also: avoid winging craft projects. Seriously.

Did you create or do something new recently? Were you spontaneous about it or did you plan every step? I’d love to hear your stories!

Happy creating, awesome peeps! 🎨