Nursery DIY: Name letters

Since we want the nursery to be done by the end of next week, that was the final push to finish the hanging nursery letters with the baby’s name.

These letters have been the bane of my existence.

letters

You see, I’m not a crafty person.

But, when I found out that ordering the hanging letters for the baby’s name was going to be $176 + shipping, suddenly I became crafty. I was determined to do it myself, since that is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on wood and ribbon.

So I went out and bought my own wood and ribbon.. and paint…

paint

and got to work.

I painted the wood letters in alternating colors (or you can do all in one color)letters

and after they dried, we painted little designs

letters

based on the patterns in her nursery.

Jasmina-Crib-Sheet hamper

I sealed the letters using a satin paint finish (Martha Stewart) –it’s similar to a clean topcoat for nails- let them dry, and then crazy-glued the ribbon onto the back of the letters and knotted the top.

letter

As far as the bows go, that’s where the tricky part came in.

ribbon

I watched *this video* about 4 times, and used her technique for making the bottom transparent bow, secured with wire to the hanging ribbon.

bow

I just made a regular ol’ bow out of gold ribbon

ribbon (2)

and secured that to the bottom bow (by threading the wire through the back of the gold bow and twisting around the back of the brown bow.

letters

Making the first brown bow was a breeze, and now I’m having a bit of a rough time and my fingers continue to get tangled up. I’ve made one more… 5 left to go…

The only thing that makes me excited to finish them is the thought of them hanging on the wall, and the sweet little baby sleeping in her crib.

Grand total:

receipt

$53.63!

Even if you account for the time I’ve spent (including dilly-dallying and procrastination) curse words and do-overs, not too shabby.

Are you crafty? What’s the last thing you DIY-ed?

Edited to say: I deleted the comments that had the baby’s name in them, because I am a goober and can’t believe I accidentally spilled the beans! Wow. hahaha

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111 Comments

  1. Krysta on November 8, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    For someone who claims to not be crafty those letters look awesome! I consider myself a little bit crafty and recently made by best friend a pinata from scratch, which I was pretty proud of once complete.

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:22 pm

      amazing!! did you post a pic?

  2. Madeline@foodfitnessandfamily on November 8, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Beautiful! I painted a painting for my daughters room based of her bedding 🙂

  3. Anneliese on November 8, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    The letters turned out so pretty! I can’t wait to see how they look on the wall. 🙂

    Also, this post contains some clues as to what the name is!
    Letters we know: ILAI
    Number of letters: 7 (you finished two bows and have 5 left)
    It’s likely that you started the bows on the first letter of the name; the pictures of the bow are on the letter “A”.

    So I’m going to guess that her name is Abigail!

    • Kayla on November 9, 2011 at 9:00 am

      the i’s will have to be every other, I assume that’s how the pattern goes, so it can’t be Abigail

      • Kayla on November 9, 2011 at 9:03 am

        oops I think I totally counted wrong haha the colors could work with Abigail!

  4. Stacy K. on November 8, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    Did you notice that the letters are printed on the receipt you posted? 🙂

  5. stacey on November 8, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    Do you realize that you are sharing her name by sharing your receipt?

    • Carolyn on November 8, 2011 at 4:25 pm

      Girl, I was thinking the same thing! Just wanted you to realize.

      • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:27 pm

        i just updated the post. wow, hahaha
        my face is red and i’m cracking up over here

        • Carolyn on November 8, 2011 at 4:29 pm

          It’s okay. It’s a secret. : )

          • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:30 pm

            thank you friend 🙂



        • stacey on November 8, 2011 at 4:32 pm

          Must be because of the “pregnancy brain” that everyone talks about! 😉

          • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:32 pm

            my brain is on vacay haha



        • Meaghan on November 8, 2011 at 4:34 pm

          Haha! I was just thinking I wonder if she realized that she put the letters up, and then was like nahh she totally knew it and thought it was on purpose! Love the name 🙂 !

  6. lindsay on November 8, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    LOVE love love the name!! At first I was like “Wait, Viola??” haha.

    • lindsay on November 8, 2011 at 4:27 pm

      Also, PS you have to pay 9.1% taxes? That is crazysauce!!!

      • Ashley on November 8, 2011 at 4:29 pm

        We have to pay 12% up here in Manitoba!

        • Rachel on November 8, 2011 at 4:42 pm

          In Alberta tax is only 5%!

          • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:42 pm

            i’m moving. haha



          • char @ char on a mission on November 8, 2011 at 4:44 pm

            Try Ontario…it’s worth the drive over the border to Buffalo!



  7. kathleen @ the daily crumb on November 8, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    two I’s?! shoot, now i’m stumped. all of my previous guesses are out!

    what a cute project. can’t wait to see the finished nursery.

  8. Ashley on November 8, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    Girl you just spilled the beans on the name 😉 I love it!

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:29 pm

      i did! i can’t believe i did that.. i even proofread the post twice

      • Tina on November 8, 2011 at 4:34 pm

        LOVE the name (it’s my nieces middle name)… i gasped when I saw the receipt hehe – the secret shall remain a secret 😉

      • Ashley on November 9, 2011 at 10:34 am

        Don’t worry, it’s a secret 😉 beautiful name though, I absolutely love it!!

  9. Brynn on November 8, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    But…..if it’s Olivia, and the colors are alternating, then the two “i”s would be the same color….right?

    Perhaps we are overthinking this!

    • Krista on November 8, 2011 at 4:35 pm

      yes, and the L and A would be the same color. and there are 7 bows.

      • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:36 pm

        yep, 7 bows

        • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:37 pm

          bows of anger. making these things is killing me haha

          • JennG on November 8, 2011 at 6:58 pm

            OMG. Bows of Anger. I loooove it!



    • Hallie on November 8, 2011 at 4:36 pm

      Wait…this comment hasn’t been deleted…if this isn’t the name I am TOTALLY stumped. Ha!

      • Hallie on November 8, 2011 at 4:40 pm

        Yeah now it’s driving my crazy LOL.

  10. Leila on November 8, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Shhh!! We’ll keep it a secret! 😉

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:32 pm

      thank you 🙂

  11. carrie on November 8, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    Tooooo funny! I thought you did it on purpose! That’s ok~I love keeping a secret! It is safe with me! Congrats!

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:34 pm

      thank you! not on purpose at all.. i’m still laughing over here at my spaciness

      • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:35 pm

        and thank you for secret-keeping

  12. Ashley on November 8, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    I missed the actual receipt pic, but if it is the O-name that is honestly the first thing that popped into my head when I saw those letters! Very gorgeous, just like your crafties 🙂

    I am a fairly crafty person…I knit, and most recently I made book pumpkins! I think you can find them on Pinterest…you basically rip the cover off a paperback, cut it into a half-pumpkin shape, then glue a stick inside the binding and glue the front/back pages together to make a round shape. stick a bow on it and voila…nerdy decor !

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:36 pm

      that sounds so cute!

  13. Heather on November 8, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    I love them! I can’t wait to see them in the nursery- I love the bedding you chose.
    I used to be pretty crafty, but I seemed to have lost that somewhere…

  14. Alicia @ This Organic Body on November 8, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    This is what happens when I multi-task, missed the secret!

    • Kailey on November 8, 2011 at 4:38 pm

      same! and I’m impatient!

      (ps, the letters look gorgeous, Gina!)

  15. Haley on November 8, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    I love the name…it’s been my guess since you showed us the four letter sample :). Can’t wait until your little one is born and we can hear for real with a picture of her accompanying it!!

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:40 pm

      thank you!

  16. Krystina (Organically Me) on November 8, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    Damn, I missed it! 🙁

    • Krystina (Organically Me) on November 8, 2011 at 4:40 pm

      Just so you know, the original receipt picture still shows up in my google reader. So I didn’t miss it! But it may still show up for others.

      • Amber, Blonde & Balanced on November 8, 2011 at 4:57 pm

        This is bunk. I saw this comment, got all excited, ran over to my reader, but it was already updated with the new receipt. Dang it!!! So, I think you’re safe in Reader, too. 🙂

        I am totally protective of my baby girl name that I’ve loved for about 10 years. So, I’ll be just as secretive as you about it. 🙂

  17. Sara Mattson on November 8, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    You still have the photo uploaded to the web……..found it;)

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:40 pm

      you are a tricky girl haha. thanks for letting me know so i could delete it

      • Sara Mattson on November 8, 2011 at 4:44 pm

        I used to do websites for my job. I found out quickly that people will try ANYTHING to find out information, even typing in random web addresses for items that aren’t linked anywhere. Glad I could help:)

        • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:45 pm

          🙂

  18. Colleen on November 8, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    The picture is still on google reader too! I’ve never seen that name spelled with 7 letters though…so now I don’t know what the name is! 🙂

    • Colleen on November 8, 2011 at 4:43 pm

      BTW, the nursery decorations are lovely!

  19. Diana on November 8, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    You’re not crafty? Girl you could’ve fooled me! They look great! 🙂

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 4:42 pm

      thanks, girl!

  20. Kelly on November 8, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    I caught it! Soooo cute but *shhhhhhh*

  21. Maddie Essig on November 8, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    Well now I’m totally dying since I missed the name slip! Ah! Guess I’ll just have to wait like everyone else 🙂 The nursery/letters all looks bee-yoo-tee-ful so far!

  22. Jillian on November 8, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    I’m still leaning towards Jillian (or maybe Gillian?)!

  23. Carrie on November 8, 2011 at 4:43 pm

    I didn’t catch it, and while I’m curious, I can certainly wait. Her nursery looks beautiful. Letters looks great. No Craft Skillz over here is supes impressed.

  24. Marci on November 8, 2011 at 4:44 pm

    So sad i missed it, i guess i am about 10 minutes too late 🙁

  25. char @ char on a mission on November 8, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    I’m tres sad that I missed the slip-up…but now you have a lot of people intrigued. All the more reason for sticking around 😉

  26. Emily on November 8, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    Missed the slip! I’m still holding loyal to my original guess! I’ll just have to wait until little nugget is born!
    The letters are absolutely gorgeous! I can’t wait to see it all put together:)

  27. Courtney on November 8, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    I can’t believe I missed it! I read the post when you had both pictures up, too! I had thought it was going to Liyla but I guess not with 7 letters.

  28. Jamie@cupcakedynamite on November 8, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    I AM SO MAD I MISSED IT. LOL.

  29. Amber, Blonde & Balanced on November 8, 2011 at 4:54 pm

    I’m frustrated! I was all set on Alicia and then realized it only has 6 letters.

    Alivia? Also 6.

    I’m convinced there are no 7 letter girl names starting with A that contain L I I. Okay, so apparently there are, but I can’t figure it out! Haha

    • Elizabeth on November 8, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      I am trying to figure this out too! I’m thinking Abigail. Or Leilani?

      • Elizabeth on November 8, 2011 at 5:20 pm

        Just in case either of those is correct, I haven’t seen the OG receipt. I’m bummed, I’m dying of curiosity about the Baby-ista!

  30. Man on November 8, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    hey there, i was just thinking that you might want to consider using a staple gun in addition to just gluing the ribbon to the wood. i know sometimes over time glue can get weak, and if it’s over her bed or anything you might want to do that to make sure a letter doesn’t fall off and hurt your little gal.

    just a thought!

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 5:00 pm

      i think we’re going to nail them on with tiny nails just to reinforce it- thanks for the reminder!

      • Sara on November 8, 2011 at 5:36 pm

        Another good idea might be that tacky/sticky stuff that doesn’t damage walls you could put on a few places on the backs of the letters in addition to nails? Always better safe than sorry of course 🙂 Or velcro if you don’t care about your walls haha i did that and it lasted 4 years and counting… Think I know the name if so GORGEOUS 🙂 Not surprised, leave it to you to come up with the cutest name for the mini fitness diva-cita!

  31. Marie Jacobs on November 8, 2011 at 5:04 pm

    Lillian ?! sad i missed the pic with the name!

  32. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga on November 8, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    The last crafty thing I did was making photography related light bounces and light reflectors to help with late afternoon/evening photography. $10 bucks and Michaels craft store and I’m a happy girl 🙂

    Your letters look great!!! You look like a crafty DIY pro to me!

  33. Sonia (the Mexigarian) on November 8, 2011 at 5:20 pm

    Argh. Missed it. The letters are beautiful though 😉

  34. Haley @ Fit, Young, and Fabulous on November 8, 2011 at 5:24 pm

    So so sooo cute!!! LOVE the letters! And I missed the bean-spill! Oh shoot! Guess I’m going to have to wait!!

  35. Donna Porter on November 8, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    Michaels floral department will make bows for a small fee..just sayin! Lol

  36. Tee @ She Writes, Bites, and Window Shops on November 8, 2011 at 5:33 pm

    Ahh I missed it too! When are you going to spill the beans and tell us?!?

    • Fitnessista on November 8, 2011 at 5:57 pm

      when she’s born 🙂

  37. Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn on November 8, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    AHHHH so cute. I’ve been DIY-ing a LOT in my dorm lately, I’ve redone some boxes and made them into adorable storage units, and I even made a pillow. Gettin thrifty!

  38. Anngela on November 8, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    Yay! I found the receipt pic!! Cute!

  39. Sara on November 8, 2011 at 5:57 pm

    You are totally crafty. I’m impressed. Sometimes, when I look at the amazing stuff that my grandmother and her sisters make (hand crocheted blankets?), I kind of feel sad that these skills are dying out as women get too busy and rely on pre-made things.

  40. Kaila @healthyhelperblog! on November 8, 2011 at 6:00 pm

    SO MAD I MISSED IT!!! I really want to be in the secret name knowing club!

    • Beth on November 8, 2011 at 7:07 pm

      Me too. 🙁

    • Cindy on November 8, 2011 at 8:21 pm

      me three 🙁

  41. danielle on November 8, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    They came out great!! Good job!

  42. Felicia on November 8, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    i missed it! but actually i kind of like being surprised sooo i can’t wait for the actual day of birth hahah. my guess is still felicia ! 🙂

  43. Brooke @ sweats & sweets on November 8, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    Last thing I DIY-ed was for our wedding. I did all of our centerpieces, favors, and personal decorations. It was the best part, I loved doing it and having memorabilia afterwards.

  44. Kailey on November 8, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    Going crazy over here, but it will be that much more exciting at the big reveal when she’s born:)
    Mikaila, Lillian, and Jillian are the only ones I can think of at the moment…
    All guessing aside, the letters look fabulous! What a lucky little lady:)

  45. Lauren on November 8, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    Missed the name! Cant wait to be surprised! Haha! Those letters are beautiful!!

  46. Amy on November 8, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    The letters look beautiful! I don’t think of myself as being crafty, but others think I am. The last thing I made was the oldest boy’s costume. He wanted to be a character from Kingdom Hearts, but we couldn’t find one locally. Online they were to expensive and fabrics that he doesn’t like. So I looked at some pictures, cut and sewed him one out of fleece. Turned out nice he wrote it, but now that Halloween’s over he won’t wear it again because the arms are a little tight. I’m going to make adjustments to it for my 6 year old nephew and make him a new one.

  47. Raewyn on November 8, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    Ahhhhh! I can’t believe I missed it ( but in a weird way, I’m glad – I want to find out when she’s born! Hahah, can you tell I don’t like surprises ruined and Christmas presents opened early? 😉 ) I’m guessing Leliana (sp?), but it makes sense that’d you work on the first letter first. So I’m stumped! They looks beautiful though!

  48. Pure2raw twins on November 8, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    you are too cute! what a great idea…and i am not crafty neither is lori we are hopeless, haha

  49. Mary on November 8, 2011 at 10:18 pm

    Still guessing about the name…missed the oops! The mystery is still alive!

  50. Ali on November 8, 2011 at 11:16 pm

    OH MAN! I wish I had looked earlier to see the name! I think you are very crafty! Those letters look awesome. If I had done something like that, let us just say they would not be hanging on any walls any time soon.

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