Make a Decorational Ampersand Sign

Need a letter to decorate the room? Here is a nice DIY tutorial on how to decorate your room or office space with an ampersand! You can do this tutorial using any other letters as well!

• Thick cardboard (cardboard packaging, I also used cardboard from wine packaging boxes)
• Scissors
• Utility knife/Exacto knife
• Pencil
• White glue
• Spray paint (I used black gloss but you could use a different colour and finish or even paint)
• Scrap cardboard
• Newspaper
• Gloves

Print out an ampersand in a font of your choice

The size of the ampersand I created fit on a 8.5 × 11″ piece of paper. I used the font Rockwell because I wanted something modern and solid. For this project you’ll probably want to go with a font that has thick bold lines rather than thin lines because it’ll be easier to cut out. Cut the ampersand out, and trace it using a pencil onto several pieces of cardboard. I traced out 8 ampersands in total.

Cut out each ampersand you’ve traced out

I used scissors for the perimeter and a utility knife for the trickier parts. You could use an Exacto knife too.

Line up all your cardboard ampersands

Try to place the one with the smoothest cardboard on the front (unless you’re going for the ridged look). Glue each ampersand on top of one another (like layers of a cake).

Spray Paint Action

Wait 24 hours for the glue to completely dry. Then take your ampersand outside, with some cardboard and newspaper, and your spray paint can. Cover the area where you are going to spray paint with newspaper and cardboard. Wearing gloves, spray the paint onto the ampersand following the instructions on the can. Make sure you get the sides.

The end! Now place the ampersand on your desk, on a shelf, on a dresser, etc. Or try it out with a letter and font of your choice – tons of possibilities!

This tutorial is brought to you by Melanie Yugo, a Canadian-based screen printer, DIY workshop facilitator and arts event producer.

She and partner DJ Jason Pelletier form the duo Spins & Needles, a travelling project since 2005 that brings together culture and community through creative nights out and workshops in Canada and internationally. Some of her work has been featured in BUST, BurdaStyle, and Etsy. Melanie’s latest project is the art/design blog Mobile & Making, which examines the intersection between travel, design and DIY.