A Great Way To Make Birthdays Special
While Social Distancing!
DON’T JUST SEND A CARD - SEND A LAWN CARD!
We are all looking for a special way to celebrate occasions during this time where we are all at home, and not allowed to gather.
I noticed the popularity of Lawn cards and Drive by Birthdays were on the rise, so I did my best to call and order a lawn card for my daughter Lennon’s 7th birthday. To my dismay, I couldn’t find a lawn card available for delivery anywhere in my city! They were sold out. Not one to give up, I decided to turn to my DIY abilities and make my own.
DIY Lawn Cards, are a great way announce to the whole world (or at least your neighbourhood) that there is someone or something to celebrate. Impress your friends by making your own for any special event - birthdays, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries or just for fun photo shoot.
LET’S GET STARTED!
If you’re anything like me and have a designated crafts cupboard in your home, you probably have most of the supplies on hand to begin this new project.
Here is what you will need:
FOAM BOARD — Obviously the star of this show is the card itself! I got my Foam Board (20”x30”x3/16”) from Micheal’s here. They are currently offering curb side pick-up for our convenience, which is fantastic in case you need to pick up other materials as well. Pro Tip: Micheal’s always offers incredible coupons on their website, app and through e-mail to help you save BIG on DIY projects.
Cutting Board ( a kitchen one will do.)
Rulers - I love a big construction square to keep your letters cirmetricle
Pencil
Exacto Knife
Paint of Your Choice
Paintbrush
Glue Gun + Glue Sticks
Wooden Dowels or BBQ Skewers
Whatever Else You Want! — customize your DIY Lawn Card and add some pizzazz by adding glitter, wrapping paper, flowers, pompoms or anything you want! Go for it.
STEP 1
I cut my full size foam boards (20”x30”) in half (20”x15”) to maximize my output of letters to 2 per board. Make sure to always place your cutting board behind the foam board as to not damage your working surface. Pro Tip: Hold down your ruler/square and apply pressure. Then cut along the edge of it with your Exacto knife to cut perfectly straight lines.
STEP 2
Trace your desired letters or designs onto the board. I knew that I wanted really bold letters, so I measures 14cm in from the edges of the board, with all of my letters, to ensure a consistent width. Use a ruler or a square to help keep the lines straight. The “S” pictured was difficult but trial and error is always expected in these projects. Don’t sweat it.
STEP 3
Once you’ve nailed down your outlines and are happy with them, it’s time to Cut Them Out! Slow and steady is a good method for better precision, especially when curves and contours are involved. For straight lines, run the exacto knife along a straight edge.
STEP 4
Time to Paint! When I decided that I wanted to make my own Lawn Cards, I knew that I wanted to keep them simple yet impactful. I mixed up my desired colour of paint and traced the outline of the letters with the paint brush. You can paint any designs that you may want on them. Pro Tip: Glue wrapping paper to the front of them (then trim the excess) for a quick and easy vibrant design!
STEP 5
Stick a Skewer in It. It’s time to glue your wooden dowels or skewers to the back of you letters. I picked up my 30” dowels from the Dollar store. They are the backbone of your boards, so use as many as you think that you will need to support you Lawn Cards and to fasten them into your yard. Pro Tip: More skewers, more support.
After I finished glueing down the skewers, I left them to dry. Once they we all ready, it was finally time to bring them outside along with the rest of Lennon’s birthday decorations and start decorating.
As you can see, the paint that I chose for the Lawn Cards outline matches my front door. I really wanted to create a cohesive look for the yard, so I did a little colour matching with the balloons as well. I definitely wanted to bring the party to the streets and create an exciting environment, so I picked up some vibrant paper decorations for some added saturated pop.
Finally the over cast of drizzle and clouds had cleared up and the sun was making his debut for Lennon’s 7th Birthday, just in time too! I finished putting up the rest of the decorations and the birthday parade began. Neighbours and passerby’s marvelled at the cool signs because it demanded attention.
Big, Bold and Beautiful
Making your own Lawn Cards is an incredibly simple and cost effective way to make a statement at your next event. Here’s to having fun while flexing our creative muscles and making the most of our quarantined occasions.
If you decide to take on this project in the future, be sure to tag me in your posts @diymom.ca on Instagram and @rebekahhiggs on Twitter ! I love to see how you guys DIY and celebrate! Stay safe and have fun.