Neon signs are my absolute favorite thing lately—who wouldn’t want a huge, light-up homage to their favorite word, phrase, or shape? Most real neon signs will run you at least $100, and sadly that’s not quite in my budget. But there IS a cheap way to make a neon sign lookalike, and it’ll only set you back about $20. EL wire (I found this 15-foot strand for about $14 on Amazon. There are places that sell it for a few dollars cheaper, but I opted for this one because it had the best reviews.) 16-gauge metal wire (I bought 25 feet of the stuff at Home Depot for $3.50.) A hot glue gun Pliers or wire cutters A large piece of paper How to do it: Draw the word, phrase, or shape (how cute would a giant heart be?!) of your choice onto a large piece of paper. I used old pieces of poster board, but you could also use newspaper, or tape together pieces of printer paper. I decided on “Girl Almighty” to monumentalize my One Direction obsession. Write in cursive, because the letters need to be connected.

Using your string, trace around the letters to measure the amount of wire you’ll need. My string measured about 14 feet, which was perfect because I had 15 feet of EL wire. If your string measures longer than the amount of EL wire you have, try making your letters a little bit smaller, or choosing a shorter phrase. Using your metal wire and a pair of pliers, start bending the wire into the shape of your letters. This will be the frame of your sign. You’ll use one continuous piece of wire for the entire phrase, so don’t cut it until you’re completely finished! Once you’re finished shaping the wire, tie off any loops (especially on as and gs) with a small piece of wire to help the wire lay flat. The ends of the wire can be sharp, so be careful! Be sure to bend the ends down so that they won’t scrape the wall when you hang it up. Note: My wire frame had a tendency to pop up in places and not lay flat. If this happens to you, make small bends in the direction you need to make the sign lay flat.

Start from the first letter and be patient! It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you will need a semi-even surface to place the EL wire on. Grab your EL wire (make sure it’s not tangled up!) and hot glue gun, and begin gluing it onto the wire frame, bit by bit. room decor shops londonOnce you’ve applied a line of glue, hold the EL wire to the metal wire for five to 10 seconds, just to be sure it stays. christmas trees decorated on pinterestI glued two to three inches at a time to keep it manageable. home and decor museumBe super careful not to burn yourself!christmas holiday decorations wholesale

Another note: I really wanted to put a rounded-off section on the top of the lowercase is, to act as the dot. The best way I could think of doing this was to add a little extra EL wire at the top of each i (so that the EL wire loop extended a little bit past the metal wire loop), and then tie it off with a small piece of wire.home decor ideas retroYou just made your very own neon sign! exterior bars designsHang it up on your wall with some clear tacks. I used a little bit of Washi tape to secure the extra wire to my wall, and clipped the battery pack onto my bulletin board, which is under the sign. If you don’t have somewhere easy, like a bulletin board, to put the battery pack, you could use Velcro or even Command strips to attach it to the wall. Viola, Girl Almighty, you are done! Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App.

Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Fast, FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime See which books our editors chose as their favorites of this year for kids of all ages. DIY Bedroom Decor: 50 Awesome Ideas for Your Room FREE Shipping on orders over . DetailsThe Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: Sweet Treats for the Geek in All of Us FREE Shipping on orders over . "Although marketed to a YA audience, there are plenty of easy-to-do projects here that will appeal to adult DIYers as well." --Library Journal"Some teens and tweens don't care what their bedrooms look like. Some really, really do. Give that child, or even a college student confronted with a drab dorm room, DIY Bedroom Decor. If you have a style rebel in the house, this could be the book over which you put your heads together and have actual calm, happy conversations." --The Denver Post"Whether you're making the big move into the dorms or just looking to spice up your bedroom, these insta-worthy DIYs are a game-changer for your blank walls!" --Justine Magazine

Tana Smith is the creator of the popular fashion and lifestyle YouTube channel TanaMontana100. She was bitten by the creative bug when she was challenged with decorating her drab college dorm room. Now, she loves creating fun, inexpensive DIY projects that liven up any space. This is her first book. with these editor's picks from Kindle. Age Range: 10 - 13 years Grade Level: 5 - 8 Publisher: Adams Media (June 1, 2015) 8 x 0.4 x 8 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #711,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Where We Live > House & Home in Books > Children's Books > Activities, Crafts & Games > Crafts & Hobbies in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography 5 star42%4 star33%1 star25%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsSadDIY Bedroom Ideas BookThe featured crafts are completely out-dated and not pretty.