Skip to main content

Wednesday Works: DIY Painted UP Mailbox

For the first time since the 1990's, we have an individual mailbox, as opposed to a community box. The mailbox that came with this house is small and missing its handle. That was just enough reason for me to decide to replace it with a personalized box that would make me smile every time I saw it.

 Do you remember the Pixar movie, UP? I love that movie: it has a cute married couple, an adorable dog, and a lot of heart. During one scene early in the show, Carl and Ellie paint a mailbox that look like this one:
Photo: Mailbox with the names Carl & Ellie and two handprints. (Photo taken years ago when I toured a house that was designed to look like the house from UP.)
The movie mailbox was my inspiration. John purchased a big white box, we visited a craft store for some outdoor paint, and we figured out how to make a John & Kristi mailbox.

We started by trying to find a font similar to the one used. "Learning Curve" on PicMonkey seemed close to the one used for the names, and I used "Alter Ego" for the "and" sign. I did need to edit it a bit in the PicMonkey program. The "and" sign was bolder than the names, but that didn't matter. Once I found the fonts I needed, I made a 8.5 x 11 sign that said "John & Kristi" and printed it up in landscape orientation.

Photo: A printed paper that reads "John & Kristi"

Now for the tricky part: how to get the words onto the mailbox. I flipped the printed paper over, so the names were backwards, put a piece of waxed paper over the printed page, and carefully traced "John & Kristi" onto the waxed paper with a pencil. I didn't want the "and" sign so thick, so I didn't trace it completely. 

Once the design was on the waxed paper, I taped the waxed paper to the mailbox, then rubbed the words with a plastic card (I used my AAA card). The pressure transferred "John & Kristi" to the mailbox.

Photo: Waxed paper is taped to the mailbox 
Photo: After rubbing, the image has transferred to the mailbox
Once the words were on the mailbox, it was time to break out the paint. I must admit, putting the paint on was the most nerve-wracking part. In retrospect, we should have practiced with the brushes before attempting the project, but we got more comfortable as we went along. Long, smooth strokes seemed to work best. We followed up with a thinner brush to touch-up places that needed more smoothing or filling in. John started with his name, then I added mine.

Photo: John paints the "J" of his name in green paint on the white mailbox
After that, it was time for the hand prints. John added his first, then I put mine on. We learned it was important to make sure to get plenty of paint on our hands, and to put the mailbox on its side before I added my hand print. (I could apply more pressure that way.)

Photo: John applies red paint to my hand. The table in the background is covered with project supplies. Crafting is messy!
I love the way the project turned out! After the paint dries for a day or two, we will spray a protective clear coat over the whole thing, so it will stay bright for a very long time. 

Photo: The finished project. A white mailbox with "John" painted in sweet pea green, "&" painted in wisteria vine purple, "Kristi" painted in Tuscan red, and with John's hand print in the purple and mine in the red.
I'm thankful for fun projects we can do together. 

Have you ever gotten inspiration for projects from a movie? 

Comments

  1. Tired TeacherOctober 24, 2018 at 9:51 AM

    Oooh, I love this! Thanks for explaining the process.m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 24, 2018 at 9:58 AM

      I'm glad it was helpful. I had read online about transferring images with waxed paper, but not necessarily onto metal, so I was glad it worked.

      Delete
  2. Rozy LassOctober 25, 2018 at 6:02 AM

    Wonderful!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pat BOctober 27, 2018 at 4:50 PM

    Did that paint wash off easily? I love your new mailbox!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 30, 2018 at 8:52 AM

      It cleans up with water, even though it is for outdoor use. We sprayed a protective clear coat over the project once the paint was dry.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: 39 Years Edition

A political map of the world circa 1987. The Soviet Union takes up a sizable portion. A lot has happened in the last 39 years. The Berlin Wall came down. The Soviet Union collapsed. The Twin Towers fell. Technology has changed: landlines and phone booths are practically extinct, and random questions can be answered in seconds by asking Google, Siri, or Alexa. No longer do drivers keep the Thomas Guide in their cars; navigation systems will give turn-by-turn directions, and recalculate when the driver doesn't follow the directions. Some cars don't even need drivers. While many shoppers do their shopping in-person, some simply log into Amazon and have their item show up on their doorstep--sometimes within hours.  I've seen pieces of the Berlin Wall. I've traveled to places that used to be behind the Iron Curtain. I've been to Ground Zero. I no longer have a house phone, and have looked up the answers to countless questions using my cell phone. I do not miss the stress...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: April Showers Edition

  A red peony bud prepares to open fully  After an incredibly dry winter, we had a bit of precipitation this past week, in the form of falling snow. We didn't have much, and it didn't really stick, but we'll take water however it wants to come. Fortunately, my peonies seem unaffected by the cold snap, and are ready to put on a show here soon. 1. I'm thankful for moisture. 2. I'm thankful the flowers are still going to bloom. I don't know how the colder temperatures will affect the fruit crops. The strawberries look like they are still planning to set fruit. We'll have to see what happens with the peach, apricot, pear, and apple. (The apricot only bears heavily every other year anyway, and I think this is an "off" year--though I could be wrong.) Strawberry plants in full bloom 3. I'm thankful for anticipated berries.  We continue to clear out and otherwise prepare John's parents' house for sale. I've been going through old photos and...
8 comments
Read more

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago.  I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon.  (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall  Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...
4 comments
Read more