All you need is...

Love - isn't that what we all need right now? Winter is really hanging on hard here in the Midwest and my family has been fighting the flu all week. (Not fun!) Also my family is going through lots changes right now which makes me need a good cheering up. I saw this pin on Pinterest and I absolutely knew I had to have a marquee LOVE sign. I have been wanting to make this for a while and February seems like the perfect month to finally do it. Lights always make me happy! 

First I bought some cardboard letters at Jo-Ann fabrics. 

I cut out the back of the letters and removed the inside cardboard support. Note that MOST letters are the same either way - L is not one of those letters!

Then I figured out where to place the lights evenly across the letters. I used two packages, with 20 lights each, so 40 lights total. My lights use battery packs and LED so they are not a fire hazard. 

To poke the holes was actually quite easy. I used a nail and hammer to make a tiny hole, then enlarge the hole with a pencil, and then even larger with a paint brush handle. The holes were just large enough for the lights to fit through.

I used some cardboard poster sheets cut into strips, 1 1/2 inch wide, glued around each letter. Just plain Elmer's school glue worked the best, and the clothes pins held it while the glue dried.

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Once the glue was dry, I painted the letters with white craft paint, let that dry, and then spray painted them gold for the final shiny finish. 

I pushed the lights through the back and hid all the cords inside the pockets of the letters. I really like the way it looks when the sign is all lit up. Right now I have them hung on the wall, but you could also place on a shelf or mantle since they do stand up on their own. What would your sign say if you made one?