Nursery Wall Decor - Name Plates

The more I think about it, it was shortly after my son was born that I dusted off the palm sander and bought a small can of poly. Our daughter's room had her name above her bed and my wife wanted Junior's room to have something similar. We threw ideas back and forth. Being a big Blue Jays and baseball fan our first thought was a bat. A few factors had me rethinking this idea for a few days.

1) mounting a bat to a wall is difficult considering there is not a flat surface to place against the wall.

2) I am unable to come up with a safe, viable solution where a bat could be ripped in half.

3) wooden bats are more expensive than I thought.

The next sensible (and most sensible) idea as a Canadian which also eliminated the factors above would be a hockey stick. Jr sticks are affordable and flat. As well, minimal time is required to make them. Quite simple easy. 

The bill of material included a Jr. sized stick, some letters from an Arts & Crafts store, some ribbon, a can of spray paint, some screw caps and some poly. Ribbon & paint in whichever colour desired. Our son's room had a light brown, navy and chestnut brown pallet. We chose a navy paint and chestnut brown ribbon to compliment the natural grain of the stick. His room at our new house is a light blue, and the paint was picked based on his bedding and of course the stick!

Preparation involved sanding the manufacturer's painted logos off the stick and removing the existing finish. Next, I applied two coats of poly. While each coat of poly was drying, I applied two coats of paint to the letters. Once everything was dried, I measured 16" (I have now learned, depending on the # of letters required, you can measure 8") from each side of the Center mark and counter sunk a couple of holes for attaching to the wall. These measurements were chosen for lining up to the stud framing. Then to give the impression of a taped hockey stick, we wrapped the ribbon around the blade and knob of the stick and adhered it using Gorilla glue (we tried two-sided tape, but it would not hold). Then the letters were adhered using the same glue. 

We were quite surprised on the outcome and found a great gift idea. I have made each of my nephews a stick and some for friends. Even sold a couple.

I plan on experimenting with this idea on other sporting equipment. Such as Lacrosse sticks, Cricket paddles, Oars, and Canoe Paddles.

Enjoy.