Amy’s Free Ideas
Seasons > Christmas > Decorations for the home > Paper Stand-up, “Peace on Earth” Christmas Decoration
Cut two sets of letters out of stiff paper such as card stock or poster board, one set with wide letters for the back of the decoration, and one set of narrow letters for the front set.
Fasten the front layer and back layer together with foam-style double stick tape, or make your own “connecters” out of paper: cut 3 or 4 strips for each letter out of copier paper 1/2 x 3 inches long.
Glue one end and fasten it to the other end to form a ring.
Press the ring flat.
Pull the flattened ring into a ring again, and press it flat 1/8th inch away from the first fold. It should now form a narrow rectangle. Glue these to the back of the narrow letters, then glue the narrow letters onto the front of the thicker back letters. The rectangle “loops” will make the narrow letters stand out from the thicker background letters, and make it look more three dimensional.
“Peace on Earth” is pretty long, so think about where you want to display these letters. You may prefer to just use the word, “Peace.” You can keep the letters of the word separate, and fasten them to the mantle with mounting putty (such as Fun-tack or Blue-tack) as shown in the photo above, or arrange in the greenery, which can be maddening to keep them from toppling!!
If you want the words to stand, glue the letters together so each word stands up: Lay the finished letters against a ruler or other straight edge, to make sure all the letters are straight when you glue them together. Cut strips of paper to glue to the top and bottom of the backs of the letters to hold them together (see photo above.) Once the glue has dried, fold the stands on the dotted line, then glue the stands to the backs of the letters so that the words stand up.
Stand
Strips to hold letters together
“PEACE ON EARTH” is what the angels told the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, so it is a great phrase to use as a Christmas decoration. Wooden letters can be quite expensive, but paper ones can be made for a fraction of the cost. If you make paper letters with just one layer it is not very impressive, but if you make two layers, and fasten them together so the top layer sticks out, it becomes three dimensional. You can use your computer to make a pattern for cutting out the letters, or download my pattern. If you make your own, be sure to use a bold version of the font, and a thin version of the font so the back layer is slightly larger than the front layer.
Download Large set of letters for “PEACE” OR “PEACE ON EARTH” (about 5 inches tall)
Download smaller set of letters for “PEACE”
(about 3 inches tall)
Download “P” pattern, front layer and back layer
Download “E” pattern, (CUT OUT 2 FOR THE WORD, “PEACE,” OR 3 IF MAKING THE WHOLE PHRASE)
Download “A” pattern, (CUT OUT 1 FOR THE WORD, “PEACE,” OR 2 IF MAKING THE WHOLE PHRASE)
OPTIONAL: Download Crown of Thorns pattern TO LAYER ON “O” IN THE WORD, “ON”
For a font that looks more like the photo above, use: