Decorating by Numbers

I just love typography! Decorating with black and white numbered home accessories is a fun new style that’s easy to create on your own.

The numbers you choose can have great significance or none at all. A special date or numbers in sequence or a homeowners’ street number can make a great housewarming gift. I have always been fond of the number 143, code for “I love you.”

You can use basic font numbers from your computer, copyright-free type books found in libraries and bookstores scanned or copied, or enlargements from printed items you may already have around the house. When choosing a number, it’s easiest to work with bolder typefaces as finer lines require much more tedious work.

To make a large numbered throw pillow from two square dinner napkins, I sewed three sides of the napkins together. I chose five for the number of members of our family and printed it out in outline (to save ink) and also in reverse from my desktop printer. Using spray adhesive I lightly coated the back of the print and pressed it to the backing side of a piece of adhesive-backed black felt and cut it out using a very sharp craft knife. Peeling away the backing at the top to start, I then laid the felt number in position and slowly removed the remainder of the backing, careful to keep the pieces in position as I went and pressing firmly when done. I then stuffed the pillow case with a basic feather pillow form and sewed closed the open end.

I made a series of numbered containers using ceramic planters that I purchased at the craft store. Around the numbers I created borders based on the dimensions of the sides of containers and printed them out on large label stock. You can also print on plain paper and use spray adhesive to adhere the labels, decoupage is another option. Once printed and trimmed out, it’s a good idea to run a permanent marker along the edges to eliminate any white paper edges and then give the labels a coat of clear spray sealer to protect the surface. I attached the labels to the ceramic containers and made a fun display in our family room.

Using a glass paint marker, I traced a print-out of the number 143 taped to the inside of a flat-sided glass dish. I printed the tracing number in red to make it easier to see the areas I needed to color in. Once the paint dried, I gave it a second coat to make the black nice and opaque. You will need to follow manufacturer instructions for drying time and washing recommendations. My glass dish is now a fun accessory to my bookshelf, as well as a sweet message to my family.