DIY Vintage French Number Plaques

Here’s something my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest and I have been talking about for a while…those wonderful vintage French enamel number plates! But…they are hard to find and if you do find them, they are expensive!

And there’s a reason…in France, you have to get those great blue and white house numbers from the mayor’s office to match your address! Yep! There are a few sites that sell them…none of which appear to be in the US… but they are not cheap. Me, I love the oval white ones with black numbers...probably from a hotel or apartment door. Sooo…I finally decided to make them myself. (Photo from How to Spend It )


First task, create the graphic…and here it is! I used the Modern No. 20 font because I love the look of the numbers! It’s not a free download, but it is one of the fonts included with Photoscape. I chose these numbers because they were the frenchiest!
First, print them and glue them to poster paper with rubber cement. It doesn’t wrinkle and the excess can be rubbed off.
Next, cut them out very carefully and punch holes at each end.
Then add several coats of Mod Podge, smoothing out any wrinkles that appear and drying with a hair dryer in between coats.
Finally, finish them off with three coats of Polyurethane to give them an enamel-like shine.

Baby Kitty finds it interesting that I am using my cookbooks as props since they don’t get much use otherwise! Hmmm…

I added the numbers to all of the baskets on my guest bedroom shelf.

I think it adds a little interest, especially since the baskets are mostly filled with black and white objects...like my sheet music ornaments and my vintage French script fruit.

And here’s a final look! Not too bad for free, huh?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy numbers! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Swing into Spring
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!