Looking for a fun way to display vintage Varsity Letters? This great pillow DIY project is quick and easy.
I love vintage varsity letters and pick them up anytime I’m antiquing and run across them for the right price. Typically, I will only pay under $12. It’s not important to me what letters they are because I will come up with a use for them soon.
(Affiliate links are used for your convience. Read my full disclosure here.)
A few years ago I was lucky enough to find a few Varsity Letters and pennants at a flea market. I set them aside waiting for an idea to come to me for how to display them.
Then, I was lucky enough to stop in a local antique shop I frequent often the day after someone had sold them their Smokey Bear collection! I had started to collected Smokey’s and was so excited to see all the items I would be able to now add!
Some of the items in the group were some random Smokey pins. I shared about what I had found on Instagram and a follower sent me another pin. She is from New Mexico where the original real life bear Smokey Bear was from. He was rescued from a Wildfire in the Capitan Mountains in 1950. Given the name Smokey Bear, he was taken to live at The National Zoo in Washington D.C. so children and families could come and visit him. You can read the whole story here.
The Project
I was trying to figure out the best way to show off the pins when I remembered my Varsity Letters. I didn’t have an S for Smokey, but I did have a B for bear. So I went to Walmart in search of a pillow to put the letter and pins on. I wanted a cable knit pillow to look like a Varsity sweater, but found this cream colored pillow instead. The great part about this project, is if I ever find a pillow I like more, it will be easy to transfer the pieces over to the new one.
This pillow is only for display. It doesn’t every have people leaning or resting on it. To attach the Varsity Letter I simply used safety pins on the back. Then, I stuck the Smokey pins on it in a grouping.
I love the creative way it shows off two of the things I love, Varsity Letters and Smokey Bear. It goes great in our cabin. I usually have it in a chair up in our loft where the toys and kids books are.
Supplies Needed:
My daughter has her Varsity letter, but didn’t get it on a jacket like my son did. I’m planning to put it on a pillow of her school’s colors to put in her room.
If you don’t have any Varsity Letters earned by your kids or haven’t found any vintage ones, you can buy them new.
Watch My You Tube Video
See more of my Smokey Bear collection in this post.
See more ideas for Camp Style Decor in this post.
See more about decorating with Buffalo Plaid in this post.
FOLLOW ALONG
Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Twitter ~ YouTube
Love this idea! But I am going to add my husband’s high school letter and some of the random pins he earned while growing up.
That will be so great! I love that idea!!!
What a cute and creative idea! I lived part of my childhood living in northern Idaho where Smokey the bear was quite prevalent and visible as a reminder to put out those campfires well! The addition of the little pins to your pillow is the icing on the cake (or pillow)!
I love those Smokey signs. My friend who works in fire prevention says those signs are actually the best prevention!
brilliant! we have my husband’s dad’s varsity swim team letter and I’ve been saving my husband’s sunday school pins trying to figure out a place for both, thank you. BTW although we grew up with smokey bear i never knew he was a real bear.
That looks darling! The big varsity letter is really offset beautifully by that grouping of pins. Really cute.