Spelling out your cheer

Designer and master crafter Jonathan Fong turned his front door into a whimsical holiday display, using paper tape and removable vinyl rub-on letters. The result: a standout entrance and fa-la-la-la-la window for less than $150. “There are no visual cues in California that the holidays are here,” he says from his cheerful Santa Monica stoop. “So we have to do it ourselves.” The author of the recently published “Jonathan Fong’s Walls That Wow” lists more do-it-yourself tips, some specifically for the holidays, and a section on “Fong shui” at https://www.jonathanfongstyle.com .

Framing the door: Festive store windows serve as inspiration for Fong’s door. “They’re whimsical and they draw you in,” he says. To create a candy cane look around his door, Fong outlined it in different widths of paper tape from Studio Depot on La Brea Avenue. This Permacel tape is used by film crews for marking actors’ spots and comes in a variety of colors and sizes. It can be torn easily or cut with a knife for a cleaner line.

Packaging: Gold paper tape on the interior of the windows makes the green vinyl letters stand out. The tape will peel off easily later. Bright green packages from Moskatels craft store in L.A. adhere to each corner of the door with Velcro dots.

Choosing your words: Fong chose the lyrics to “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” because it makes him happy. “I start singing Christmas carols in September,” he jokes.

Measuring: Fong measured the dimensions of the door and made a diagram on his computer. He typed in the lyrics to the song (a word-processing or page design program will do) and enlarged the letters to fill the space.

Selecting fonts: He prefers to keep lettering to one or two styles. “I chose a font that looked like sheet music,” he says. “One wasn’t festive enough, and another one I chose was too formal.”

Ordering letters: Fong took his final design to a local sign shop, Santa Monica Signs, which copied his diagram to produce vinyl letters sandwiched between a protective bottom layer and a top transfer backing. The words were printed on a long sheet, ready to apply.

Aligning: Tape the words in place. “All I had to do was put masking tape at the very top of the phrasing, so I knew the whole thing would be straight,” says Fong, who used a laser level to help. “I just shined the light at the bottom of each line.”

Transferring: With the letters in place, rub them with a wooden craft stick. This transfers the vinyl from the bottom layer to the top. Using the masking tape as a hinge, lift up the sheets and peel off the bottom layer. Lower the remaining (top) sheet back into place and rub the letters again, transferring the vinyl to the wall. Peel off the backing and voilà: a feel-good greeting for holiday guests.