DIY: Heart Art

Technically I did this project for Valentines Day, but it really doesn’t have to be only for February. I think it would look adorable in a little kids room year around, in fact, it’s an easy project that kids can do with you.

I started out with a piece of framed art from Christmas. I had hung this over the mantle for the holidays, but wanted to use the frame for something else throughout the year and this project seemed perfect.

Step 1:

Find an empty frame. A floating frame would look really beautiful with this type of art too, the hearts would appear to be floating on your wall.

Step 2:

I took the Christmas Art out and replaced it with a blank sheet of white computer paper. Nothing fancy here.

Step 3:

Collect the rest of your supplies.

• Heart shaped scrapbook punches (I used two different sizes)
• Rubber Cement
• Scrapbooking or other colored paper

Step 4:

Cut out a bunch of hearts from the scrapbook paper. Begin laying them out to get an idea of the design before you start gluing them down.

Step 5:

Start Gluing to the frame and glass using rubber cement.

This project was all about texture. I folded some hearts in half to give them a 3D look, others I left flat. Most were glued directly to the glass, while some were glued to the frame for additional dimension. The reason I glued on top of the glass, instead of laying them under, was so that I could fold them. This was my alternative to using a more expensive shadowbox.

I used the rubber cement because after February I expect to remove the hearts and use the frame for something else. This is purely temporary for this month.

I wanted it to look like the hearts were sweeping across the frame. There was no magic in how I laid them out, it was all by eye and how the pieces was flowing.

Step 6:

The finished piece. Add some hangers, if necessary, and hang on the wall.

I really love how it turned out and there is a part of me that is considering leaving it up longer than February. It also sparked my art bug again and I can’t wait to dig into my paints soon. I’m thinking the paintings in the spare bedroom may have some mixed media incorporated, perhaps some hearts…

Total Project Cost Breakdown:

Frame/Mat/Paper/Glass (Already Owned) = $0

Scrapbook paper (Michael’s, clearance colors) = $.19 each (I used 4 colors so it cost $.76 and I have plenty left over)

Large Heart Punch (Michael’s) = $12 (on 40% off)

Small Heart Punch (Michael’s) = $2.50 (also 40% off)

Rubber Cement (Staples) = $2.50

Total Cost: $17.76

If you are a crafter then you likely have heart shaped punches already and the project would cost only a few dollars. For anyone that likes this idea, be sure to check out your local craft store right after Valentine’s day, they will likely put heart craft items on clearance and you could purchase some for next year.

I hope everyone is having an excellent Valentine’s Day…I’ll be back later today to show you a special Valentine gift I’ve been planning.

DIY: Adding Texture To Garden Pots & My Valentine Front Door

Yes, I disappeared for a few days. I blame it on the Sinus headache and Taxes. I’m finally able to breathe again (thank you DayQuil/NyQuil Sinux) and my taxes are DONE!! Oh yeah, it’s been a real party over here for the past few days. I promise better posting in the coming days, but in the meantime I need to follow up on a project I told you about the other day.

A few days ago I shared with you about the cork heart that I made for my front door post.

In addition to the heart, I also decorated some cheap garden pots to follow the same purple/pink color theme.

My poor front door post needs a new coat of paint. Apparently my neighbors celebrated New Years with silly string. I noticed it a few days later, all over my porch. It would have been nice if they tried to clean it up or just let me know, that stuff is like glue. I was able to get a lot of it off, but there is some permanently adhered to the post.

Transforming the pot was easy.

Step 1:

Collect your supplies.

• Cheap plastic garden pot and saucers
• Puffy Paint
• Spray Paint
• Pencil

I purchased these plastic garden pots/saucers at Home depot for about $2 each.

Step 2:

Using the Puffy Paint, I added rows of dots on each pot. I used a pencil line as a guide which made it easier to keep the lines straight.

Step 3:

One the puffy paint had fully dried, I spray painted the smaller pot a Satin White using some leftover spray paint I had on hand. I used a glossy purple for the larger pot.

To keep the pot from sticking to the saucer I let them dry for 24 hours, then I dropped in a potted plant. Yes, I admit I’m somewhat lazy, I didn’t actually pot the plant. I put the pot in a pot. (I need to stop giving away my secrets…)

I think they turned out quite well and I can see using these throughout the year.

Project Cost Breakdown (Finished Front Door Design):

Plastic Pots/Saucers (Home Depot) = $6

Cork Heart (Tutorial Here) = $0

Pink & White Plants (Already Owned) = $0

Bell Wreath (Already Owned) = $0

White Spray Paint (Already Owned) = $0

Purple Gloss Spray Paint (Home Depot) = $4

Total Project Cost: $10

DIY: Cork Heart Holiday Sign

I already confessed that I don’t like Halloween…well…I don’t really like Valentines Day either. I know, I’m a total scrooge. I suppose I don’t have a problem at all with the actual Valentines Day, as a hopeless romantic, I do like days all about LOVE. My problem is that I don’t think you should need a holiday to buy your loved one some flowers. I would appreciate a bouquet so much more on a random Thursday than what you get on Valentines Day. But that’s just me…

With that said, I do like the romanticism of February so I do have a few Valentine themed craft/design plans up my sleeve for the next few weeks. First up was to swap out the winter theme door sign. Since it had a bit of a ‘Winter’ vibe, I’ve kept it up until now. 

So I took down the trees and the ‘JOY’ sign, but left up the purple/green bell wreath. Instead of wrapping more letters in yarn, I used up the last of the corks to make a heart shaped sign.

Step 1:

Collect your supplies.

• Corks (I used about 35 corks), cut each cork in half
• Straight Edge Blade
• Piece of paper/Pen
• Scissors
• Hot Glue/Gun
• Screw Eye
• Ribbon
• Paint/Markers (optional)
• Paintbrush (optional)

Step 2:

Using the paper, fold it in half. Draw half a heart and cut it out using the scissors. This will be your guide for arranging the corks. Draw the heart as big as you want the finished sign to be.

Step 3:

Arrange the corks to get an idea of how many you will need. I cut mine in half because I didn’t have enough to complete the heart with the corks at full size. However, if you have enough, then you don’t need to cut them down.

Step 4: (Optional)

I wanted a heart that had a lot more purple so I decided to color the natural corks. I used a PrismaColor Violet Marker on a few at first. Pink and Red also worked really well in case you don’t like purple.

Step 5:

Using the hot glue, start gluing all your corks together.

Once the heart shape is glued together, you can start filling the heart. You may need to cut some of the corks down in order to make them fit.

The finished heart! I seriously considered leaving it as is, it was quite beautiful with just the natural and wine colored corks.

But I really had my heart set on a dark purple heart. So I broke out my paint, mixed up a very deep purple and started painting the corks. I did leave a few of the wine colored visible because I loved them too much to cover them up.

Step 6:

I added a screw eye at the top of the heart and threaded some light green ribbon so it would hang nicely on the front door post.

Since I ran out of sunlight, I’ll have to share the finished front door post on another day. I’ll also share what replaced the Christmas trees at the base of the post.

I already owned everything to make this sign, so the final cost was $0. FREE!