Valentine’s Day Decor: Wood Hanging Heart

Christmas is over and the decorations are back in the bins for another eleven months, before we pull them out again. Lights are put away for next Christmas as well. Or….. maybe they are still on the trees and I…oops… you just remembered about them.

Anyways, we are on to the next holiday; Valentine’s Day. I love to add some decorations around the house and now it seems bare after the removal of all the Christmas decorations. So this year I decided to make a new rustic heart that I can use now and keep for next year too!

Here is what I made in a very short amount of time. Do you want to learn how to make your own? Read on for a full tutorial.

Wood Heart

To begin, I grabbed a piece of thin plywood and made a template of half a heart from an old cardboard box. I traced half and then flipped it over to trace the other half –so I had a symmetrical heart.

Wood Heart

I used a jigsaw to cut out the heart. You could also use a handsaw. It would cut it just as easily, but would take a little longer.

Wood Heart

So now I have my shape, but I want TEXTURE. I love me some texture! I had some cedar wood shims sitting in my garage that I bought for another project (that I never did…) so I decided to use them. I used wood glue to add them to the surface of the heart, making sure I let the ends hang over.

Wood Heart

Wood Heart

A few of the ends needed a little extra encouragement to stick, so I let it sit overnight with some clamps on it. The next day I removed the clamps and flipped it over.

Wood Heart

I then used the jigsaw again to cut along the plywood edge to remove the excess shim wood. Again, a handsaw could be used to do this. Next I used some sand paper on the cut edges to smooth them out some. I also used it on the surface as needed.

Wood Heart

Wood Heart

I used a gel stain on the cedar shims and let it dry per the can instructions. Then I used white, and then a red paint with a very DRY brush to lightly brush on. When dry brushing, dip the ends in the paint, then blot most off onto a paper towel, and lightly brush onto your surface.

Wood Heart

Look at that texture! I just love it… It also does not have to be perfect and it still looks good. I then drilled a hole in the center so that I could hang it. Then I hung it outside. I didn’t bother to seal it because my entry way is covered.

Wood Heart

Wood Heart

Wood Heart

Adding personalized décor to your home can be easy and is always fun. How do you add some extra fun to your home for Valentine’s Day?

About the Author

Kristina SinclairKristina Sinclair is a New Englander living in the South. Born and raised in a small coastal town south of Boston, Kristina ventured to Jacksonville to marry her fiancé and to live for a few years. Thirteen years, three kids, and two houses later, she is happy to be a southerner. Kristina is a nurse by training and continues to work part-time. When she is not chasing after her three boys or working, she is busy planning and building, doing home improvement projects, making crafts and gifts, or drinking coffee. Kristina likes to document her cost-effective DIY adventures on her blog, thriftysouthernpilgrim.com.

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