Saturday, February 2, 2008

all hearts

Here's a fun Valentine project. I'll share with you how I made it.

You'll need 7 or more wooden hearts. You can experiment with different heart shapes. I used 6 wider hearts and one tear-drop heart. You'll also need to buy a small wooden wreath form, available in the floral supplies section of the craft store. Other things to gather include gesso, your favorite crafting glue, a paintbrush, assorted pages from vintage books, sheetmusic, etc., silver glass glitter, and a vintage hearts playing card (try to find one of a value of 7, 8, 9, or 10 so you'll have a lot of hearts to work with.)

I began by painting a coat of gesso on both sides of each heart and the wreath form. You may find that you can skip this step. I like the way the glue adheres to the primed surface and that the back of the wreath is finished too.

Using a staple gun, secure a loop of velvet ribbon to the back for the hanger.

Next, gather up assorted pages from books, including at least one illustration. Use original papers instead of copies. Select pages from different pages to give the piece depth as each paper will have a slightly different patina. Look too for blank endpapers. Trace the heart on the paper and then cut out. Paint a layer of glue on the heart and adhere the paper heart to the wooden one. Do this with each heart.

After you paper the heart, paint the edge with glue and swipe it through a little pile of silver glass glitter to make a border of silver glitter all the way around the heart. It's okay if it's not perfect...that adds to the charm!

Work with the hearts on the wreath form to figure out the placement of the hearts. Overlap, rotate, mix them up.

After you decide the placement, cut the hearts out of the playing card and artfully place them on the hearts. If you don't have a vintage playing card, just use a heart-shape hole punch to make heart shapes out of red paper.

Search through your page scraps or through the books they came from for an appropriate word or phrase. It's like magic, I swear. You'll find exactly the word or phrase you need. I found the word "Together". Instead of cutting it out, use the edge of your counter or table to tear a straight edge. The age of the paper will cause the paper to tear unevenly.

Secure the hearts to the wreath base. Glue first the hearts that are flat against the base. Then glue the overlapping hearts to the first layer.

Voila! A sweet little Valentine wreath that makes a great gift. Experiment with different sorts of papers, including vintage Valentines.

16 comments:

Annette D said...

This wreath is so cute Amy. I am really enjoying reading your baby diaries, too!

Rosie's Whimsy said...

I love it.....what a nice idea. I think even I might be able to do thid one :)

Anonymous said...

That's darling, Amy!! Good for you to get that done in the midst of Baby stuff. Whew! You are giving us such fun stories and then, a terrific craft project for dessert.

Jen Kershner said...

Love it, love it, love it. Did I mention that I love it? I'll add it to my Valentine to do list and just maybe I'll have time. Yours turned out great.

By the way, so sorry you had to learn that lesson about the extra change of clothing the hard way!

Leslie said...

This wreath is wonderful! Thanks for sharing the instructions.

Anonymous said...

Oh! That's a great idea! So sweet and simple to make for a little Valentines love!

Joan said...

I love the wreath--I'm going to start looking for supplies today. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

So cute. Would be a great project for my kids and I. Thanks.

Heather said...

Well, I'm back off to Michael's I guess. This is SO cute!! You're so creative, Amy.

BailiwickStudio said...

So sweet! I've got to make one for my daughter and her husband!

::Jill

Anonymous said...

Hi there. I just awarded you a "You Make My Day" award... which means you must pass it on or who knows what will happen. :)
XO,
Bari

paige said...

precious craft amy!!!
xo

Anonymous said...

What a sweet project! Thank you, Amy! :) Just need to find a bit o time!

Pamela Jane said...

So glad to see you are finding some crafting time again, with charming results as usual!

gkgirl said...

this is adorable...
it looks as though
it should be
in a magazine!

and...

ps...you make my day...
come and see!

http://itsacanadiangeek.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Wow that is so cute I am going to have to give that a try. I hope mine turns out as cute as yours. I've been reading your blog for a while now and I just love it. Your adventures as a new mom are bringing back a lot of memeories for me. I think you are doing a fantastic job and wish there were more people like you out there. It takes alot of courage to take care of someone elses children.

Blessings.

Blanca