DIY - valentine's heart wreath

I love Valentine's Day. Even as a single high school girl, I loved the idea of the world pausing for a moment to appreciate LOVE. & naturally, now that I know the love of a dreamy husband, it's an even sweeter day.

My mom takes Valentine's Day decor as seriously as she takes Christmas decor, & even with a sister whose birthday is on the 14th, we all get & give presents in honor of St. Cupid. Or whoever it is. (That's a joke, & read this if you really want to know more about what Valentine's Day is really about.) The point is, my family loves Valentine's Day, & I am no exception.

So, here's a very simple, very cheap wreath that I made to honor the tradition that my sweet mama started. The only thing I bought was felt, which was $0.94 a sheet, so I'm marking this as a SUCCESS.  There's step by step instructions at the bottom, if you're not a visual learner like me ;)

 

 

Supplies:
wire hanger (or craft wire)

felt (2 sheets)

hot glue gun

scissors

iron

starch or hairspray

1. Bend hanger (or wire) into heart shape. The beauty of wire is that you can make your heart skinny, fat - Whatever you desire!

1 1/2. I didn't add anything to hang my heart from because our apartment door came with a convenient (& slightly off center) hook, but this is the part where you can use ribbon, twine or some of your leftover wire to make a loop. I'd do this now so your hearts cover up any part of the hook that is left visible on the front.

2. Cut felt into four strips, then quarter those strips. You'll need approximately 25 hearts if you're using a wire hanger.

3. Halve your felt squares to cut the heart shape. Trace half a heart onto your square if you don't feel comfortable free-handing. I free-handed my hearts & kinda liked that the hearts were all unique.

4. Fold the hearts in half & iron... briefly. The felt doesn't need a ton of heat, so this can be as quick as 3 seconds plus a quick burst of steam.

5. Spray hairspray or starch to help the heart retain its fold. I used hairspray because I'm a terrible housewife that doesn't have starch, but starch would definitely be ideal.

6. Follow the crease with the hot glue gun & place your felt heart on your wire heart. Press into place.

7. Continue this process until your wire is covered. I kept my hearts going in the same direction, but it would be cute to have them go in opposite directions from the center & meet at the bottom, too.

8. Step back & admire! Then have a photoshoot with leftover hearts!

You guys, this is too easy. I'm already scheming up a spring version, so stay tuned. If you make one, share it! I'd love to see them, so link up in the comments!

(I will disclaimer this to say that I have not searched the internet from top to bottom to make sure that someone else hasn't already made this. If you, your neighbor or your favorite blogger has done something similar, well, let's get coffee because great minds think alike!)