Friday, January 15, 2010

Heart-Shaped Valentine Wreath

Last night, I headed on over to Hobby Lobby to find a heart-shaped wood form so I could make the beautiful door decoration that was churning around in my head. Well, thanks to all the blogs lately who have been creating heart-shaped paraphenalia (thanks a lot, guys!), there were no more heart forms left (except teeny ones). So my whole mod-podge plan was ruined, and I had think of something new.

I ended up buying some rolls of Valentine's Day inspired ribbon, and figured I'd go home and think of something to do with it. On my way past the dollar store, I decided I'd stop in and see if I could track down anything heart-shaped that would work for my new ribbon plan. Nope. All they had was candy, balloons, cheesy stuffed animals, and anything else a 6th grade girl might want to buy for a poor unsuspecting secret crush.

Then I ran across this gem:.50 cents! Can you believe it?!?!? I can. Yikes! I think it's the most hideous thing I've ever seen. You know, sometimes the dollar store has super-cute decorations, and oftentimes with a little sprucing up, they can look quite expensive. There was no saving this hideous sign, though--even .50 cents felt like a ripoff. I was desperate, though...and it was red, so I bought it.

So I took it home and free-hand drew a heart onto the foam form, and then I used my Exact-o knife to cut it out. I had to be very careful to move slowly so as not to crack the foam.After it was all cut out, I used packing tape to add a little bit of extra strength to the form. The foam was kind of crumbly, and I didn't want it to fall apart while I was working with it.
The next step was tying on the ribbon. This was time-consuming, but I finished it in about an hour or so...it went by quickly while I watched a couple of Mythbusters episodes. "Science in Action!" After I tied all the ribbons on, I trimmed them so they were all approximately an equal length. I think I still might trim them down a tad more...but I haven't decided. What do you think?
I had big plans for the littler heart (seen in the packing tape photo up higher in this post), but after trying a few different ways, I decided I liked the heart wreath the way it was and didn't add anything else to it.

Though my husband protested (since it's not February), I put it on my front door. I am a little worried about it blowing away, though, because it's pretty lightweight with only the foam form to weigh it down. It really would probably make a better indoor decoration (especially in Utah since it's so wet in the winter), but for now it's on our door looking festive.

14 comments:

Michele said...

Love it...very creative with what you could find!

Hugz,
Michel

Stewart & Ciera Stout said...

I love it! I made a Fall Wreath out of stuff I got at the dollar store and I got more compliments on it than anything else!

You're in Utah? Me too! That's awesome! Maybe we could get together and make a craft one day!

Stephanie said...

SO CUTE!! And to think yours is more original than the other one that is flying around the good ol' land of blog... ;o)

Shana said...

love it! I did something similar for my Daughter's pink 3rd birthday party with a styrofoam ring and all sorts of pink ribbons!

Stewart & Ciera Stout said...

I'm in Smithfield! We should get together sometime!

Crystal said...

That is so cute! Very clever.

Stephanie said...

Genius!

Krystal said...

Super Cute!

Summer Rae said...

Love that! Great job working with what you could find.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dani! I am so NOT a crafty friend but I had to comment anyway. This is my 1st visit to your craft blog. WOW! I'm so impressed w/ all your talent. LOVE this wreath! Way to go, girl.

Tamra Neilson

Tailored Trash Queen said...

I love it just as it is! I would not trim the ribbon anymore. It looks great -- I may try to find a hideous foam decoration to copy your creation!

Heather said...

wow, what a great idea! that turned out so cute!

Lsnie said...

Love it! I linked to you in my Friday Favorites... come on over and get a featured button if you like. ~Lanie

Ashleigh @ Rocks and Chickens said...

Cute! I think you should leave as is...I think it gives it more character since the ribbons are mostly even than "perfect."

Is there a way to temporary attach it to your door hanger? Like attach a small hanger to the back and tie it to your hanger so it doesn't blow away?