Tired of all the red and pink Valentines Day crafts? Who says hearts have to be red! Here’s a cute and simple craft project that captures the spirit of the day and would make a great gift for teachers, grandparents, etc.
What you’ll need:
- A thick tree branch (you’ll want something at least 1.5″ in diameter)
- A hand saw
- Sand paper
Optionally, if you don’t have any branches or don’t want to saw or sand
- Small pre-cut wood slices (you can find at most craft stores, these will be already cut and smooth)
- Heart-shaped leaves (ivy works well) or any leaves that are not yet dry/crumbly
- scissors
- Decoupage and brush
- Screw eyes
- Stretchy necklace cord or key-ring
Instructions
** if you buy pre-cut wood slices, skip to step 3 **
- Prepare your wood slices. A softer wood like pine will work best for ease of sawing. Depending on your comfort level and the age of your child, you can use this project to teach your child to use a handsaw. Or you can cut pieces for them and they can do the rest.
- Peel off any loose bark and sand all sides until smooth.
- Find a heart shaped leaf that fits within the circle of wood. Or get a fresh leaf and cut out a heart that will fit.
- Using a paint brush, paint on a layer of decoupage to one side of the wood circle. Lay your leaf on it, then coat over the top with more decoupage. Optionally, you can repeat on the other side.
- Paint decoupage on all sides of the wood slice.
- When dry, twist in a screw eye on one side of the pendant. If your wood is hard, you can use a small push pin to start the whole, to make it easier to twist in the screw.
- Cut a piece of cord and loop through the hook to make a necklace, or attach a key ring.
- Show off your creations!