Can you believe it’s February already?? That can only mean one thing: cue the candy, chocolate, flowers, and heart-shaped everything. Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and we found the cutest DIY project for all of you crafters out there. Not only would this be perfect for Valentine's Day, but also to display in your home all year round. Not to mention it would make a unique and personalized wedding gift. Follow the steps below to create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind accent piece.
Step 1:
Find or purchase a piece of firewood similar in size and thickness to the one pictured below. Try to find one that has character, with “prettier” bark, and that has a small stump on the side to make it look more interesting. Make sure the larger end will stand up straight on a table. If not, cut it down to create a flat surface. The log should be very dry and still have most of the bark attached. If the bark is falling off easily, it will be hard to carve your heart.
Step 2:
Cut a rough heart shape out of paper and lay it on top of the log. Take a utility knife and start scoring around the heart shape. You can’t really cut through the bark so just push it in as far as it will go until you have a series of line cuts all the way around the heart.
Step 3:
Using the utility knife, start chipping away at the bark. Keep going back and forth until you have a distinct heart shape and the layers of removed bark are pretty even.
Step 4:
Take a sheet of sandpaper and try to smooth out the heart surface. The smoother your surface, the easier it will be to get an even line with your wood burning tool.
Step 5:
Draw out your letters lightly with a pencil and warm up your wood burning tool. If you’ve never used a wood burning tool before and are nervous, do a little practice on the end pieces of log you cut off. Remember that you can always go back and make the lines darker, but you can’t make them lighter. Go back over your letters several times to try to even them out and clean the lines up. You can also add dots around the edge of the heart to create a border.
You are done! TA-DA!
Wouldn't this be perfect displayed on your mantle, your front porch, or even in your bedroom? Start hunting for that perfect log and get to crafting!
This cute concept was found on Three Scoops of Love. Thanks for the great idea!