5 dollar tree silhouette crafts for valentine's day
Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? I decided that this year I'm going to spruce up my house with festive decor for each holiday. When thinking about seasonal decorations, you can easily blow through a lot of money. That's why I love visiting my local Dollar Tree.
They have really stepped up their craft selection over the past six months with their Crafter's Square products. When you're in the market for DIY supplies, there is no better place to shop than the Dollar Tree!
I went to Dollar Tree looking for items I could decorate for Valentine's Day. After a few laps around the store I settled on these items: a blank canvas, a wood picture frame, a glass vase, a cardboard hanging heart, and a 6 pack of wood planks. Along with these items I picked up some velvet roses, glitter heart picks, confetti picks, acrylic paint, sponge brushes, and paint trays.
Project 1: Love Door Hanger Sign
Supplies:
Chipboard Heart Sign
Magenta Acrylic Paint
Sponge Brush
Paint Tray
Oracal Permanent Vinyl in 3 colors - purple, teal, and white
Step 1: Remove the red ribbon.
Untie the knots and pull it through the hole. Set this aside to reattach later.
Step 2: Peel off the cardboard front.
I tried just ripping this off and it was hard to do, adding a little heat from an iron or heat press would probably make this a lot easier. Because I couldn't get the front clean I ended up peeling the price tag from the back and using it instead.
Step 3: Paint the cardboard
I started off by using my sponge brush and painting with pink. Turns out the chipboard is really dark and even after 2 coats of paint that darkness shows. I added a few coats of white paint to act as a primer and then painted 2 more coats of the pink. I let each coat of paint dry before adding another layer.
Step 4: Apply the vinyl
I cut the 3 layers of the design using orcal permanent vinyl. I added registration marks to my layers so I could easily align them on top of each other. I layered the vinyl before applying it to the heart. I used clear cricut transfer tape for this project but it was too sticky and ended up peeling off some of the paint. I recommend using a low tack transfer tape when working with painted projects, I had run out.
Step 5: Touch up the paint
I went back and touched up the paint areas that got peeled off. You can still see where I made the touch ups when looking up close. But nothing handmade is perfect!
Step 6: Tie the ribbon
Thread the ribbon back through the holes and tie a few knots on the back. Now you're ready to hand this one to display!
Project 2: My Valentine Has Paws Picture Frame
Supplies:
Picture Frame
Pet Photo
My Valentine Has Paws SVG Cut File
Step 1: Paint the frame
Using Very Berry acrylic paint and a sponge brush, paint with the grain. I added a few coats of paint and also did the edges and the stand. I left the photo place holder in while painting, but it probably would have been easier to remove it first.
Step 2: Add the photo
I printed out a 4x6 inch photo of my dog, Scout, on high gloss photo paper. Next, trace the photo place holder onto the photo using a pencil. Following the pencil line, cut the photo to fit the opening. Place the photo in the opening and add the backing.
Step 3: Apply the vinyl
I cut My Valentine Has Paws SVG cut file from white permanent vinyl. Using transfer tape, apply the design to the front of the frame.
Step 4: Stand it up
Place the wood doll into the hole at the base of the frame back. This angles the frame so it will stand on its own. Now display the frame for everyone to see!
Project 3: Valentine's Day Vase
Supplies:
Vase
Velvet Roses
Glitter Heart Picks
Confetti Picks
Wine Corks
Rubbing Alcohol
Cloth
Step 1: Prepare the vase
Apply rubbing alcohol to the glass and wipe with a clean cloth. This takes off any dirt, grime and fingerprints so the vinyl will stick better.
Step 2: Apply the vinyl
Lay the vase down on the cloth and notice where it starts to taper. Apply the vinyl on the straightest part of the vase. For this vase that is near the bottom. When applying vinyl to a curved surface it is best to go slow and use the least tapered area as possible. Not all shapes will work on a curved, tapered surface.
Step 3: Cut the flowers and picks to size
Add the roses and picks to the vase. Determine how tall you want everything and use a pair of pliers to cut off the excess. I like to stagger the heights for a full looking vase.
Step 4: Attach picks to the roses
For more depth use green floral tape to wrap some of the heart picks to the roses. Fluff out the picks and flowers to your liking.
Step 5: Add the wine corks
I didn't like how empty the vase looked so I decided to add some wine corks to go with my dining room decor. Pull everything out of the vase and place a few wine corks at the bottom. Then put everything back in the vase and add more corks around the stems in an attempt to hide them.
Step 6: Fluff and tweak
This step can go as fast or as slow as you're willing. Fluff out the roses, spread out the confetti picks. Add more heart picks and roses to fill in the gaps. For my vase I used 2 packs of heart picks, 2 confetti picks, and 12 felt roses.
Project 4: 3 Tier Sign
Supplies:
3 Planks
Twine
Hot Glue
Step 1: Paint the planks
Paint the fronts and sides of each plank going with the grain of the wood.
Step 2: Apply the vinyl
Cut out the Be My Valentine SVG using white permanent vinyl on your cutting machine. Then use transfer tape and center each portion of the design on a plank and remove the transfer tape.
Step 3: Add the twine
Measure out 16 inches of twine and double it for each side. Tie a knot in one end of the twine and then hot glue that knot to the top of the lowest plank. Leave a one inch gap of twine showing and then hot glue the twine to the bottom of the next plank and also to the top. Repeat this with the top plank. The leftover twine can be tied in a knot leaving a loop at the top for hanging.
Project 5: Painted Canvas
Supplies:
Canvas
Twinkle Pink Acrylic Paint
Sponge Brushes
Step 1: Prime the canvas
Using a sponge brush, give the canvas a good coating of white paint. This is what will show through under the stencil.
Step 2: Apply the vinyl
Cut the Loads of Love SVG from stencil vinyl and use transfer tape to apply it to the canvas.
Step 3: Paint the canvas
Paint 1/3 of the canvas with each of the 3 colors. Be sure to apply multiple thin coats to prevent seepage under the stencil.
Step 4: Remove the stencil
Let the paint try a bit, but not fully and then peel away the stencil. Carefully lift the stencil pieces from the canvas aiming to get crisp lines.
Step 5: Fix the imperfections
Use a fine point paint brush to paint more white where the colors ran. It might take a few coats to cover the colored paint.
Step 6: Let it dry
If you're an impatient person like me, take a heat tool or hair dryer to the canvas to help it dry. Otherwise let it sit overnight before putting it out on display.
Check out the video below for the full tutorial for all 5 of these projects.
Happy Crafting!
With Love,
Crafty Christie
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