Looking for a budget-friendly and unique valentine craft? Here’s how to create a rustic wood heart with a personalized Scrabble word message. Perfect for gifting or decorating your home!
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While I don’t generally go to great lengths to create Valentine’s Day Crafts, I do like to put a little DIY something out that is heart-shaped. Creating a valentine craft offers inspiration to remember to fully appreciate those I love, along with the sweetheart legends no longer with me.
With a rustic twist of course! My devotion to reclaimed wood remains it seems because I just love a good rustic wood valentine fix! Here’s a few of my fav ideas from the past:
Other rustic Valentine’s Day projects to make:
Salvaged rustic valentines using any supplies
Reclaimed wood heart used 3 ways
Rustic wood Valentine’s Day garland
So this round, I decided to create my own Valentine’s Day craft for this February with a heart that utilizes reclaimed wood with plenty of rusty junk charm along for the ride!
Not only did this valentine craft idea turn out so cute, it shares an extra special message using some vintage pieces too! Creativity at its best!
Here’s what I did:
Valentine craft: A rustic wood heart with scrabble word message
Supplies you’ll need:
1 reclaimed wood plank, cut into 4 square sized pieces
Heart and Border stencil from HERE
Ash – Fusion Mineral Paint (get 10% off)
Algonquin – Fusion Mineral Paint (get 10% off)
Heavy twine or lightweight cotton rope
Scrabble word tiles using the letters: L, O, V, E, Y, U
Kreg Jig pocket hole maker (optional but very helpful – mine is a K4)
Preparing the wood
1. Cut a plank of wood into four pieces of equal size.
To cut perfectly square pieces of wood from a board, measure the width of the board, then cut the length at the same measurement. You’ll end up with 4 squares of wood.
My plank width measures 5.5″.
2. Join the wood into a square shape to resemble a patchwork quilt.
To create more division and interest between the wood pieces, two boards were turned to the opposite side, and all four boards were joined rotating the wood grains.
Total size of this complete square: 11″ x 11″.
Pretty neat this effect can result from one board, isn’t it?
3. Join all four boards together using a Kreg Jig pocket hole jig.
A Kreg Jig creates holes on a deep angle which makes attaching the boards professional and easy! If you don’t yet have a pocket hole maker in your tool aresemal, I highly recommend to get one.
That said, you can also join the boards with a larger scrap of wood on the back of the four, or with a few flat brackets.
How to drill the pocket holes
- Measure the thickness of the boards. Mine measure 5/8″.
- Set the jig drill bit to 5/8″. The picture of the jig 2 pictures up shows the drill bit correctly adjusted.
- Decide where the holes will go. Tip: Your joins will be stronger if you screw into the side of the wood grain, vs. through the top of it. (see photo above)
- Mark where you wish the holes to go by penciling in arrows on the wood.
Kreg Jig pocket hole maker – mine is a K4)
- Insert a wood piece with the back facing the drill. Clamp in tight.
- Drill holes where desired through the jig.
- Place all four squares good-side-down on your surface.
- Insert screws into the holes, then attach with screws.
Trust me when I say, it’s far more complicated to explain than to do! So here’s a couple of short video tutorials that will indeed help…
Video tutorial: How to use a Kreg Jig Pocket hole maker
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View short video above to learn how to use a Kreg Jig pocket hole maker. It’s very easy and the video helps.
You can also watch the video near the end of this post which shows the steps of this wood heart tutorial.
Read my own review: How to use a Kreg Jig pocket hole maker HERE
Where to find a heart stencil
To create an image of a heart, the Heart stencil is used. This stencil comes with or without the added border. I started to use the border inside the heart which looked really cool, but did end up covering it with another idea! But it’s nice to have both so your options are open.
I love this shaped heart which has slightly rounded edges, resembling a cinnamon heart candy!
4. Position the heart stencil in the middle of the four boards.
5. Using a dome-tipped stencil brush, stencil the heart image with Fusion’s Ash.
I prefer dome-tipped stencil brushes because I find the shape of the brush tip dispenses the paint more evenly, offering a fine, airbrushed appearance if you swirl the brush.
Fusion Mineral Paint in Ash (get 10% off)
Because the heart was so big inside, I used the stencil brush like a regular paint brush inside the heart, then used a swiping motion towards the center of the heart around the edges. This kept the stenciled edges crisp and sharp.
Tip: When stenciling around the edges, be sure to off-load most of the paint onto a rag until the brush feels dry. This will ensure your stenciled edges will remain crisp and sharp.
Adding a heart border
6. Stencil in a border using Fusion Mineral Paint in Algonquin.
- Reposition the border over the heart using the registration marks for easy positioning.
- Stencil with Fusion Mineral Paint in Algonquin which is a nice, reclaimed wood tone.
The border turned out great and can be left as-is! However I took it one step further to add a fun 3D element to my heart!
Adding a twine border:
- Measure a length of heavy twine or light rope, then cut to size with heavy-duty scissors.
- Run hot glue where you wish the twine to sit, then attach the twine.
Since the hot glue cools quickly, I hot-glued then quickly attached the twine working about 2 inches at a time until complete on both sides.
Scrabble Tiles can be easily found on Amazon HERE.
Gluing down scrabble tile words
7. Add the message LOVE YOU spelled with scrabble tiles.
The scrabble tiles add such a fun 3D effect, and make customizing your own message effortless!
It just so happens my lovely neighbour Janette just relinquished a bag of old scrabble tiles during her recent purging! And this is why it pays to horde, friends. I gathered up the letters so I could spell LOVE YOU, scrabble-style!
LOVE was hot glued into place with the tiles tilting this way and that.
Then Y and U were added above and below the O in LOVE to complete the Valentine’s Day message.
Other greetings of affection ideas:
- Boyfriend / Girlfriend
- Be Mine
- All Yours
- Forever
- All Mine
- Lovers
- Hugs
8. Dream up a way to mount the heart where you desire to display it.
The sky’s positively the limit when mounting this cute little rustic heart. Grabbing some rusty old relics, here’s a few ideas:
Mounting ideas for the rustic valentine heart:
- Use as a shelf sitter as-is with the heart leaning against something.
- Place old hinges on the back, so holes along the top can be used to attach to the wall.
- Position the heart on top of a large hook with holes exposed on the top to attach to the wall.
- Use a partial picture frame attached to the back, with a little showing on the top so it can be hung.
- Lean against a large bracket.
- Hang from a vintage wood hanger with pant clips.
You get to choose! And here’s the one that ultimately won the bracket race for me…
Mounted to a hook
This big ‘ol rusty junk hook was the perfect size for the wooden valentine! The hook helps to elevate the piece while adding holes above to mount to the wall if desired. Plus you can even hang stuff from the hook if desired making this a very productive piece!
What to hang from the hook:
- Coats
- Towels
- Keys
- Hang a rustic basket with handles filled with Valentine’s Day cards
Other ideas to decorate your heart:
- Hot glue cinnamon heart candies to create a pattern
- Paint a Mini Hearts Pattern (stencil HERE) over the heart
- Frame the heart with a rustic lace
- Glue conversation hearts candy onto the main heart, around it or include a bag of them
- Attach yarn to create a simple hand written message like THIS rope sign.
You could also use this as a Valentine’s card or valentine’s day gifts, along with a dinner or coffee gift card included for this fine day of romance!
And you could even get the kids or the whole family to create this fun crafting project, since little hands are always up for art projects! And what grandparent wouldn’t love to recieve something their grandchild made?
Or just do what I did…
Read how to distress a new shelf to look old HERE
Front view on a shelf
Simply sit this rustic valentine craft on a small distressed shelf, then add some vintage photos of those you love to chime in with the look and esthetic. Now that’s a display that hits my own heart!
Some spent hydrangeas that take on a woodsy tone along with some dried grass from a plant outside added just the right softness.
Then my Mom’s vintage cat eye glasses were positioned on the shelf to chime in with the photos.
Shop for vintage picture frames HERE to get this look
Which happen to be the very glasses she was wearing in this photo. Along with my handsome dad right beside her. I adore these two photos so much and they were all too perfect to add to this sweet vintage-inspired Valentine’s Day vignette.
Shop for dried hydrangea and dried grasses HERE
What a special way to remember them! And since it’s all neutral enough to leave up all year around, I think I will! A special keepsake vignette indeed.
What do you put out or do for Valentine’s Day?
Video tutorial: Valentine Craft: rustic wood heart
View the short video above to watch this project come together in full tutorial form!
Check out other unique and rustic Valentine’s Days projects HERE
Valentine craft: A rustic wood heart with scrabble word message
Supplies:
Instructions:
- Cut 4 square pieces of wood out of a plank.
- Position into a square shape. Create added interest by rotating the wood grain and flipping 2 to the other side to resemble patchwork.
- Drill pocketholes to attach all four wood pieces, then assemble with screws. Or use a bracket or another scrap wood piece to mount to the back.
- Position the Heart stencil into the middle of the 4 boards. Stencil with Fusion's Ash.Heart & Border stencil
- Stencil a border using the same stencil inside the heart, or hot glue twine to create a border. Or do both so the stenciled border can guide your twine placement like I did.
- Hot glue Scrabble letterings onto the center of the heart in the message of your choice. I used LOVE YOU by crossing through the O twice in true Scrabble style.Scrabble tiles
- Use your wooden heart as a shelf sitter, or mount a hanging bracket of some kind, then decorate as desired!
How is it that you have such an incredible knack for taking odd bits and pieces and converting them into something special? This heart would stay up all year in our home.