Skills Required: None. You’ll be cutting mesh, rolling it, and attaching it to a wire form with pipe cleaners. It’s easy to put this Valentine’s Day wreath together because the colors are random.

I made a lot of mesh wreaths this past holiday season. You could say it was a bit of a “mesh-splosion” around my house. After I made several wreaths for the holidays, I decided I wasn’t out of wreath making mode.

And to be honest? My Valentine’s Day wreath making attempts have been kind of lame in the past. Or let’s just say, I could’ve done more.

There was the vintage style Valentine’s Day wreath I made, and I love that wreath. But you can see from the tutorial, it didn’t take a lot of effort on my part.

So I decided it was time to show you how to make a deco mesh valentine wreath from scratch.

Don’t get me wrong, this wreath is very easy! Yes, I put a little more effort in than prior endeavors, but it’s still perfect for beginners. It does take some time, but put on a movie. You’ll see how relaxing it is.

You’re going to make this project in three easy steps. You’re going to cut the mesh, then cut the pipe cleaners. Then you’re going to attach the mesh to the wire form. That’s it!

Mesh to Use

A few notes because mesh comes in different widths: this uses 6″ deco mesh. Depending on the craft store, you might only find 10″ rolls or wider.

If needed, you can cut down the mesh horizontally as well as vertically. The wreath does look a little bit more frilly.

Where to Get a Form

You don’t have to use a heart wreath form, but they are pretty cute in my opinion! You can get them at the dollar store if you’re lucky. They get sold out pretty quickly though.

You can use a round wire wreath form the dollar store if you want to keep the project inexpensive and you don’t care about the heart. OR you can get a wire wreath form on Amazon here.

Are you ready to make this project? Here’s how it’s done below!

Gather These Supplies

• Wire heart wreath form – 12″
• 6” X 30 ft rolls of decorative mesh
  • Pink – 1
  • Red – 2
  • White – 2
• Chenille pipe cleaners, 12″ – 1 package
• Heavy duty scissors or wire cutters
• Ruler
• Cutting mat
• Rotary cutter (scissors work too, but this makes it easier)

Find a special place on your wall to hang for Valentine’s Day!

Keep your eyes out for more mesh wreaths around here. Because if you think I’m done? I’m not!

Here’s a close-up of the wreath. I love the texture and the sparkle that comes from the deco mesh! I’d love to know if you make this in the comments.

Get the how to below:

Print

Deco Mesh Heart Wreath

Learn how to make a deco mesh valentine wreath using a heart shaped wreath form.

Course Valentine’s Day Crafts

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 wreath

Cost $12

Equipment

• 1 Heavy duty scissors or wire cutters
• 1 Ruler
• 1 Cutting mat
• 1 Rotary cutter or scissors

Ingredients

• 1 Wire heart wreath form – 12″
• 5 rolls 6” X 30 ft rolls of decorative mesh pink (1), red (2), white (2)
• 1 package Pipe cleaner(s) 12″

Instructions

• Cut several 10" lengths of the mesh – all three colors – using the rotary cutter. You'll be working with a bunch of 10" x 6" pieces you're going to roll into tubes. You will cut additional pieces as needed.
  
• Take approximately ten pipe cleaners and cut them into four pieces each. You will cut additional pieces as needed.
  
• Take one of the lengths of mesh and roll into a tube (not too tight). Pinch in the middle.
  
• Bend around a wire on the wreath form and secure by twisting a pipe cleaner toward the wire.
  
• Repeat this process with the rest of your mesh pieces, alternating colors to make it random.
  
• Continue until you have covered the entire wreath form. You might opt to have less toward where the heart connects at the top so that it's easier to see the heart form. Hang with a ribbon or nail.
  

Video

Notes

Step 1: Cut several pieces of all three colors at once. I found it easiest to use a rotary cutter (with a ruler if you want to make sure the line is super straight). However, you can definitely use scissors. The rotary just sped up the process.

I usually start with about 15 tubes of each color because I know I’m going to need at least that many. Then I add as needed.

Step 2: Honestly, you can use any color pipe cleaners – you won’t see them. I usually try to coordinate white one of the colors in my wreath or use white.

Step 4: I recommend starting towards the bottom, but you can start anywhere.

Step 5: Reference photo for the back of the wreath:

I’d also love for you to check out these other posts:

• Christmas Mesh Wreaths Even the Grinch Would Love
• Valentine Pom Pom Garland with Hearts
• Make a Halloween Wreath with Deco Mesh
• Valentine’s Day Gnomes to Decorate Your Home
• 4th of July Deco Mesh Wreath with Sparkly Stars
• Witch Hat Wreath with Dollar Tree Supplies
• DIY Christmas Candle with Dollar Tree Supplies

The post Stunning Heart-Shaped Mesh Wreath for Valentine’s Day appeared first on DIY Candy.

Skills Required: Beginner. You need to know how to paint canvas and the basics of cross stitch to complete this project.

I’m so excited to share this project with you! It’s one of my favorite projects EVER. Do you have any favorite quotes or song lyrics that you love? You know, they make you happy when you read them on a page or hear them sung on the radio.

The Beatles songs are like that for me – my mom loved listening to them when I was young, and we used to sing the lyrics in the car on rides home from school.

To remind me of those fun times when I was little, I cross stitched on canvas with The Beatles lyrics “all you need is love.” If you have a phrase that bring a smile to your face, this project is fun (and easy!).

This canvas makes a sweet gift if you personalize it for the recipient. If you do what I did, this canvas makes a great Valentine’s Day decoration, too. Here’s what you’re going to need.

Gather These Supplies

• Printer and plain white paper
• 12” x 24” canvas
• FolkArt acrylic paint – Aqua (or color of your choice)
• Printed pattern of a quote or lyrics (here’s mine)
• Embroidery thread – for my pattern, one skein covered about three letters – I used four skeins of white and one skein each of a few shades of pink
• Embroidery needles
• Tool to puncture your canvas – I used a bead reamer like any of these
• Scissors
• Painter’s tape

REMEMBER TO REVERSE THE PATTERN if you use letters. You are taping the pattern to the back of the canvas, and you want it to show up correctly on the front.

ALSO IMPORTANT: every stretch canvas like I used has a wood frame. That means that you can’t make your pattern the full size of the canvas because you can’t stitch edge to edge.

You’ll need to consider the measurements inside of the wood frame as the size of your stitching area. If your canvas has a wood crossbar, that’s fine. Those are easy to stitch behind and around.

Get the printable how to card below:

Print

How to Cross Stitch on Canvas

Learn how to cross stitch on a cotton duck, stapled canvas from the craft store using embroidery floss.

Course Wall Art

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Dry Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 canvas

Cost $12

Equipment

• Printer with plain white paper
• Scissors
• Tool to puncture your canvas bead reamer or awl
• Embroidery needles

Ingredients

• 1 12” x 24” canvas
• 2-3 bottles FolkArt acrylic paint Aqua or color of your choice
• Printed pattern of a quote or lyrics here’s mine
• 6 skeins Embroidery floss for my pattern one skein covered about three letters – I used four skeins of white and one skein each of a few shades of pink
• 1 roll Painter’s tape

Instructions

• Paint the canvas with acrylic paint. Give it three layers (completely cover it) and let dry.
  
• Print your cross-stitch pattern and tape the pages together . . . then tape the pattern inside the back of the canvas (in the center). Make sure that it fits within the wood frame, or you’ll need to print again until it fits.
  
• Use the bead reamer to puncture through the paper pattern and canvas from back to front, at each corner of every "X" on the pattern. If your bead reamer has a sharp tip, it’s very easy to punch through.
  
• Thread your embroidery floss through the needle and tie a knot (several times) at one end. Begin cross stitching your canvas, following your pattern exactly.
  
• This is how the back will look. When you finish a strand, tie off the floss by threading under several stitches. Then begin a new strand.
  
• When you get to the last word(or whatever word you would like to highlight), change the floss to another color. Finish in the same way.
  

Notes

Step 2: Here’s how I created my pattern. I searched for “cross-stitch letter patterns” online, and then used Excel to place x’s in the boxes to duplicate the letters. I then reversed the pattern (since I was taping to the back) and printed to fit. You might have to print a few times to make sure that your pattern fits your canvas – see my attached pattern document for a sample.

Step 3: Just be careful as you are punching– don’t rest the canvas on your leg!

Step 4: I did not remove individual threads from the floss strands – I just used the strand as a whole.

This is one of my favorite home decor projects of all time – it makes me happy every time I see it on the wall. Now you have to make one for yourself, right?

I’d love to hear what you think of this project in the comments. I’d also like it if you checked out these other cross stitch and wall projects:

DIY Pillow • Flower Sweater • Glue Art • Hand Embroidered Magnets • Magazine Collage Art • Mod Podge Canvas • Pom Pom Wall Hanging • Poster Hanger • Song Lyric Art • Wall Decals • Yarn Wall Art • Yarn Wall Hanging

The post Can You Cross Stitch on Canvas? Yes! Here’s How appeared first on DIY Candy.

What was your Valentine’s Day like when you were young? Mine consisted of two things: crafts and valentines. By “valentines” I mean the kind that you pass out in the classroom.

And I don’t know about you, but I went through a very careful selection process.

You have to make sure the right person gets the right valentine! I wanted my best friends to get the cutest ones, of course. Anything about besties or being “bananas about you” was saved for them.

My other classroom friends would get the “you’re so cool” and “you’re a great catch.” Something with a little less commitment than the besties, but still a fun message.

Then there were the boys.

Even at nine years old I didn’t want to give a guy the wrong impression. I wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment . . . just something to drop into their decorated shoebox for the holiday. The most benign and basic valentines were saved for them.

Did anyone else go through this complicated thought process when distributing their valentines?? Or was it just me?

Valentine’s Day is hard when you’re young and know nothing about love. But what isn’t hard – and is in fact quite fun – is the crafting around the holiday. And today I’m sharing Valentine’s Day perler beads that kids are going to love!

Let’s be honest – the adults are going to love these patterns too. If you’ve never tried perler beads, they’re so fun and relaxing. And they’re much less messy than paint, for example. They’re perfect for valentines!

Perler beads are recommended for ages six and up, so this is a very fun craft to try with your elementary age kids. If you’re ready to use perler beads (also known as hama beads, fuse beads, or melty beads), you’re going to love this collection of patterns.

Valentine Perler Beads

Make sure to check out these notes:

• A few of these patterns are larger than a 29 x 29 pegboard, so you’ll either need a extra large pegboard (49 x 69 tall) or to put multiple square peg boards together to form a larger “canvas.”
• Some of these patterns also use either heart pegboards or hexagon pegboards, which you’ll definitely want in your arsenal just generally speaking.
• You’ll see a couple of the pattern backgrounds below aren’t white – that’s simply to give contrast so you can see where all the white beads should go. You don’t need to add the background (but you can if you want to).

Valentine Mini Perler Beads

These patterns use 85 gray, 209 white, 94 red, 129 pink, 99 black, 74 light pink, 35 brown, and 7 tan beads.

Conversation Hearts

These hearts use 281 pink, 266 pastel yellow, 263 red, 281 pastel purple, and 285 pastel green beads.

Be Mine Heart

This pattern uses 115 fruit punch, 282 magenta, and 70 white beads.

LOVE and XOXO

You can make these separately on a small square board (14 x 14 beads), or you can make together on one larger board.

Mini Pink Hearts

These tinies use 227 fruit punch and 79 pink beads.

Heart Shaped Perler Beads

These patterns are made using the small heart shaped pegboards, which hold 121 beads each.

You Have the Key to My Heart

These patterns use 18 lime green, 98 white, 42 cheddar, 104 pink, 3 yellow, 26 red, 27 charcoal, 19 blue, and 24 purple beads.

Cupid with His Bow

This pattern requires the large hexagon pegboard and uses 118 red, 40 gray, and 5 black beads.

Red, Pink, and Brown Hearts

These patterns use 193 red, 87 pink, 44 white, and 54 brown beads.

Love Potion Bottles

These patterns use 142 plum, 147 white, 77 gray, 140 light blue, 128 pastel blue, 11 dark brown, 15 brown, 41 purple, and 24 pink beads.

Valentine’s Day Gnome

This gnomie uses 272 pink, 120 gray, 26 flesh, 57 white, 57 red, and 12 charcoal beads.

Colorful I Heart You

This pattern uses 416 white, 91 blue, 116 lime green, 89 parrot green, 67 purple, and 62 magenta beads. The whole background is filled in on this pattern to fill an entire 29 x 29 square.

Heart Frame with Stand

This frame uses 138 white, 74 salmon, 38 hot coral, 36 blush, and 165 turquoise beads. The pink background is just for contrast – you won’t fill in the center of the heart. Once the pieces are done, the two stand pieces insert at both bottom sides of the frame. Tape the picture to the back!

Hearts in Quote Bubbles

These patterns use 74 black, 74 charcoal, 192 white, 31 red, 14 light green, 13 light lavender, 8 blueberry creme, 12 pink, 7 cheddar, 7 flamingo, 7 yellow, 5 kiwi green, 3 light blue, and 1 purple.

Heart Candy Box

This pattern uses 260 red, 91 white, 121 brown, and 44 pink beads.

Kitties with Twisted Tails

This pattern uses 187 black, 205 fruit punch, 205 cotton candy, and 6 white beads.

Love Bugs

You’re use hexagon, regular, and a round board to make these cute holiday bugs.

Heart Flower with a Stand

This pattern uses 134 black, 12 white, 86 magenta, 20 fruit punch, 109 shamrock, 21 kiwi green, 8 plum, and 2 honey beads. Once you assemble both pieces, you can insert the heart flower directly into the stand (no glue required).

Melting Rainbow Heart

This pretty pattern uses 13 magenta, 12 cheddar, 14 green, 16 turquoise, 14 yellow, 6 purple, and 76 black beads.

Snuggling Parakeets

These sweet birdies use 32 white, 29 pastel blue, 15 yellow, 2 black, 8 honey, 34 light blue, 2 orange, 6 sherbert, 10 red, 18 bright green, 8 mist, 44 kiwi green, 14 dark green, 22 cobalt, 8 forest, 5 dark blue, and 12 brown beads.

Leopard and Tetris Shaped Hearts

The leopard heart uses 61 honey, 30 black, and 13 brown. The Tetris heart uses 32 aqua, 12 teal, 24 light green, 12 white, 12 hot coral, and 12 salmon beads.

Valentine’s Day Wreath

This pattern uses 66 white, 113 red, 50 shamrock, and 24 pink beads.

Floral Heart

This pretty flower uses a large hexagon board! Each small flower takes 7 beads, and there are 28 flowers for a total of 196 beads of different colors.

Snoopy Holding a Heart

Snoopy uses 144 black, 233 white, and 48 red beads.

Heart with Wings

This pattern uses 81 black, 74 white, and 43 red beads.

Eye Love You

This pattern uses 64 black, 53 white, 36 shamrock, 21 cobalt, 46 pink, 20 kiwi green, and 5 light blue beads.

Balloon Scene

This pattern uses 324 sky, 69 white, 21 pink, 13 cotton candy, and 10 gray beads.

Pinky the Owl

She uses 160 magenta, 12 black, 4 cheddar, 23 pink, and 17 light lavender beads.

Valentine’s Day Bubble Gum Machine

This pattern uses 50 red, 28 white, 10 black, 5 magenta, 7 pink, 6 raspberry, 5 cherry, and 6 blush beads.

Mouse Holding a Heart

This pattern uses 151 gray, 12 cotton candy, 2 black, 1 pink, 10 white, and 31 red beads.

Wonder Woman Heart

This pattern uses 199 dark blue, 93 white, 104 red, and 102 gold beads (or butterscotch as a substitution).

Heart with Pet Paws

This pattern uses 121 pink and 74 black beads.

If you’ve enjoyed these valentines perler beads, let me know in the comments! I’d also love for you to check out these other posts:

Birds • Butterflies • Easter • Emoji • Fairy & Gnome • Flowers • Mother’s Day • Mushrooms • Stars • Summer • Unicorn

The post Valentine’s Day Perler Beads (50+ Patterns!) appeared first on DIY Candy.

Skills Required: None. If you follow the instructions, you’ll just be folding paper and you don’t need any crafting skills to do that. Very fun and low stress.

In a world that’s increasingly digital, there’s something incredibly comforting about the tactile joy of flipping through the pages of a physical book. The rustle of paper, the smell of ink, and the weight of a book in your hands are irreplaceable experiences for many of us.

But as we dive into the depths of our latest literary adventure, there’s one small hero that often goes unnoticed until it’s needed – the bookmark.

This isn’t just any bookmark, though; today, we’re diving into the art of creating an origami heart bookmark, a little piece of art that holds your place and steals your heart.

Origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, is not just about creating objects; it’s a meditative process that requires patience, precision, and a gentle touch. It’s a form of crafting that turns a simple sheet of paper into something magical and, in this case, incredibly useful.

The origami heart bookmark combines the beauty of this traditional art form with a practical function, ensuring you never lose your page again. Plus, it’s a fun way to add a personal touch to your reading experience or gift something special to the book lovers in your life.

Today I’ll show you a super easy way to fold and decorate an origami bookmark to look just like an adorable and iconic Valentine’s Day candy! It’s a fantastic way to dip your toes into the world of paper folding without feeling overwhelmed.

So, grab your favorite paper, find a cozy spot, and let’s dive into the world of origami together. By the end of this post, you’ll have not just a bookmark, but a little heart-shaped companion ready to accompany you on your next reading adventure.

Let’s unfold the magic of paper folding and create something beautiful, one fold at a time.

Type of Paper to Use

If you aren’t aware, there is origami paper available for projects like this, and it’s relatively inexpensive! The paper is somewhat thin, and typically comes in squares that are 6″ x 6″. The weight of your average origami paper is about 70gsm, just like a lot of printer paper.

That means if you want to print out a pattern and use it for this paper craft, you can! Having said that – printing uses a lot of ink, and you can never just fold a few. So if you want to keep the costs down for this project, I suggest going for it and buying the origami paper.

For a heart bookmark such as this one, I like to use paper that is a bit thicker. The paper will be handled frequently and moved on and off of pages. There is 80gsm paper available, and that’s what I would use.

Gather These Supplies

• Origami paper in various colors
• Scissors
• Clear Tape
• Permanent marker (optional)

Let’s make an origami bookmark (or ten)! Trust me – once you get started with these, the whole house is going to be filled with them. They’re cute for Valentine’s Day or as party favors.

You’ll find out that we love bookmarks around here! When you’re done trying this bookmark craft, check out our paint chip bookmarks, our cat bookmarks, or our confetti bookmarks. Happy making, friends!

Print

Origami Heart Bookmark

Learn how to make an origami heart bookmark in a matter of minutes! This is so easy, you'll want to make hundreds of them.

Course Crafts

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 heart

Cost $.25

Equipment

• Scissors

Ingredients

• Origami paper
• Clear tape
• Sharpie(s) optional

Instructions

• Fold the paper in half and then cut it along the fold. You will have two smaller, rectangular sheets of paper.
  
• Fold one of the rectangular piece of paper in half lengthwise (the top portion of the paper is open).
  
• Now fold the paper in half again.
  
• Open up the paper; you should see a fold in the middle.
  
• Fold up one side of the paper against the folded line.
  
• Repeat step 5 with the other side.
  
• Flip the paper over. Use a small piece of tape to hold both halves together.
  
• Fold down the top portions to start forming the top of the heart.
  
• Fold down the corners on either side of the top of the heart.
  
• Flip the paper over and the heart is complete. You can place over the corner of the page.
  

Video

If you enjoyed trying this easy origami heart craft, here are some other paper crafts you might enjoy as well.

• Confetti Bookmarks for Kids
• Surprise Message Cards
• Cat Bookmarks From Paint Chips
• Accordion Paper Flowers
• Spring Flower Paint Chip Bookmarks

The post Origami Heart Bookmark You Can Make in Minutes! appeared first on DIY Candy.