Looking for another quick and easy dollar store Valentine’s Day craft? Check out this adorable Pixel Heart Home Decor project. You can make it in about half an hour (minus drying time).
What to do with this home decor item? Add it to your Valentine’s Day mantel decor. Use it on a tiered tray. Or add a couple of coats of Mod Podge and use it as a coaster! These make great gifts.
You can find more Valentine’s Day ideas here.
DOLLAR STORE PIXEL HEART HOME DECOR
This is a great project for kids of nearly any age to make. The younger ones will need your assistance, but certainly can at least help with the painting.
Supplies:
- Wooden Mini Blocks – (2 packages)
- Craft Paint – Light Pink, Red and White (or your choices of colors)
- Ribbon, Black and White Gingham (or ribbon of your choice)
- Liquid Craft Glue with a fine tip applicator – we used E6000 with success but with children I would highly recommend using tacky white glue instead. This will require some extra drying time but is much safer as the E6000 can cause eye and skin irritation. Tombow Liquid Mono Glue or Aleene’s Tacky Glue are good options depending on what you have on hand or can find available.
- Rubber Bands
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
Instructions:
STEP ONE
Gather all the materials needed for this project. Lay out 49 of the mini wooden blocks in a seven-by-seven square on the work surface. You can use grid paper to map out your design just as we did to make it easier to see just what colors you want and where to put them.
STEP TWO
Using the photo or your own mapped out design as a guide, paint the background blocks with white acrylic craft paint (or your choice of color) with a small flat paintbrush. Let dry.
Note: For the purposes of the photos so you can clearly see the design as I’m working on it, I’m showing them in place within the design. However, I found it easiest to count the number of cubes I needed in each color and to keep them separated while painting. This way I didn’t accidentally splatter paint onto the wrong blocks. I find this especially important when kids are making this craft as it helps avoid frustration. Once dry, reassemble the design before the next step.
Paint the heart blocks with red acrylic craft paint and set aside to let the paint dry completely.
STEP THREE
Once dry, flip all blocks over, keeping them in the same order. For this side, if following the colors of our design, paint all background blocks with red acrylic craft paint. Using a small flat paintbrush, paint the heart blocks with light pink acrylic craft paint. Let paint dry completely.
Once again, to make it easier for painting, you may wish to move the blocks apart, grouping them according to color.
STEP FOUR
Attach the first row of blocks together using liquid craft glue with a fine tip applicator. Continue gluing blocks together until all seven rows are complete.
Note: Blocks will be slightly different in height and width. This just adds to the rustic look.
Next, glue each of the seven rows together.
Secure vertically and horizontally with rubber bands and set aside until the glue is completely dry.
STEP FIVE
Once dry, wrap ribbon around the outside edge of the pixel heart block and tie in a knot at the top. Finish with a bow and trim the ribbon ends with scissors at a diagonal or into points to help avoid fraying.
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