My Mother-in-Law makes wreaths for all occasions. She texted me and asked me if I had any scrap wood to make her a wooden heart for a Valentine's Day wreath she was making. I told her I would get it done...but she had no idea I would have it done for her by dinner time!
So, I went through the scrap wood I had. I debated on just giving her a heart made with common board wood and letting her paint it herself. But, I had a lot of scrap reclaimed wood from her wooden quilt square project. So I figured I would use up the scraps I had and give it a more antique-y look (which is her favorite).
The mismatched wood was charming with all the different colors, but she already got a colorful quilt square. So, I decided to flip the wood and take the color out of it. Since I already had the wood, and some already cut with 45 degree angles, I just did some trimming and pieced it all together.
Next, I needed a piece of backing plywood. Not too thick, because it was already going to be a little heavy...
That'll do! This was going to be the back of another sign, but it wasn't meant to be. I knew I'd use it one day!
So, I fit the design on the board and cut out some of the excess. After that, I clamped each piece of the reclaimed wood heart to the back board and screwed each piece in from the back.
Once all the screws were in and the pieces were secured, it was time to trim it down with the scroll saw to remove the excess back board...
All the excess trimmed, the edges got a little sanding to remove any sharp edges or splinters. The final touch was a thick layer of gloss poly on the front and back to protect it from the elements. Because this is going on a wreath, potentially on the outside of the house, poly should keep it safe...
And there you have it! The heart is about 15" X 15", and she absolutely loved it! Took about 1 hour to complete, and made someone's day! Great success!
-Kevin
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