Valentine’s Day decorations are generally not my thing. Most of the mass-produced ones out there are way too saccharine sweet and frilly for me.
So this year, I decided I’d make my own Valentine’s Day decor: something with a vintage industrial vibe that I wouldn’t mind actually hanging in my house.
I started with these little aluminum pans that I found at a thrift store. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do with them when I bought them — but I knew it wasn’t going to involve baking.
Pretty much every craft project I do lately begins with a coat of black chalk paint, so that’s where I started with this one, too.
Then I cut a few hearts out of an old newspaper to layer over the black background.
And, as luck would have it, I had the letters I needed to spell out the word “LOVE” in the stash of random letters and numbers that I have hoarded over the years.
I wasn’t thrilled with the bright colors, so the letters got a coat of black chalk paint, too.
Then I put some silver craft paint over top, slapdash style, letting the black peek through for a tarnished metal effect.
I drilled holes in the top and bottom of each pan …
… just big enough to pull a piece of twine through.
I grunged up the newspaper hearts with some watered down paint and old coffee grounds…
… and I Mod Podged the newspaper onto the bottom on the pans.
To tie the hearts all together, I threaded pieces of jute twine through the holes.
I had a few beads on hand that I added here and there. (I wish I would have had more.)
The last step was to glue the letters on over the newspaper.
(The letters have magnets in them, but the pans are aluminum, and unfortunately magnets don’t stick to aluminum; hence the need for glue.)
