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Heart Tree – Easy Valentine’s Day Decor

This easy to make Valentine’s Day heart tree is an inexpensive but pretty way to dress up a mantle or side table. It uses branches from your yard and a few Dollar Store supplies and takes just minutes to put together.

The finished tree is the perfect way to decorate for Valentine’s Day because hearts are one of the main symbols of Valentine’s Day.

It would also look great as decor at Galentine’s Day party! This DIY heart tree would look great displayed all February long!

Valentine's Day heart tree makes great seasonal decor

Readers of my blog know that I recycle things from one project to another. I used to decorate year round and had a shed full of boxes to drag out when each new holiday came along.

(Check out my post for Tootsie Pop flowers for another fun Valentine’s Day project.)

Now that my daughter is grown, the boxes are gone (except for about 14 for Christmas decorations, but that’s another story!) and I get pleasure from making decorations to use for a couple of weeks and then recycle into something else.

I made a heart shaped wall hanging last year and still had the foam hearts that were left over from the project. It was simple for me to just cut the unused part of the hearts into smaller hearts to use for this project.

Making an inexpensive Valentine’s Day heart tree

A quick walk around my yard gave me the branches that I wanted. Forsythia bushes have a naturally arching shape and I have a whole row of them in my back yard along a fence line.

A quick snip, snip, snip with some garden pruners and I had the branches for my tree. Forsythia branches and watering can

I needed a container for my tree and they can be expensive to purchase. Since I wanted to keep the cost of this project very low, I had a rummage around my thrift store purchases. 

What could be better to use as a container for a tree than a watering can?

I have been collecting watering cans for years. I plan to do a wall of them on my deck this summer. This white wire watering can is perfect for the job. 

It’s pretty grimy right now, but a quick spray with white paint will solve that problem.

I removed all of the buds from my branches and trimmed them so that they would sit in the watering can at a similar height. 

Now it’s time for the spray paint. I gave the watering can a spray of white paint and the branches got sprayed gray. It’s amazing what a bit of spray paint will accomplish!Painting a watering can and forsythia bushes

While the paint was drying, I cut out the small hearts for the branches. I had a few small ones that I had purchased (again from the Dollar Tree) that were just the right size.

For the remainder, I used the larger foam heart and cut out my own. It’s super easy to do this by just folding a piece of the foam in half and cutting around in a half heart shape. This gives both sides a uniform look.

I made sure to cut red, white and pink hearts and all three of those colors are the colors of Valentine’s Day.

Cutting hearts out of foam

My watering can is made of wire and has open sides, so I needed something to hide the branches as well as keep them from poking through the bottom of the can.

(If your can is solid, you can skip the next steps.) I saved all the off cuts to make a floor for my planter and they would make a good “mosaic” covering.

To make the mosaic floor, I cut a piece of poster board the size of the base of my can and sprayed it with some adhesive.

The pieces of left over foam got tacked on over the top and then I finished up with a thin layer of Mod Podge to hold it in place.  Making a foam covered mosaic base

I also added a couple of pieces of floral foam to hold the branches in places and some crumpled up pink and white tissue paper to hide the foam, as well.Floral foam in a watering can

Time to decorate this Valentine’s Day decor project

Finishing off the project is super easy.

I inserted the branches into the foam and then simply hot glued the foam hearts here and there along the branches and inserted them into the watering can in a nice arrangement.Finished Valentine's Day heart tree

TADA! It’s done. I like the simplicity of it and I LOVE how inexpensive and easy it was to put together.

I managed to meet all of the goals that I had for this project: Easy, inexpensive and quick. My kind of project!

This Valentine’s Day heart tree would look so sweet sitting next to a bouquet of roses. To match the tree, you could make a bouquet of white, pink and red roses (either artificial, or real – your choice!).

Valentine's Day heart tree makes great seasonal decor

For another easy Valentine’s Day heart decor project, check out my wine cork heart door decoration made from recycled wine corks.

If you’re looking for a fun activity to do with the kids this holiday season, don’t miss out on our free Valentine’s Day word search and Valentine’s word scramble.

Pin this Valentine’s Day decor for later

Would you like a reminder of this Valentine’s day heart tree? Just pin this image to one of your holiday boards on Pinterest.This Valentine's day heart tree is easy to make and looks lovely on any mantle.

Yield: 1 display

Heart Tree - Easy Valentine's Day Decor

Valentine's Day heart tree makes great seasonal decor

This easy Valentine's Day Heart Tree is made from garden branches painted white and pieces of foam cut into hearts.

Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Difficulty easy
Estimated Cost $5

Materials

metal watering can

  • Branches from your yard
  • White Spray paint
  • Foam hearts in red, white and pink colors (foam sheets also work fine)
  • White card stock
  • Mod Podge
  • Floral Foam
  • Tissue Paper

Tools

  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Mod Podge
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Remove the leaves from the branches.
  2. Spray the watering can and branches white.
  3. Cut smaller hearts from the larger foam hearts. (save the left over pieces for the base)
  4. Cut a circle the size of your watering can base and cover it with the left over foam pieces.
  5. Add a layer of Mod Podge to secure the foam. Add to the bottom of the watering can.
  6. Place floral foam in the bottom of the watering can and cover the edges with crumpled tissue paper.
  7. Place the branches in the floral foam and arrange at the top of the watering can.
  8. Use the hot glut to attach the small hearts here and there on the white branches.
  9. Display

Notes

If you use a solid watering can you can skip steps 4-6.

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Kathryn

Saturday 10th of February 2018

Good idea, and I think we can do it your self I mean no need to spend money.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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