How charming is this yarn heart tree for Valentine’s Day? Besides its adorable appearance, you won’t believe how simple it is to create! With just a few easy steps, you can make this fun tree for your home, office, or even your classroom. In this post, Easy DIY Heart Tree for Valentine’s Day post, I’ll guide you through the process!
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Following the creation of my yarn-wrapped Christmas trees, I found myself with an abundance of yarn. That surplus inspired me to craft this playful and whimsical yarn heart tree for Valentine’s Day.
Why You’ll Love This DIY Yarn Heart Tree for Valentine’s Day
- Adorable Charm: This whimsical heart tree adds a delightful touch to your Valentine’s Day decor with its playful and charming appearance.
- Simple and Easy: Enjoy the simplicity of creating this tree with just a few easy steps, so get your fine motor skills ready to make an ideal project for crafting enthusiasts of all levels.
- Versatile Display Options: Whether it’s for your home, office, or classroom, this heart tree fits seamlessly into any space. Display it on shelves, mantels, or as a beautiful centerpiece.
- Personalized Color Palette: Customize your heart tree by wrapping the wooden hearts in your preferred color scheme. The soft, romantic pastels used in this tutorial offer a cozy and romantic feel.
- Nature-Inspired: Embrace the natural look by foraging branches from your yard and incorporating preserved moss. This gives the tree an organic, woodland appearance.
- Budget-Friendly: Utilize leftover yarn and easy-to-find materials like wooden hearts, making this DIY project both creative and cost-effective.
- Endless Creative Possibilities: Experiment with different yarn colors, foraged branches, and display ideas. The project is the perfect craft idea that allows for creative freedom, making each heart tree unique.
- Perfect for Gifting: Consider gluing a single beautifully wrapped heart onto a gift box for a special, handcrafted touch. These hearts make thoughtful and personalized gifts.
About This Easy DIY Yarn Heart Tree for Valentine’s Day
With plenty of spare yarn on hand, I just needed heart forms to wrap. I found unfinished wooden heart cutouts at my local JoAnn’s craft store that worked perfectly. Similar wooden hearts are also available on Amazon.
For the base, I used a beautiful scalloped ceramic pot I already owned. I filled it with dry floral foam to allow for securing branches. I foraged outside for an interesting branch with lots of offshoots – this came from a mature lilac bush in our yard. The numerous branches would give the piece shape.
To neatly cover the foam brick, I simply laid sheets of preserved moss atop the foam before inserting the branch picks. This gave the entire vessel an organic, woodland look that complemented the yarn hearts beautifully.
Tip: If you don’t want to purchase wooden hearts you can make hearts from cardboard for this project. The easiest way to make a cardboard heart is to trace a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Or make a heart template from a piece of paper and trace it on a cardboard box. An x-acto knife is helpful when cutting out the heart shape.
What You Will Need
- 3 1/2″ Unfinished wooden hearts
- Assorted pink, white, mauve yarns (each heart requires approximately 14-16 yards of yarn)
- A foraged branch (or branches) with lots of offshoots
- Dry Floral foam bricks (or styrofoam tray)
- Sheet moss
- Large ceramic pot
- Glue stick and glue gun
- Scissors
Tip: Any type of yarn or string will work on these. Choose chunky yarn, thin yarn, kitchen twine even ribbon.
Wrapping the Hearts
Take the end of the yarn and start by putting a small line of hot glue down the center of the wooden heart, to secure your yarn piece tightly.
Begin wrapping the yarn around the heart, Wrap in different directions, covering the front and back of the entire heart for a full effect.
Use a nice taut tension and overlap the yarn strands a bit for a seamless, full-coverage look. Really smother those hearts!
Once a heart is fully enveloped with yarn, simply flip it over and with sharp scissors trim excess yarn off the rough backside, gluing down tails if desired.
Repeat the wrapping process on multiple hearts freely mixing up your yarn palette. I chose an overall soft, romantic pastel scheme, but customize away!
DIY Yarn Wrapped Hearts
Equipment
- 1 Pair of scissors
- 1 Hot Glue gun/Glue Sticks
Materials
- 1 piece 14 – 16 Yards of Yarn
- 1 piece 3 1/2" Wooden heart
Instructions
- Start by applying a line of hot glue down the center of the heart.
- Lay the yarn end onto the hot glue, carefully holding it in place until the glue sets. (Exercise caution when working with hot glue.)
- Begin wrapping the yarn vertically around the heart, maintaining tension as you wrap.
- Continue by wrapping the yarn horizontally, keeping it tight for a secure fit.
- Progressively wrap the heart in all directions, creating a puffy center as you cross multiple times.
- If you notice corners slipping, add more glue to secure the yarn in place, especially for difficult edges.
- Once the heart is completely covered, flip it over and trim the yarn end using scissors.
- Apply a dab of hot glue on the back of the heart and lay the yarn end on the glue to secure it.
- Flip the heart over, and you're done! Keep in mind that each heart may turn out a bit different, adding to their charm. If you plan to make more hearts, enjoy the uniqueness of each one in your collection.
Assembling the Heart Tree
Take the foraged branches and neatly trim the ends so they are evenly flat.
Place a brick of floral foam into the bottom of the chosen ceramic vessel. Then insert the branches together into the foam, arranging them attractively.
Feel free to adjust the branches until you are happy with the shape and flow. Cover any visible foam with a layer of sheet moss for an organic look.
Now take the finished yarn hearts and thread yarn or other ribbon (I used something similar to this berry garland) through the top of the heart to start affixing them onto the tree branches.
Tip: Add battery-operated twinkle lights for a little shine!
5 Ideas For Displaying the Yarn Hearts
- The finished yarn hearts make charming clusters on mantels, bookshelves, or looping along a tiered tray for lots of texture. These hearts would be pretty on the ends of strands of wooden beads.
- For an organic look, space out hearts in a line to create a macrame-style garland on your wall or hung in front of a window. Simply thread some yarn or a piece of twine through the backside of the heart and space them evenly.
- You could also glue a single heart onto a gift box you are giving someone for a special handcrafted touch.
- Display these beautifully wrapped showstopper hearts in your favorite dish or mini dough bowl and place them on your coffee table for a festive touch.
- The design options with these crochet-inspired hearts are numerous. Add pops of color and craftiness to any space by proudly putting them on display. Make your own version and gift them creatively too!
As you can see, these yarn hearts make for beautiful handmade Valentine’s decor! Using foraged branches and yarn bits, the whole project comes together easily with a natural look.
I love that these Valentine yarn hearts can be wrapped in any color scheme imaginable, adapting them for other holidays beyond Valentine’s Day.
With simple shapes and supplies on hand, these DIY yarn hearts allow lots of creativity. Paper or fabric hearts would make great alternatives to wood as well!
I’d love to make more nature-inspired yarn crafts and am excited to experiment more. Please share in the comments if you have any other craft projects perfect for using scrap yarn! I hope you’ll try this one out.
For more Valentine’s Day crafts visit:
- How To Make DIY Decorative Book Stacks For Valentine’s Day
- DIY Valentine’s Heart Wreath with Frame
- Simple DIY Valentine’s Wreath using Faux Hydrangea
- How to Make No Sew Lavender Sachets (easy step-by-step instructions)
Thank you for visiting the blog today for these Easy DIY Yarn Heart Tree for Valentine’s Day!
Keep Crafting Friends!
Where did you find the adorable gray nest that you put some hearts in?
Love this idea Stephanie!❤️
Hi Rhonda,
I bought that in a small gift shop several years ago. It’s a twig bird’s nest that looks like it was painted white ( I’m guessing chalk paint) that looks gray. Thanks for visiting the blog!
Stephanie, I really don’t do decorations for Valentine’s Day since the kids are grown & the grandkids almost are. But these are so sweet I think I’m inspired! Thanks for sharing❤️
Thank you Debi! I do very little myself and what I do is simple and understated like this yarn heart tree!