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Decorating and Home, Tutorials

Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign

January 17, 2014

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Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

Add a touch of romance to your home with this sweet Key To My Heart sign! It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day and would look great hung in a master bedroom too!

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

Okay, okay, before we get all sappy with hearts and Valentine’s Day and Cupid and love, let me just say this: I don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day. I barely feel like I’ve got my house back in order from Christmas, and I’m just enjoying a normal, clean, non-fussy house for awhile. Do you feel the same way? It seems like the smaller holidays come and go so quickly that I just don’t have the time to go all-out decorating for each one. Sorry Cupid… Santa wore me out! 😉

But all the stores have such cute Valentine’s decor out right now, and it has inspired me to create a few projects that give a wink and a nudge to the day of love, but are versatile enough that they can be left out all year long. Yay for double duty! I guess I can justify decorating for Valentine’s Day if it’s something that stays out all year! This rustic wood sign turned out even cuter than I pictured in my head, and I’m so excited to share it with you guys! Here’s how I made it:

Supplies

  • 1 x 8 wood board
  • sand paper
  • metal key (found at Hobby Lobby)
  • stain
  • foam brush
  • scrap paper
  • pencil
  • paint
  • nail
  • hammer

I started with a piece of 1 x 8 scrap wood from my garage that I cut to 11 1/2″ long and sanded the corners and edges down until they were nice and rounded. I think rounded edges help give a piece that worn, rustic look, so I do that on lots of my wood projects. I found this pretty metal key on sale at Hobby Lobby for only $3.50 and used that to help determine the length I wanted for my sign.

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

After wiping away all the dust from sanding, I stained the wood in dark walnut. I applied the stain with a little foam brush and let it sit for about 10 minutes before wiping away any excess stain that hadn’t seeped into the wood. After letting the stain dry for about an hour, I sanded the wood again, focusing on edges and corners, until it was distressed to my liking.

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

Then I drew a heart template on a piece of scrap paper and cut it out with scissors. Tip: Fold your paper in half to get a perfectly symmetrical heart shape! I placed the paper heart on the wood at a slight angle and traced around it with a pencil, pressing hard to create an indent in the wood.

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

I painted the heart using white acrylic paint mixed with a tiny bit of yellow to give it a nice, creamy look. It took 2 coats to get good coverage.

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

Then I grabbed my trusty sand paper again and distressed the edges of the heart. This made the stained wood around the heart get really hazy, which was kind of a bummer but also looks kind of cool too. I can’t decide. Let’s just go with “it adds to the rustic look” theory. That works for me! I probably could have avoided the haziness if I would have used one of the many gallons of paint sitting in my basement, but I needed such a small amount for this project and those little bottles of craft paint are so darn handy. Oh well!

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

I added the metal key over the heart with a small nail, and that’s it folks! Cute, versatile Valentine’s decor complete!

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

Distressed, chippy paint edges make my heart swoon.

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

I have this sign sitting out on a table by my front door for now, but I think I’m going to move it up to our master bedroom once Valentine’s Day is over. Such a pretty way to feather our “love nest!”

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

Add a touch of romance to your home with this Key to my Heart Rustic Wood Sign! Find the tutorial at LoveGrowsWild.com

I couldn’t help but take advantage of this gorgeous, post-workout, no-makeup shot I caught of myself in the mirror. Enjoy! 😉

Do YOU decorate for Valentine’s Day?

More Valentine-inspired projects:

Feathered Arrow Valentine Decor

DIY Feathered Arrows

Free Printable Valentine Cupcake Toppers for Boys & Girls

FREE Printable Valentine Cupcake Toppers for Girls & Boys

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Crafts DIY Decor
by Liz Fourez 
23 Comments

About Liz Fourez

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Comments

  1. Samantha @ Five Heart Home says: January 17, 2014 at 9:21 am

    You had me laughing at “Sorry, Cupid…” ๐Ÿ˜‰ Love this, Liz, and you are so right…perfect for Valentine’s decorating and all year long! Cute, cute!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 20, 2014 at 7:33 am

      Glad I could make you laugh! Cupid gets the short end of the stick this year, because I’m really enjoying my clean, non-cluttered house right now! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks so much for always leaving the sweetest comments, Samantha!

      Reply
  2. Val @ Home Made Modern says: January 17, 2014 at 10:15 am

    I heart this, Liz!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 20, 2014 at 7:34 am

      Thank you, Val!! I feel the love! ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
  3. Gail K says: January 19, 2014 at 10:34 am

    I like the way the edges of the heart are “hazy.” If it looked too pristine, I think it would have lost something in the translation. Besides, we all know love is never crisp edges, it has its hazy, soft, blending moments.

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 20, 2014 at 7:44 am

      That’s a very good point, Gail. I hadn’t thought of it that way! I’m so glad you enjoyed my little project! Thanks for stopping by. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  4. Sheena @ http://thekeeperofcheerios.blogspot.com/ says: January 20, 2014 at 10:43 pm

    I love this project, its such a fun idea, and it looks amazing. Thank you for sharing!
    Sheena @ http://thekeeperofcheerios.blogspot.com/

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 21, 2014 at 6:50 am

      Thanks so much, Sheena! I don’t normally do much for Valentine’s Day, but I love the way this sign turned out! Glad you could stop by. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  5. Katie @ Upcycled Treasures says: January 21, 2014 at 10:08 am

    I love all of your projects and this one is no exception! I would love it if you linked up to The Makers! http://upcycledtreasures.com/2014/01/the-makers-link-party-1/

    Have a great week!
    ~Katie @ Upcycled Treasures

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 22, 2014 at 7:06 am

      Thank you so much, Katie! You’re too sweet!

      Reply
  6. Angela says: January 21, 2014 at 9:21 pm

    dude. so cute! i have a big key that i’ve been trying to figure something to do with! thanks ๐Ÿ™‚ http://www.handmadeintheheartland.com

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 22, 2014 at 7:15 am

      You are so welcome, Angela! Glad I could provide a little inspiration! ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
  7. Virginia says: January 21, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    I love your sign!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 22, 2014 at 7:17 am

      Thank you Virginia!

      Reply
  8. Sabrina @ Hiccups in my Hair says: January 23, 2014 at 11:43 pm

    I can’t pass up a rustic key design…love how beautifully simple it is.

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 27, 2014 at 7:27 am

      Thanks Sabrina! I love simplicity in my life. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  9. JaneEllen says: January 23, 2014 at 11:53 pm

    Love love your cupcake toppers, so darned cute, boy do those cupcakes look good. I’ll never be skinny since I love and eat cupcakes, candy, pie, cakes, what a bad girl. Yours look scrumptious, now I’ll have to see if City Mkt. has any cupcakes on bargain rack tomorrow. If not, guess I’ll have to pay full price, what a terrible sacrifice, lol.
    Anyway, thanks so much for the adorable cupcake toppers, they’re perfect. Very sweet of you to share them with us. Happy weekend

    Reply
  10. JaneEllen says: January 24, 2014 at 12:04 am

    Even tho I don’t do much decorating for Valentines day I have to make your sign, it’s perfect for general decorating. Would look great anywhere in home. A great chotske and conversation starter. Love this post. Happy weekend

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 27, 2014 at 7:29 am

      Thanks JaneEllen! Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  11. Ashley says: January 25, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    This is such a lovely art project! I’ve featured it in a round-up of heart shaped art projects for this years Valentine’s Day on my blog here if you’d like to take a look: http://www.ashleypicanco.com/5-diy-valentines-day-canvases/ Thanks for sharing your creativity!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: January 28, 2015 at 9:47 pm

      Thank you so much, Ashley!!

      Reply
  12. Rise (like Lisa with an R) says: June 23, 2015 at 3:08 pm

    Wanted to share with you…I enjoy your silliness as much as I enjoy your project/how to’s. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: June 25, 2015 at 8:39 pm

      Haha, I’m so glad you enjoy it! ๐Ÿ™‚ Have a great weekend, Rise!

      Reply

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Liz Fourez started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.  From simple project tutorials, to holiday and entertaining ideas, to her journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse, Liz demonstrates how to create a beautiful and inviting home with a handmade touch. She turned her signature cozy, neutral style into a best-selling book in 2016 and continues to inspire readers with her captivating photography and easy decorating ideas. Read more about Liz > > > >

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