Thrift Shop Heart Cutout Decor Upcycled As Valentine's Day Decor

I bet you all remember the era of country wooden heart decor? I sure do! I had a lot of it myself. This shelf actually has a date carved into the back. 1988. That sounds about right!

First I brushed on a coat of Clear Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac. This will help with stain bleed through on white chalk paint. I then brushed on two coats of Chalked Paint in Chiffon Cream.  I wet distressed the edges of the shelf.  Wet distressing involves wetting a t shirt rag and wiping the edges and large areas of the piece with the rag. I rub harder on the edges and less in the center areas.  

These are two stencils I used on my Valentine's Day project.  

First, I used the word "love" from FolkArt Die Cut Paper Stencils Phrases (26-Pack) and "xoxo" Momenta Hello Adhesive StencilI removed the mirror and replaced it with a piece of chalkboard from Home Depot, cut to fit. (I first tried to paint the mirror with chalkboard paint but scratched the paint TWICE when placing the mirror back in the frame.)

Love was stenciled with Ceramcoat in Buttercream on the chalkboard and xoxo was stenciled with Ceramcoat black craft paint above the heart cutout. I sealed the chalk paint with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax in Natural. I added a white distressed double hook from Hobby Lobby to the bottom of the shelf.

I received these vintage Valentines back in 1961 from my kindergarten classmates.  I have at least 50 old valentines from the 1960's. All were addressed to me from classmates, family and friends.

I added a red tulip to a small vintage Listerine bottle and placed it on the drawer shelf, and added the old valentines to a Hobby Lobby pail.

Here is my farmhouse style Valentine's Day decor project! Other thrifted Valentine's projects can be found HERE and HERE.