Celebrate Spring and Make a Heart Wreath

I really love that special time of the year when Winter transitions into Spring.  When the days get a little longer and the first buds start appearing. It makes my heart do a happy dance. So to celebrate the arrival of the most beautiful season of all and this month’s IBC Challenge, we made this gorgeous Spring heart wreath with resin detail.

 

All that luscious greenery promises that the cold, miserable days of winter are almost over and that Spring is on her way, bursting with life and new growth.

 

The heart shaped wreath is a great way to add something unique to your decor.

 

And right in the middle is a translucent resin heart, with a message to remind you just how much “You Are Loved”. It also forms the core of this month’s IBC “I Love Resin” challenge.

 

What’s The IBC All About

The IBC, or International Blogger’s Club, is a group of bloggers from all over the world who challenge each other to make something using a common theme.  Our last challenge was “Christmas” and we shared a tutorial to make these interchangeable art bottle lights. You’ll find all my friend’s “I Love Resin” crafts at the bottom of this tutorial and they’re stunning. So don’t miss out.

Okay, before I show you how to make one, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a crafty tutorial or DIY post!

What you need for the Spring Heart Wreath

This Spring heart wreath consists of three heart layers:

• A small resin heart that captures the light
• A rusty cardboard heart for contrast and texture
• And finally, a gorgeous fresh cut ivy heart to frame everything and celebrate the arrival of Spring and the promises she holds. If you prefer to use faux ivy, feel free to do so.

For the heart layers you’ll need the following:

Small Resin Heart

• Alcohol ink (green)
• Twine
• Aluminum foil or wax paper
• Pretty charm (optional)
• 2-minute cure resin and UV light

I love using this stuff to make miniature water features. It sets in minutes and dries crystal clear.

 

Medium Rusty Cardboard Heart

• Thick cardstock
• Heart template (free to download)
• Coarse Spice
• Mod Podge/Clear craft glue
• Brown and orange craft paint
• Reindeer moss
• Paintbrush

Large Ivy Frame Heart

• Ivy (real or faux)
• Hammer and a bucket of water
• Sturdy florist wire

How to make a Spring Heart Wreath

We’ll start with the littlest heart at the center of this easy wreath. The 2-minute resin heart.

 

Small Resin Heart

Protect your work surface with either aluminium foil or wax paper (shiny side facing you). Uncap the 2-minute resin and draw a heart shape as shown below.

 

Add a few drops of green alcohol ink and use the UV light to cure the resin. This awesome stuff cures in sunlight too but it takes a bit longer and I have no patience ?

 

If you are sensitive to smells, work in a well-ventilated area as the 2-minute resin gives off quite a strong odor while it cures. Once it cures you can peel it off the aluminum foil.

 

I added a small “You are Loved” charm on the resin heart once it cured.

 

The stuff sets rock hard so you’ll need a drill to make two small holes for the charm and a third to hang the resin heart. 

 

Medium Rusty Heart

The rusty middle heart is made from thick card stock that’s been painted brown. You can download the template here. To add a little rustification 😉 and texture I used the same spicey technique we shared when we made the window frames for our cracked up planter. It’s really easy to do. Simply apply a liberal amount of mod podge and then sprinkled on a little lots of coarse spice 😉

 

Once the mod podge dries apply another layer of brown paint …..

 

….. and splatter on some watered-down orange paint flecks using a toothbrush.

 

Glue on some moss in the corners and edges and tie the smaller resin heart to the rusty cardboard heart with twine.

 

Ivy Heart Frame

The last layer finishes the Spring heart wreath off and frames all the contrasting textures and colors in greenery. Cut a piece of florist wire and form it into a heart shape.

 

Glue the top of the wire heart to the back of the rusty cardboard heart. Re-enforce the tops of the heart shape with extra florist wire. And finally, wrap some fresh or faux ivy around the wire heart frame.

 

How to make fresh cut ivy last longer

Cut long strands of older ivy vines (with woody stems) that have grown up in the trunks of trees or over walls. Trim off some of the leaves close to the cut. Lay the woody cut ends of the ivy on a flat surface and use a hammer to gently squish the ends. Squishing the stems makes it easier for the ivy to absorb more water.

 

Place the ivy in a bucket of cool water add an aspirin. Aspirin is a great anti-transparent and blocks the little pores or stomata in the leaves which helps keep the moisture inside. Leave overnight in a cool spot before using it in your heart wreath. Hang the romantic Spring heart wreath on your wall or front door. 

 

It would also be perfect for a casual wedding or garden party. Or make a few and hang them from the backs of chairs.

 

All those contrasting textures kinda remind me of the woven twig heart we made a while back.

 

Isn’t that resin heart so delicately pretty?

 

The Spring heart wreath is just another resin to celebrate Valentine’s Day IMHO. Sorry I couldn’t resist 😉

 

If you like the idea of making a gorgeous Spring heart wreath with resin detail, remember to pin it for later.

 

Sharing is caring ?

 

And don’t forget to go have a looksee at the other awesome resin ideas the rest of the girls in the Int’l Bloggers Club came up with.

 

1. Another Unique Creation by Anita. IMHO, nothing captures a sunset scene quite like resin can.
2. Marie from Interior Frugalista shares a super easy tutorial to make resin coasters and you can customize them in so many different ways too.  
3. Celebrating Spring with a resin heart wreath created by yours truly ?
4. Meegan made these super clever resin tags. What a great way to show someone what’s inside all those containers.
5. And Sam from Raggedy Bits tried her hand at doing an acrylic resin pour on a scrap piece of wood.

Oh and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉

And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.

And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.