Upcycled Valentine’s Day Art

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Take ordinary thrift store items and give them a facelift to create these darling Upcycled Valentine’s Day Art pieces that are perfect for a shelf or mantel!

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White painted wicker chargers with gold glitter edge, and pink glitter cardstock sitting on a wood fireplace mantel with brick background and chalkboard that says "Love is in the air"

I turned otherwise boring wicker chargers into glam Valentine’s Day Art to display on my mantel. I even got to use my brand-new Cricut for this project, and let me just say that I have a brand-new addiction. See the tutorial below to learn how to make your own upcycled Valentine’s Day art!

White painted wicker chargers with gold glitter edge, and pink glitter cardstock sitting on a wood fireplace mantel with brick background.

So I actually picked up these wicker chargers last year before we moved. I was going to make something for Thanksgiving with them but ended up not having the time. I packed them away with everything else in my craft room and quickly forgot about them.

With this year’s first Thrift Store challenge coming up, I was frantic trying to find something to repurpose. I went to FIVE thrift stores in my new town and came up empty-handed. Panicked and discouraged, I came home and started angrily decluttering and organizing my office. That’s when I came across these wicker chargers and knew I had to use them. I mean I really HAD to use them.

White painted wicker charger with gold glitter edge, and pink glitter cardstock heart, sitting on a wood fireplace mantel with brick background.

Of course, I had to use my new Cricut in this Valentine’s Day Art project! I was afraid there would be a huge learning curve but was pleasantly surprised to catch on fairly quickly. If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen some of my stories of quick little projects I’ve done so far. But don’t worry, you WILL receive an onslaught of projects here too.

White painted wicker charger with gold glitter edge, and pink glitter cardstock heart arrows sitting on a wood fireplace mantel with brick background.

How to Make Upcycled Valentine’s Day Art

What you’ll need:

  • Wicker Chargers (you can find these at any thrift store)
  • Paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Glitter
  • Cardstock (I picked up a pad of Valentine’s Day cardstock paper from Target’s Dollar Spot)
  • Silhouette (or pencil and scissors)
  • Mod Podge

How to Make Art from wicker chargers

Clean the wicker chargers really well. After sitting in a thrift store they can get a little dusty/dirty and you don’t want that in your paint! I dry-brushed mine with a soft-bristled brush first and then cleaned it with a slightly damp rag.

Paint the chargers in your favorite color. For this project, I used chalk paint, but it would be MUCH faster to use spray paint. Unfortunately for me, it was 20 degrees and windy when I painted them and I was not about to waste my time trying to use spray paint. The chalk paint worked well, it just takes a lot of patience to get into all of the crevices.

Plain wicker plate chargers with paintbrush and white chalk paint container.

While the paint dries, cut out the heart and arrows design on your Cricut. I used files from Cricut Access for mine, but you can create your own too.

Don’t have a Cricut? No worries, you can easily freehand a heart and arrows and use scissors to cut them out. Note: the font I used for “Love” is called Gracias.

Bird eye view of valentine's day cardstock die cuts.

Once the wicker chargers have dried, add the glitter! Make sure you are doing this over a wipeable or disposable surface. I have a large piece of cardboard that I craft on and laid a piece of foil over it for easy cleanup. I’m sure this goes without saying but glitter gets EVERYWHERE! Even when you are careful.

White painted wicker chargers with gold glitter edges

Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on the edge of the wicker charger and then sprinkle on the glitter. Work in small portions, don’t try to do the whole edge of the charger at once, or else the Mod Podge will dry before you can get the glitter on it.

Close up of gold glitter edge of wicker charger

Once the glitter is on and dry, add the cutouts. Figure out the placement first, then apply a layer of Mod Podge onto the back of the cutouts. Place them where you want on the upcycled Valentine’s Day Art and press down firmly, holding for about a minute. This will make sure the Mod Podge grabs the charger and keeps the paper in place. It may be necessary to add more Mod Podge in areas where the paper doesn’t stick to the charger.

White painted wicker charger with gold glitter edge, and pink glitter cardstock heart arrows.
White painted wicker charger with gold glitter edge, pink glitter cardstock heart with the word "love" overlaid in pink stripe.

I love how these turned out. Decorating for Valentine’s Day isn’t a big thing for me, but putting out a few little things here and there is just fine. The best part is that it didn’t cost much at all! The paper came from Target’s Dollar Spot, the paint, glitter, and Mod Podge I already had, and the wicker chargers were $0.50 each. So for less than $5, I have some custom upcycled Valentine’s Day art to display on my mantel. Perfection.

More Valentine’s Day Ideas

  • Valentines Ideas collage
    14 DIY Valentine’s to Make at Home
  • Valentines Day crafts collage
    25 Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Easy Valentine's Day Canvas Art
    Valentine’s Day Canvas Art

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Upcycled Valentine's Day Art

Wife to a computer nerd, mom to a neurotic dog and lover of all things baking, creating and making. She's not afraid to get messy or fire up a power tool and she has yet to meet a dessert she hasn't liked.

38 Comments

  2. Pingback: Heart Themed DIY Decor Ideas - Inside the Fox Den

  8. Hi Amanda! Thanks so much for organizing this for us. You’re so organized and do a great job! This was such a cute project, too! You’re right, I see these in thrift stores all the time and will have to pick a few up now!

    Reply

  9. Life is much better with glitter and your repurpose is an example of it, love what you’ve done!! They look great next to that chalkboard, the lettering is so pretty.

    Reply

  15. These are so pretty. I love the glitter on the edge. I thought you had glued gold cord on the edge. You make using the Silhouette so easy. It is on my craft wish list. It is a pretty way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

    Reply

  17. I see those all the time while I am thrifting and have never thought of what I could make with them. I love what you have done and it is so pretty for Valentines!

    Reply

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