Sharing is caring!

If you need some cheap, easy and beautiful Valentine’s Day decor, I can help! Here are 8 different farmhouse DIY projects made from (mostly) Dollar Tree material! Keep reading to see how I challenged myself and what I came up with!

 

Creating Cheap Decor: Just Another (Developed) Mom Skill

Cheap Valentine’s Day decorating is just another notch in the belt of skills I’ve had to learn as a SAHM on one budget.

One of the unexpected blessings of being a SAHM on a tight budget is the forced development of creativity.

By that I mean, when you’re on a single income (plus a few contributions from mom’s various and assorted side hustles), you need to be creative: with meal planning, with gifts, with decorating, with clothes – with all of it.

Decorating is on my radar probably the most these days, as we moved and bought a house in the middle of all this – the single income, I mean. And that means I needed to learn to be creative with decorating and making our house a home.

But the blessing has been that once your brain starts rewiring in a creative | DIY | repurposing mindset, the doors of possibility flood open.

Not only does it energize you, but it also gives you a new way to make your living space unique and personal.

 

Yup, Dollar Tree for Farmhouse Valentine’s Day Decor

The same is true for Valentine’s Day.

As far as holidays go, it’s a pretty short life-span (although clever marketing will tell you it really begins on December 24). That’s just one more reason to not spend a lot of money on decor. You’ll have it out for a month or so, at most.

So, if you can make easy, cheap farmhouse Valentine’s Day decor (which you can), even better.

I’m in a lot of Dollar Tree DIY Facebook groups, and I’m always amazed at what they make from Dollar Tree – can I say it? –  crap.

Well, not all of it is crap – some things are exactly what you’d get at Walmart or Hobby Lobby – but I’ve been often impressed at what they come up with.

Dollar Tree Valentine’s Day DIY Challenge 

This year, I gave myself a Dollar Tree challenge, to see what I could come up with for Valentine’s Day decor.

To be fair, not every single material I used was from Dollar Tree. Most of the other things I had on hand already, so I figured it was fair game. The rest is from Dollar Tree.

Here’s my beginning haul from Dollar Tree (I made a few more trips after the initial one):

Today, I want to share 8 super-simple projects you can do using items from Dollar Tree – super cheap, no more than $5 a project, but usually less. And they’re so easy it’s almost embarrassing to explain how they are done. But I will.

I was really, really happy with what I was able to come up with.

 

8 Ridiculously Cheap (& Easy) Farmhouse Valentine’s Day DIY Decorations from Dollar Tree

***Note: Most of these projects require a glue gun. That is NOT sold at Dollar Tree (but glue sticks are).

1| Heart Book Page Wreath

This project started out totally different. I was wanting to do a heart rag wreath. (I made this neutral-colored rag wreath this fall and loved it, so I wanted to give it a go.)

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of heart wreaths, but as the saying goes when you’re in Dollar Tree: “Well, it’s only a dollar so…”

Anyway, the rag wreath just wasn’t coming together like I wanted it to. I love farmhouse decor, and this was just looking a little tacky to me.

So I went in a different direction – I decided to go with a rag garland and a book paper wreath instead.

(You’ll see how the garland turned out in some of the pictures below, if you’re interested. The fabric was from Walmart-  yard squares, for $1-$1.50 each. I used 4.)

This is probably the most complicated project, but not hard at all. 

Heart Book Wreath

Print

Materials

• Wire heart wreath
• Burlap ribbon
• Mesh (optional)
• Paperback book, 4x7"

Tools

• Glue Gun (not sold in Dollar Tree)
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Pen (optional)

Instructions

1|  Take a wire heart wreath and wrap it with burlap or mesh ribbon, so there's a firm surface. Glue gun the end once it's wrapped.

2| Take a paperback book, pull out pages and cut them in half.

3| With each half, stick your finger or a pen in the middle and give it a twist, so you have a flower type shape. Scrunch the bottom a little so there a flat-ish surface for glue.

4| Using your glue gun, glue in the center of the wreath and complete a middle row.

5| Repeat the steps for an outside row, and then an inside row. Loop a piece of ribbon on the back with glue to hang it! Easy!

 

 

(If you want to see another Dollar Tree wreath I made after this challenge, you can find the tutorial for the rope heart shaped wreath you see below right here!)

And this is a second one I made at a later time, a DIY minimalist heart hoop wreath, using mostly Dollar Tree materials as well!

2| Buffalo Check Wooden Heart

I was really happy with how these wood hearts came out. I had seen something similar on Etsy and tried to recreate it.

All materials are from Dollar Tree except the paper (the buffalo check is an image of a pattern I found online and printed it out, and the pink plaid was scrapbook paper I already had). I had gotten the lamb’s ear from Target last year for $1.

Wooden Heart

Print

Materials

• Wood Heart
• Mod Podge
• Paper to cover heart (scrapbook paper, paper printed from Internet - not from Dollar Tree)
• Burlap ribbon
• Metal letters
• Faux flowers
• Wooden heart sticker
• Paint (optional)

Tools

• Scissors
• Glue gun (not from Dollar Tree)
• Glue sticks
• Foam paintbrush

Instructions

1| Trace heart shape on paper of choice and cut out. For the buffalo check, it's really 2 separate sheets, as an 8.5 x 11 isn't big enough for the heart. Just line them up correctly when you glue. No problem.

2| Put Mod Podge on the heart with foam paintbrush as well as on the back of the paper. Press paper down to cover the heart. Smooth out wrinkles and let dry.

3| Add a topcoat or 2 of Mod Podge to the front. Trim edge and cover edges with Mod Podge as well.

3| Add embellishments. Take burlap ribbon, wrap around the heart and glue it on the back with your glue gun.

4| Stick in faux flower or greenery if desired.

5| Glue on metal words and wooden heart sticker. The sticker does need some glue as the adhesive doesn't hold well enough. The white hearts didn't come on the wooden heart sticker page, but natural wood ones did. I just painted them white.

 

If you want to see how I styled this buffalo check heart on a rustic mantle in a romantic, vintage vignette, take a look at this post!

 

3| LOVE Wall Hanging

This just ripped pieces of scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. That’s it. To be honest, I’m on the fence about this one! But it was all an experiment, so here’s how it’s done:

LOVE Sign

Print

Materials

• LOVE sign
• Scrapbook paper or paper of your choice (not from Dollar Tree, but you can use paper from there)
• Mod Podge
• Paint (Optional)
• Wooden Heart Sticker

Tools

• Foam Paint Brush

Instructions

1| Paint sign first if desired. Let it dry.

2| Put Mod Podge on a small area of the sign. Rip pieces of paper randomly and place down. Cover with Mod Podge as you go.

3| Continue until the entire piece is covered. You may need to be a little creative as you get to the edges - it may require some trimming or paint touch up. But decoupage is a pretty and intentionally imperfect decor, so it's fine if it looks a little rough around the edges - literally and figurately.

4| Cover with a coat or 2 of Mod Podge when you're done.

5| Stick on a wooden heart with glue if desired.

 

4| Floating Hearts (Tree or Mobile)

I used the floating hearts for 3 projects. First, I made a heart mobile that I hung from the ceiling. Then, I hung the other floating hearts on a tree that was a centerpiece at my wedding and on an outdoor DIY tree I made that I decorate seasonally.

For instructions on how to make the DIY tree with the white branches, see this post!

For these projects, I used both foam and felt stickers. I found matching stickers and stuck them together with the baker’s twine in between.

For the mobile, I had some icicle garland that I wrapped with mini berry pip garland, which I also had. You could use a grapevine wreath from Dollar Tree for the top (which I was going to buy, but my store was out).

Anything that’s a circle or ring shape would be fine for the top.

Floating Heart Hanging Mobile

Print

Materials

• Top for mobile (grapevine wreath, grapevine garland intertwined, or any firm, circular object that can form a ring)
• Ribbon
• Baker's twine (optional)
• Foam hearts
• Felt Hearts

Tools

• Glue Gun
• Glue Sticks
• Scissors

Instructions

1| Decorate grapevine wreath or top of mobile as desired: wrap berry garland or ribbon around or just leave in rustic condition. Use a glue gun if needed.

2| Determine how many inches you want mobile to hang from the ceiling and then cut twice that amount (maybe an inch or so more to allow for the extra ribbon to wrap around the top). So, if you want it to hang 10" from the ceiling, cut the ribbon about 21 or 22" inches.

3| Glue ribbon around the wreath on each side, making sure it's balanced. If your ribbon is too long, just wrap it around the wreath at the length you want and glue right near the base. Then, trim off any extra ribbon.

4| Determine the spacing you want to hang your floating hearts and how many you'll need. Cut ribbon or baker's twine in pieces that progressively get longer as they circle around the wreath.

5| Find matching hearts and stick them together with the twine or ribbon in between.

6| Starting with the shortest, glue first ribbon or twine with the heart to the wreath. Continue, making sure all the pieces are gradually getting longer as they go around, until you complete the circle.

7| Fill in any areas that may need another string and heart, with the correct length.

Floating Heart Trees

Print

Materials

• Baker's twine (optional)
• Foam hearts
• Felt Hearts

Tools

• Scissors

Instructions

(For instructions on how to make the white branch tree, see this post first!)

1| Cut pieces of baker's twine or ribbon in random lengths, determining how many strings you want. (I had 5 on the tree with the rhinestone drippings. I had about 12-15 on the other branch tree).

2| Find matching hearts and stick them together with string or twine in the middle. You can choose different colors if you'd like - just make sure they're the same size.

3| Tie onto your tree as desired. You can either tie loops and hang them on, or you can tie the string using double 'bunny ears' to make a bow. 

 

 

5| Framed Gift Bags

This is more of a hack than a DIY. Just get cute bags and put them in Dollar Tree frames.

These 2 bags came in the same set of 3, and I just added a foam sticker to the heart one to give it a little more interest. Everything came from Dollar Tree except the taller white bag with the gold heart – that was from Walmart for $1.

I used the rest of the bags for the next project.

6| Gift Bag Garland

How easy is this?!?! It’s simple and adorable.

Gift Bag Bunting

Print

Materials

• Gift bags (packs of 3)
• Jute string or twine
• Clothespins (optional)

Tools

• Hole puncher
• Scissor

Instructions

1| Cut the bags so that you have just the rectangle from the front and back sides of the bags, one from each side.  Trim so you have neat rectangles with straight edges. Cut off the handle of the bag.

2|  To cut in the bunting shape, cut in from the bottom corners in a straight line, at a 45-degree angle, until both cuts meet in the middle. Essentially, you're cutting out a triangle from the bottom.

3| Make 2 holes at the top of each piece, about 1/3 of the way in on each side. 

4| String with jute string, coming in through the back of the bag so the string is visible on the top front. The bunting pieces should stay put without any extra attaching, but you can scotch tape the back if they slide.

5| You can also just use clothespins to attach to jute string if you'd rather not use a hole puncher.

7| Book Page Garland

Same concept as the garland above, but with book pages! I just love the nostalgic, romantic look of this one. You can get a book from Dollar Tree to use, or just use one you have laying around. Stuck on are foam hearts. Adorable.

Book Page Bunting

Print

Materials

• Paperback book, 4"x7"
• Jute string
• Foam heart stickers

Tools

• Scissors
• Jute string
• Hole puncher

Instructions

1| Rip out a section of pages from your paperback novel, about 10-15 pages. Avoid using any pages that are the first or last pages of chapters, as they are only halfway filled with text.

2|  To cut in the bunting shape, cut in from the bottom corners in a straight line, at a 45-degree angle, until both cuts meet in the middle. Essentially, you're cutting a triangle out of the bottom.

3| Make 2 holes at the top of each piece, about 1/3 of the way in on each side. 

4| String with jute string, coming in through the back of the page so the string is visible on the top front. The bunting pieces should stay put without any extra attaching, but you can scotch tape the back if they slide.

5| You can also just use clothespins to attach to jute string if you'd rather not use a hole puncher.

6| Stick on foam heart stickers or other embellishments of choice.

 

Here’s another way I styled it. See below!

8| Heart Themed Plastic Mason Jars

Dollar Tree has a lot of jars to use, and I might have actually been able to find a nice one that was glass, but this was in the Valentine’s Day section, so I just threw it with my haul. 

You can use it for candy, for filler, M&Ms, conversation hearts… this is fun as a teacher gift, too. Super cute!

PS – in the picture above, both the LOVE glass and the glitter hearts stems are also from Dollar Tree. I had gotten the straws at Kroger for 30 cents as New Year’s decor on clearance. I love how the black looks with the red!

Those fortune cookies were also from Dollar Tree as well!

Plastic Mason Jars

Print

Materials

• Plastic mason jars
• Burlap ribbon
• Jute string, raffia, bakers twine or other ribbon of choice
• Heart stickers (wooden and/or felt)
• Candy

Tools

• Glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Scissors

Instructions

1| Wrap burlap ribbon around the mason jar and glue with the glue gun. If the ribbon is too wide, you may need to cut it down the middle to thin it out. Your choice.

2| Layer a second ribbon or string over burlap. Tie or use the glue gun to secure.

3| Attach sticker embellishment. Use a glue gun for extra holding power.

4| Wrap lid with more twine or ribbon.

5| Fill with candy.

Bonus #9 Dollar Tree Valentine’s Day Craft

I made this sign 2 years after I did this challenge – you can check out this layered neutral heart sign right here! It’s made from mostly upcycled Dollar Tree materials as well!

Amazing, Farmhouse Valentine’s Day Decor from Dollar Tree

It’s really amazing what you can put together from Dollar Tree! I won’t lie – it won’t pass as something from Pottery Barn or the Magnolia Silos, but I love that it’s unique, personal, and can still have that rustic, farmhouse appeal.

And for a FRACTION of what it would cost to buy it. And there’s the satisfaction of knowing you made it with your own hands. How cool is that?!? 

All said and done, here are my Valentine’s Day DIY projects – about 90% of it from Dollar Tree materials! (You can see details about the other projects in the links below!)

Bonus Project – Valentine’s Day Countdown

I found these heart burlap sacks at Dollar Tree also, and I decided to make an Acts of Kindness Valentine’s Day Countdown for me and my sons to do! You can find out all the details and get the free printables  – just click on the picture below!

 

If you give something a try, tag me on Instagram at @100affections. I’d love to see it and share it in my stories!

More Valentine’s Day Home Decor

Looking for more to DIY projects or ways to pretty up your home for Valentine’s Day? Check out these other posts! All perfect for tight budgets!

Easy Rustic Farmhouse Valentine’s Day Decorating Ideas – Elegant, Romantic & Classy

 30+ Gorgeous Farmhouse Valentine’s Day DIY Projects

8 DIY Valentine’s Day Free Printable Signs – Perfect for Tier Trays!

Budget-Friendly Valentine’s Day Decor

Love is Patient and Kind Free Printable

And a few more!

19 Simple &  Stylish Valentine Front Porch Ideas

35 Simple and Chic Valentine Mantel Decorating Ideas

Soft, Pretty, Elegant Farmhouse Valentine Tablescape Idea

Simple, Clean, Classy Valentine Vignette Decorating Ideas

30+ Valentine’s Day Door Decorations for a Stunning Entry

30 Breathtaking Valentine’s Day Table Decor: Centerpieces & More!

30 DIY Valentine’s Day Wreaths & Modern Farmhouse Pretty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!