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Are you looking for a pretty Valentine’s Day craft to elevate your decorations? Create DIY fabric heart ornaments for Valentine tree using upcycled fabric, Mod Podge & plastic hearts. Easy no-sew craft with step-by-step tutorial. Option for a Christian add-on to make a 1 Corinthian 13 themed tree, too!

 

 A Thrifty DIY Tree Decoration for Valentine’s Day

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I love creating projects that have a little bit of a pretty and fancy feel (even though I am personally so far from fancy!). But I admit that Valentine’s Day sort of brings out that side of me sometimes!

Around Christmas time, I saw these fabric ornaments that Heidi from Eleanor Rose Home created, and I tucked that idea away for Valentine’s Day. I knew right away I wanted to try that technique on heart ornaments to create a DIY Valentine’s Day tree.

As I was thinking about what fabric to use, I went to my closet to see if maybe there was something I could use. I don’t really wear pink or red, so I was not optimistic.

When I walked in, I saw a floral robe from Fab Fit Fun that I never wore but was still hanging on to, and it finally found its purpose.

The pretty patterns and colors were perfect for Valentine’s Day, and repurposing it felt much better than letting it take up space in my closet. This project is a great way to use fabric scraps, old clothing, thrifted clothes, or any fabric you love.

DIY heart ornaments for a Valentine tree is a sweet piece of versatile decor that you use as a centerpiece or place on a tabletop, shelf, or mantel! 

What You’ll Need

• Plastic heart ornaments, approximately 2.5″ x 2″(clear ones like these work beautifully as a base)
• Fabric in your choice of colors and patterns (thin fabric is easier to work with!)
• Mod Podge
• Paint brush
• Scissors or rotary cutter
• Cutting mat (if using rotary cutter)
• Ruler
• Raffia ribbon (or ribbon of your choice) for hanging
• Heat gun (optional, for faster drying)
• Something to hang the ornaments on (a small Norfolk pine tree, a white birch tree, manzanita branch – wherever you plan to hang them! You can place them anywhere!)

If creating a 1 Corinthian 13 tree, you’ll need 1/2″ cotton twill ribbon, mini letter stamps, double sided tape (or glue dots or a hot glue gun), and an ink pad.

You’ll want about 15 fabric strips per heart ornament, though this can vary slightly depending on the width of your strips.

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Creating Your Fabric Strips

The key to this project is cutting your fabric into strips approximately 1/2 inch wide and 3.5 to 4 inches long. While precision isn’t absolutely critical, doing your best to cut straight will give you the nicest results.

I just used scissors and cut it freehand, but you can also use a rotary cutter with a ruler and cutting mat if you have them—it makes quick work of cutting multiple strips and helps keep them straight.

However, good old-fashioned scissors work perfectly fine too. 

The Assembly Process: Working in Halves

Here’s the trick I learned the hard way: you need to work on only half of each heart at a time. If you try to do the whole heart at once, the Mod Podge gets sticky on your fingers, and you’ll end up pulling off the fabric you’ve already placed. Trust me on this one!

I tried a few different methods, but this one was the easiest and had the best results.

First Half:

1. Apply Mod Podge to one half of the front of your heart ornament
2. Starting at the top of the heart, lay down your fabric strips vertically, overlapping them slightly as you go. Add more Mod Podge as need on the heart as well as on top of the fabric to smooth it down and seal it. 
3. As you place each strip from top to bottom, you can wrap it to the other side if it’s just a little longer – or you can trim it at an angle to fit the pointed bottom of the heart shape. 
4. Flip the heart over (keeping it upside down) and repeat the same process on the back of that same half.
   
5. Let this half dry completely before moving on.

Drying Time: You have two options here. You can use a heat dryer to speed up the process, or simply wait until the next day for everything to harden and dry naturally. 

I made 12 hearts and I was pretty tired by this point, so I took a break and waited until the next day.

Second Half: Once the first half is completely dry and hardened, repeat the entire process on the other half of the heart, front and back. Again, allow a full day for everything to harden and dry completely.

Finishing Touches

Once all your hearts are completely finished and dried, it’s time to add the hanging ribbon. I used raffia ribbon and absolutely love the rustic, natural look it adds to the ornaments.

Simply thread the ribbon through the top of each heart and tie it in a loop for hanging.

Christian Valentine Tree Option: The 1 Corinthians 13 Version

For those who want to add a deeper meaning to their Valentine’s Day tree, I created a beautiful variation that focuses on 1 Corinthians 13, the biblical passage that describes the attributes of love. This adds such a meaningful touch to the decoration!

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2″ cotton twill ribbon
• Mini letter stamps
• Ink pad.
• Double sided tape (or glue dots or a hot glue gun)
• Rubber band (to keep stamp letters together, optional)

Creating the Love Attribute Labels:

1. Cut your canvas ribbon into strips about 2 inches long—just slightly less than the width of your heart ornaments.
2. Pro tip: Cut the ribbon at a slight angle at the end for a more refined look.
3. Use the mini stamp letters to stamp words from 1 Corinthians 13 onto each ribbon strip: “patient,” “kind,” “believes,” “trusts,” “endures,” “protects,” “hopes”
4. You can wrap a rubber band around the stamp letters to help keep them aligned straight when stamping. 

Attaching the Labels: You have a couple of options here. If you want a permanent attachment, use hot glue to secure the ribbon labels to your hearts.

I ended up using double-sided tape, which gave me the option to change them out for different messages next season if I want to reuse the hearts. You can also use glue dots.

The Valentine’s Day Tree

Once I had made several of these fabric heart ornaments, I hung them on 2 decorative trees to create a Valentine’s Day display. One is a birch tree I use for Christmas, and the other is a manzanita branch, which is actually a centerpiece from my wedding (16 years ago!).

The mix of patterns and colors from that floral robe created such a pretty look, and the raffia ribbon ties everything together with a rustic, handmade feel.

Here’s the version without the lettering and how they look hanging on 2 different trees:

 

The 1 Corinthians 13 version reminds us what love truly means—patient, kind, believing, trusting, enduring, protecting, and hoping. And I love any way that I can add biblical decor to my home, reminding me of the truth of Scripture!

Why I Really Love This Craft

Beyond the obvious appeal of the finished product, this project checks all the boxes. It’s budget-friendly, uses materials I already had, and gives new life to something that was otherwise going to waste. 

This isn’t necessarily a ‘done in one sitting’ craft, but if you break it up into short sessions over a few days, it’s very easy. It does get a little tiring if you’re doing to do all of your hearts, both sides, all at once.

I get sloppy when I try to do too much, so I definitely needed to split it up. Working in halves and allowing proper drying time made all the difference between frustration and beautiful results.

You can create just a few hearts or make enough for an entire tree like I did. Either way, these fabric ornaments add a pretty handmade vibe to your Valentine’s Day décor!

Printable Instruction Card

To get more succinct instructions that you can print out, see the card below!

More Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas

21 Sweet & Easy Valentine Crafts for Seniors

35 Fun & Festive Valentines Girls Night Craft Ideas

45 Farmhouse Valentine’s Day DIY Decor Projects

 

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!

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