9 Ways To Say Love With Upcycled Junk

Make a unique gift for your loved one this year. It will mean more to them and will be a meaningful keepsake. I mean, who wants chocolate or flowers!

Create love signs, wall art, jewelry hangers, you name it, from things found in your junk drawer, garage, workshop, and wood pile! You can upcycle just about anything in your home, even things from your closet. 

Take a few minutes and go on a search. I know you have junk. It’s time to make Valentine’s Day gifts for your loved ones.

Upcycled Love 

Learn to look at things differently. A furniture knob can be a hanger for jewelry or keys, a horseshoe makes a funky letter U, and old keys are great for decorating just about anything.

I have tons of what I call upcycled projects meaning I made them from junk I found or things from my cabinets and closets once destined for the Goodwill bag. Recycling at its best.

Recycled Love Sign

This first project was a whole lot of fun. I painted unfinished wood reclaimed from a new home construction site (always keep an eye out for good stuff) with turquoise paint then did a bit of dry brush white paint over the turquoise.

Next, I went through my junk stash to find items for “Love Letters”. The ones I found are perfect. (click the text orange links to view the full project tutorial)

I thought I would share a photo of my junk stash. Not all of it but a big part. The hardware and metal stash have grown since I took this photo years ago.

Quilt Heart Sign

The quilted heart with the rusty horseshoe “I Heart U” sign is a favorite project. I think because of the colors and the textures. Red and turquoise are the perfect color combination. The heart is from a cutter quilt I had in my stash.

Assemblage Art Love Sign

This piece I call “Assemblage Art”. The reclaimed wood boad is long and it took some doing to find “letters” in the right size.  The E is my favorite letter in this sign. I made it using a vintage furniture pull and metal washers.

Red Valentine Love Sign

I don’t know the name of the color I used to paint the red love but sign but it is a pretty pretty red. The wood molding from a  picture frame made such a pretty L, the best part of this project.

L Is For Love Sign

I bet you have buttons in your junk stash. They’re perfect for just about any craft project. I also keep a big stash of faucet handles. I’ve used faucet handles as drawer pulls! The keys worked great to make the E in this love sign.

Upcycled Furniture Knob Jewelry Hanger Project

You can also say I love you with a handmade jewelry organizer. Of course, your loved one will probably expect some new jewelry to hang on this organizer.

I found the cool drawer pulls at a local flea market. They were in my stash forever before I found a use for them. The pulls were originally brass colored and I think they may have come off of a vintage appliance. Not sure.

I spray painted them cherry red and attached them to a piece of 1×4 board painted white.

Stenciled Valentine Heart

You guys know I love stencils because I’m not a decorative painter. Can’t even draw a stick figure. The pretty stenciled heart was accessorized with an antique key.

This has to be at the top of my Valentine’s Day upcycled projects list. The two-color stencil design has character, not a one-note thing.

Burlap Heart

Do you guys think burlap home décor is as popular as it was a few years ago? I haven’t seen a lot of it being used lately.

I made the burlap heart block a few years ago. Without the keys and escutcheon plate, it would just be a burlap heart….now it’s special.

Key To My Heart Valentine’s Day DIY

One more burlap heart with a key. The vintage gold frame for this project once held one of my school photos. I made this framed heart just to sit on this set of vintage scales.

What about these ideas? Which was your favorite?  You can find things around your house that would be perfect for a love project for Valentine’s Day. I guarantee it. Go ahead…..look in the junk drawer. Please leave a note, I read every one. Thanks for being here, Kathy