When I was a little, I simply adored a heart shaped chocolate box that held Valentine chocolates. They lined the grocery and drug store shelves and were frilly, lacy, ruffle-y, covered in flowers. The busier, the better, as far as I was concerned. And as I was brainstorming ideas for Valentine’s Day decor projects this year, my mind tripped back a few decades to those boxes…and a 5 minute craft idea for a Valentine’s wreath came to life!
Vintage card, vintage box, but modern chocolate!
They came in pink and red, and I think I remember yellow ones, too! But these are the two I ended up with.
So busy, so pretty…
And here’s the kicker- a chocolate box (well, the vintage kind, at least) in all its frilly glory does the work for you, right? There’s no embellishing needed (it’s got PLENTY of bedazzledness going on already!)…it just needs to hang from a nail on a door. That’s why this is a 5 minute craft; once you have the perfect chocolate box to upcycle, of course. This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience.
5 Minute Craft: Creating a Valentine’s Wreath
So, with vintage heart shaped chocolate box in hand (well, two of them…), I gathered a few more crafting bits and pieces, such as ribbon, my crafting shears, and an awl (or any strong point, like a small nail, that can pierce the box).
Start the timer for 5 minutes!
To add a hanging mechanism to my heart shaped chocolate box, I just needed to punch small holes in the bottom half of the box. The holes just needed to be evenly spaced and near the top of the heart. After measuring and marking punch-dots on the back, I placed the box bottom over a short stack of scrap wood, and carefully tapped holes through my marks using my festive craft hammer and awl.
Prepping to pierce!
Then, I cut a short length of ruffled ribbon to hang my Valentine’s wreath. And you won’t believe the CUTEST thing I found to connect it to the box.
I Heart Brad(s)!
Heart-shaped paper fasteners! (Or brads…I always called them brads in the past). But, how perfect (and crazy easy) is that?
And OMG, I just thought of the funniest project joke: What do you call a small hole for a paper fastener?
A BRAD PIT! (wink, wink)
They work perfectly!
Here’s a view from inside the heart shaped chocolate box…
Hahaha…still laughing about “Brad Pit”…
And that’s it! Now I had a super simple-to-make Valentine’s wreath that is an honest to goodness 5 minute craft.
But I have to confess, I did two more completely optional steps…which added a few more minutes to my crafting schedule…
First, I used double-sided tape inside the heart shaped chocolate box to keep it closed while hanging. It was already pretty secure on its own…but this was just simple insurance for my piece of mind.
A little extra security never hurts…
Then, I used my hot glue gun to freshen up the flower on the center of my heart wreath. It had gotten smushed over the years and the petals needed some help staying open. Of course, not every chocolate box will need this, but mine did.
Carefully un-smushing her petals…
Valentine’s Wreath from a Heart Shaped Chocolate Box
NOW I was done! Still…pretty darn close to a five-minute project, even with the optional steps! Isn’t she pretty? Like she was always meant to become a wreath…
Ta-da!!
A couple of other things to note…
- You could easily make this Valentine’s wreath with a plain chocolate box! Simply add the embellishments yourself, using whatever lace, ribbon, or silk flowers you have.
- Because the paper brads can be easily removed, just tuck the ribbon hanger and brads inside the box when you store it for the rest of the year- then they won’t get lost!
And if you’re looking for more upcycled Valentine’s Day decor project inspiration, please feel free to check out my other projects before you go…
Craft On!
S
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How adorable
Thank you, Norma!
What a beautiful idea! Thank you for sharing this Sarah, you brought back a rush of Valentine’s memories from my childhood!
Do you remember the store shelves being lined with these? They were still pretty “fluffy” in the 80s when my Dad would buy them for my Mom and I.
These are so great to repurpose! Wish I had some of the ones I’ve run across over the years (and thrown away). This is a cute way to bring back the memories!
I know!!! I really wish I had saved mine or my mom’s…coulda, shoulda, woulda…
This is a cute and easy idea!!! I’ll share this on my fb page when I return from trip.
and I love the Festive Hammer!!
It’s SOOO easy!! Those super fancy candy boxes do all the decorative work for you. 🙂
Loved it, just bought the red heart from your shop!
Thank you, Virginia- I mailed it on Friday! 🙂
I took an old heart shaped Valentine box and fancied it up a few tears ago,. I haven’t used it in the last couple of years but you inspired me to turn it into a wreath and use it this year..
Woohoo!!!
Adorable! As usual, I love your idea. I have a heart that is several years old but rather plain. I like the idea of embellishing it with lace ruffles and flowers. I’m gonna keep it simple, though, and just make a hole in the back of the box to hang it on the nail. My front “door” is glass French doors and it has vinyl clings all over it (Better Homes and Gardens is NOT knocking on my door for my style!). The hall closet door becomes the place for all my “door” arrangements.
I love this easy idea for a wreath! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much!
Very sweet! Great that all the decorative elements were already on the box. Talk about a fast upcycle! Visiting from Remodelaholic.
Thank you!