Wooden Triangle Heart

Hello and happy February!  How is it here already?! I am convinced time keeps speeding up.

Since we are approaching Valentine's day I am so excited to show you how to make a wooden triangle heart!
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create

I promise this is super easy, and you can customize your hearts anyway you want!

Before I show you how, lets see how this idea came about...

How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
I spotted this printable from Kiki and Company and fell in love with it, so I had to make my own, but out of wood...of course! 
making a 1x2 small wooden heart
I set my saw at 45 degrees and grabbed some scrap plywood strips (FYI- they just happen to be 1 1/2'' wide, the exact size of a 1x2 board) to see if it would work.  And it did!  Woo hoo!

How to Make a Wood Triangle Heart
Supplies: This post contains Affiliate Links that help me at no cost to you, thank you!  Read more.

1-1x4x8 board (or 1x2x8 or 1x3x8 for smaller hearts)
Miter saw
Finishing supplies (paint stain)
Scrap board to mount heart on (optional)
Barn Wood Frame (an amazing Ana White plan) built to fit your heart size (optional)

Cut List:

Cut out 20 triangles from desired board size on a miter saw at a 45 degree angle (see images) below
Cut scrap plywood 1 to 2 inches bigger than finished heart size (or bigger if you desire)
Cut frame and build frame to fit scrap plywood size (optional)

Step 1- Cut Triangles
scrap wood to make a wooden heart
Gather scrap wood or your 1x4x8 board.  I love to use up scraps for this kind of project.
how to cut isosceles or right angle triangles
Set your miter saw to 45 degrees.  You will be cutting 20 isosceles (two sides of equal length) triangles, or right angle triangles (one angle is 90 degrees).  

First cut off the end.  Then flip your board over and line up your blade to the corner and cut your triangle.  Remove your triangle, flip the board, and cut, then repeat until you have twenty pieces.  

Don't stress if your triangles are not all perfectly the same size, unless you create a stop, they will probably vary slightly.  For a decorative art piece I didn't stress about it, it adds character, and I am lazy!  

You can create a stop by clamping a board onto your miter saw that is cut at a 45 degree angle so you can just push your board up to it each time.   If you read through my DIY Hexagon Planters post you can see how I did the stop to cut my wood accurately each time.

Step 2- Sand
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
After I cut my pieces I lightly sanded the edges and corners.  Here I am doing a dry fit of my hearts.  You can see the size difference in the 1x2 size and the 1x4 size.  

A finished 1x2 heart is just over 8'' square, and the 1x4 heart is 19 1/4'' square.

Step 3- Stain/Paint
staining wooden heart pieces
You can stain or paint any pattern you desire for your hearts.

I did four different stains for my heart.  The dark stain is Rust-Oleum Kona(top left), the lighter is Minwax Golden Pecan(top right), the dark gray is Rust-Oleum Weathered Gray(bottom left), and the light blue is Rust-Oleum Bleached Blue Varathane(bottom right).  
painting triangle wooden heart pieces
I followed a similar pattern with my painted heart using red, two different shades of pink, and a cream color.

You may notice that I configured the placement of the triangles differently in the painted heart, so you also have the option to switch things up there as well. (I love having options!)
staining board and frame
I choose to stain my back board in Rust-Oleum Kona, and my frame in Rust-Oleum Bleached Blue Varathane.  When staining apply the stain with a rag or a brush and then remove it with a clean cloth.  I like to remove it pretty quickly when I am working with Rustoleum stain so I work in smaller sections.  If I am using Minwax stain I can let it sit on the wood longer.

Step 4- Cut scrap board
measuring wooden triangle heart on scrap plywood
This step can be done before you stain or paint.  I cut a piece of 1/4'' scrap plywood for my stained heart at about 23'' square so I could fit it into my Barn Wood Frame that is 25 1/2'' square.  I had this frame from years ago, it was one of my first builds and I was practicing on scrap wood...I have never used it until now...finally!
chalkboard spray paint
For my painted heart I cut a scrap piece of 3/4'' plywood at 11 1/2'' square.  Then I gave it a few coats of Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray paint.

Step 5- Glue Wooden Triangle Heart to Board
gluing on wood triangle heart pieces
For more accurate placement I set my heart where I wanted it on my board, and then a few triangles at a time I added wood glue to the back and re-placed them on the board.  Once all the pieces were glued I added books for weight while it dried.  
gluing together triangle wood heart pieces
For my painted heart I tried gluing the smaller heart sections together first, and the glued them to each other to complete the heart.  Next I added the heart to the board.  This method would work great if you were patient and waited for the heart pieces to dry before you tried to add it to the board...just sayin. 

Either method is fine, especially if you are patient. ;)

Step 6- Finish
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
I attached the 1/4'' plywood to the back of my frame with 1/2'' screws and that was it!  DONE!  You can also add a protective clear coat if you desire.  Then enjoy your beautiful wooden triangle heart!!
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
If you add a chalkboard finish to your board like I did, be sure and prime it before you use it.
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
I kind of love how this one turned out, my pink loving daughter said it is her favorite. 
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
I am also loving the stained look too!  
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
Either way they are a fun and easy project for adding some Valentine's cheer to your home.
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
This larger heart sits perfectly on my Modern Rustic Buffet.  
How to make a Wooden Triangle Heart, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
Here is a shot of both of them together.  This way you can easily see the different patterns of how I put down the triangles.  Which one do you like better?  I like them both, I always have a hard time choosing favorites.

Don't miss my YouTube Video:

Now how about some more Heart inspiration?
Makers Heart Attack- awesome heart projects
I am so thrilled to be joining with some of my favorite creative bloggers to bring you The Makers Heart Attach!  

We are trying to spread the love and give you some awesome creative heart projects!  Plus share your own heart project and tag @mylove2Create and the #makersheartattack so we can see your amazing work as well!  

Now to see more heart inspiration!  Be sure to check out all the heart projects below!



Mindi @mylove2create  - Wooden Triangle Heart That's Me!




Hugs!
Mindi

I will be linking to these partiesSavvy Southern Style.
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6 comments

  1. So cool, Mindi! Just today I was working on some quilt squares made out of wood! Now I'll have to make some hearts, thanks.

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  2. Love it, thanks for the tutorial and thank you for linking up to the Talk of the Town Link Party. I think I will make one today.

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  3. This is so creative! I love how it turned out. I've tried painting wall art before and it did not turn out so great...wood I can work with, though! I'm going to have to try creating some wall art again now. There are so many things you could create with this concept. Thanks for sharing:)

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  4. Oh my gosh - you're so talented and creative! The wooden hearts look fabulous and are so multi-dimensional. Great idea!

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  5. oh wow, this is incredible!! Might have to have my hubby help me with this one!

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Your comments make me smile! I love to hear what you think!