Rustic Hugs & Kisses Shelf Sitter

When I bought these wood letters on clearance from Michaels, I wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to paint them. I just knew two X’s and two O’s would be cute for Valentines Day.

Step one was removing the dust! They had been in the clearance section for a while. Then I added red craft paint that I thinned out with water to create a wood staining effect.

I had a hard time deciding what other colors to use & wavered between white, pink, & magenta. I ended up going with Plaid Folk Art Multi-surface paint, in shades Baby Pink for the O’s and Magenta for the X’s.

The metal hearts were actually picks from Hobby Lobby. I used wire cutters to remove the pick portion which was welded to the hearts. It definitely tested my strength!

The red hearts didn’t really pop on the letters, so I decided to paint them white with Plaid Folk Art Wicker White acrylic instead. Once they were dry, I used a palate knife to scrape black paint along the tops of the bends in the metal to keep the rustic look of the original.

You can watch the replay of the whole process here.

After I painted the letters, they needed a little pizazz. I dug through my ribbon bins and chose three ribbons with different colors and textures. With a bit of trimming & some tacky glue, my letters took on a whole new look!

I loved how this project came together and my mind is swirling with all sorts of ideas for doing different color schemes for different seasons. Guess I’ll be heading back to Michaels for more! Which arrangement do you like better?

Happy Valentine’s Day! Be Creative, Be Artistic, & Get Connected!