This book page heart DIY will be perfect for your vintage-inspired or rustic Valentine’s Day and wedding decor. And this craft is made with Dollar Tree items which makes it cost effective too!
As I was wandering the Dollar Tree aisles before Valentine’s Day, I came across a large foam heart that would be the perfect size for shelf decor.
Dollar Tree also sells lots of book for only $1.25 so I picked one of those up too.
I love admiring book page crafts on Pinterest, and I thought if I put these two items together, I could make a vintage style piece for shelf decor.
And I already had mod podge on hand which is one of the greatest craft inventions of all time, if you ask me. 😉
So, here’s the step-by-step process on how to craft this vintage style book page heart that’ll go great with your Valentine’s Day decor.
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Supplies for Vintage Book Page Heart Shelf Sitter
Supplies for this DIY include…
- Jumbo Craft Heart (Dollar Tree)
- Book (Dollar Tree)
- Mod Podge (Walmart or Amazon)
- Craft Paintbrush (Walmart)
- Foam Brush (Walmart)
- Tin Foil
- Paper Towels
- Tea Bag
*This Dollar Tree foam heart measures approximately 7.5 inches tall x 7.75 inches wide. These hearts may be seasonal craft items, so in case you can’t find them at Dollar Tree I’m linking a few other options on Amazon. *
- 4-inch Foam Hearts 12 pack (these are about half the size of mine but would be super cute!)
- 8-inch Foam Hearts 2 pack
Age Your Book Pages with Brewed Tea
Get your set up ready by putting tin foil down and then paper towels over top the tin foil. This will help to absorb the tea.
Then, you’ll need to tear about 7 pages from the book you purchased from Dollar Tree. Grit your teeth here, I love books and hate tearing them up but it’s gotta be done.
Then rip the pages into sections and lay them on your paper towels.
Brew the tea using the tea bag. I used the type of tea that I had on hand which is the round Tetley’s British Blend style tea. I let the tea brew for about 20-25 minutes and then removed the tea bag.
Using the craft sponge to apply the tea to your torn book pages. No need to turn them over and do the other side, the tea soaks right through.
And here they are, all finished and tea-stained …
And one more pic of the book pages all dry and vintage-looking …
Decoupage the Torn Book Pages to Foam Heart
Now you’ll get the foam heart and apply a layer of mod podge onto about half of the heart. I found it was easier to complete 1/2 the heart at a time so your fingers don’t stick to the mod podge.
Next, you’ll use your book page pieces and, one by one, stick them to your heart. After you place each piece, apply a layer of mod podge over it to adhere it to the foam heart.
If you don’t want a lot of white space on your heart, then tear the edges off the pieces before applying them.
Allow this half of the heart to dry before beginning the next half.
Now finish the other half of the heart and allow this side to dry.
Then you’ll flip it over and complete the same process on the other side of your foam heart.
Fill in the Edges and Bottom with the Book Pages
You’ll need to also fill in the edges with the book pages. I tore the pieces into smaller sections (as needed) and applied them to the sides.
Be sure that there is a layer of mod podge on the heart to stick them to. Then apply another layer over top the torn piece of book page.
Do your best to glue down the wrinkles. You will have some but that’s ok!
I used a small piece of the book page and applied it to the bottom of the heart folding the excess over a little. Use that mod podge to glue down the wrinkles!
And once it’s dry, this rustic book page heart is all finished and ready to be displayed!
And now here she is sitting on a shelf …
Final Thoughts Regarding this Rustic Heart DIY
This vintage inspired book page heart is perfect for Valentine’s Day decor. Or even as part of a rustic wedding centerpiece or as guest book table decor.
This book page heart might also look cute in a vintage themed nursery!
The mod podge really does a great job of sealing the tea-stained book pages to the foam heart.
There may be a few wrinkles but that just adds to the vintage charm of this shelf sitter.
Also, I had some scraps of torn book page paper leftover, so you could probably get by with about 5 pages instead of the 7 that I stained. However, it never hurts to have a few extra just in case.
The Dollar Tree supplies come in under 3 dollars, and you’ll only need mod podge, a paintbrush and a few extra household items to complete this project.
Any questions, leave them down in the comments. And, as always, thanks for reading!
Now it’s time to grab your own foam heart and inexpensive Dollar Tree book and craft your own vintage book page heart that’s perfect for any shelf in your home.
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