How to make a ticking stripe heart wreath with vintage-style from recycled materials. I've been on a mission to create unique decor using what I already have on hand. Everything about this pretty DIY Valentine wreath is recycled and didn't cost a dime to make.

Red Ticking Stripe Valentine Wreath DIY

While I made the heart wreath for Valentine's Day, it would be pretty hanging in a bedroom year round or would make lovely wedding decor.

Instead of buying one, the only investment you'll need for the heart-shaped wreath form is family pizza night because it's handmade with a recycled 14-inch pizza box.

The pretty red ticking stripe ruffle around the wreath is from a recycled chair slipcover we are no longer using. But if you don't have a ruffle that you can salvage from an old pillow cover or garment, then ruffle ribbon or lace would be lovely too.

I've been slowly recycling every remnant of the old ticking stripe slipcover. So far I've made a ticking stripe office chair pillow, ticking stripe Christmas ornaments, ticking stripe fabric pumpkins, and a ticking stripe upholstered stool. So I'm happy to finally find a purpose for part of the ruffle.

I also recycled a remnant from a decorative metal sheet to embellish the center of the wreath. A punched tin tile would be very nice too. But if you don't have either, pretty scrapbook paper or fabric could be used instead. The goal is to make the wreath with what you have on hand!

What You'll Need To Make It

While you are gathering supplies to make the wreath, grab a blow dryer to help the paint dry quicker. And grab some extra glue sticks too because you'll be going through a lot of those.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from any qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Supply List

Recycled Ticking Stripe Fabric or Ruffle Ribbon/Lace
Recycled Pizza Box
Recycled Decorative Metal Sheet Or Punched Tin Panel
Jute Rope
Vintage White Multi-Purpose Craft Paint
Bright Red Acrylic Craft Paint
Retractable Craft Knife
Hot Glue Gun
Clear Glue Sticks

How To Make A Heart Wreath With Recycled Materials

Once you have shopped your home for everything you need, making the wreath goes quite quickly.

Recycled Pizza Box Wreath Form

We'll start with the handmade heart-shaped wreath form. The first thing you'll need to do is draw a 12-inch heart template. Fold a piece of craft paper or newspaper/flyer from your recycle bin in half. Draw a heart shape with the fold in the center and cut it out.

Use the paper template to draw a heart on both the top and bottom pieces of the pizza box and cut them out.

With another piece of paper (or use the same heart template), make a 4-inch heart template. Place the smaller heart in the center of one of the cardboard hearts and carefully cut out the shape with a sharp craft knife.

Now that we have our heart-shaped wreath forms, it's time to add the pretty.

Painting Top Piece Pizza Box Heart Wreath Form

We'll begin with the top piece of the wreath form with the heart cut out. Have the plain side of the cardboard facing towards you and paint it with warm white craft paint. To get the paint to dry quickly, use a blow dryer or a craft heat gun set on low.

Once the last coat of white paint is completely dry, lightly distress the paint with a piece of 150-grit sandpaper. You can see in the photo below how the corrugated cardboard texture shows through the paint and resembles a cool brick pattern.

Painting Bottom Piece Pizza Box Heart Wreath Form

On the bottom heart wreath form piece, paint the printed side of the cardboard with the same warm white craft paint. This will give the back of the wreath a finished look, especially if you plan on hanging the wreath from a mirror.

If you plan on using a punched tin tile, fabric, or scrapbook paper in the center heart cut out, then jump ahead to the next step.

If you are using decorative sheet metal like I am, then we want to add a pop of red to show through the metal grid. Once the last coat of white paint on the back piece is dry, flip it over and paint the center of the heart with two coats of bright red craft paint like pictured below.

Recycled Decorative Metal Sheet Insert

Cut the decorative metal sheet to fit about an inch or so larger than the heart-shaped opening. Tape it with the good side facing out on the backside of the top wreath form like pictured below.

Ignore the fact the back of the top piece of the wreath form in the photo below is painted white. My mind wandered and I thought I was painting the back of the bottom piece. 😲Oops!  Do you get engrossed in your thoughts when crafting too? 

Alternatively, if you are using a punched tin tile, fabric, or scrapbook paper instead, then tape that to the back of the heart cut out.

Glue the two cardboard heart shapes together with a bead of hot glue. Trim any excess cardboard on either sheet with a sharp craft knife.

Recycled Slipcover Ruffle

Now we'll embellish the edge of the wreath with a pretty ruffle, in my case I'm using the ruffle from the old ticking stripe slipcover. Alternatively, salvage a ruffle from an old piece of clothing, pillow, or bedding, or use ruffled ribbon or lace.

My ruffle was too long for the heart wreath so I hemmed it to 1-inch and kept the trimmed pieces for another embellishment we'll be talking about further down in the post.

Pin the ruffle (or ribbon) about 1/2-inch from the edge of the heart wreath form. This will give the ruffle some stability and keep it upright rather than flopping backward. Once you have the placement, attach it with a bead of hot glue.

Jute Rope Trim

This step is completely optional depending on the ruffle you use. To cover the raw edge of the ruffle, hot glue a strand of jute rope. Use anti-fray fabric glue or school glue (like I did) on the cut ends of the rope to prevent it from fraying.

The seam on my ruffle is large so I had to double the rope trim to conceal the raw edge.

DIY Ticking Stripe Rosettes

To embellish the center heart on the wreath I used the leftover ticking fabric from hemming the ruffle to make fabric rosettes. Alternatively, you could use small readymade fabric roses.

Embrace the frayed fabric when making these as it adds to the charm of the rosettes.

1. Cut strips of fabric 1/2-inch wide.
2. Fold the strips in half lengthwise.
3. Press the fold with an iron.
4. Roll the ribbon once and hold it with a dab of hot glue (like pictured below).
5. Continue rolling five more times and add a dab of hot glue to hold it in place.
6. Now you want to twist the ribbon as you wrap the fabric ten times around the roll. See the top example in the photo below. It may take a couple of attempts to master this step.
7. Fold the fabric under the rosette and secure with a dab of hot glue.
8. Cut the fabric strand.
9. Repeat the steps above to make 19 more rosettes to fit around the 4-inch heart.

You can find more detailed instructions for making the roses in my fabric rosette pillow post.

I'm not going to lie, it can be tedious making all those rosettes but it gets faster as you get a rhythm going. It's a great project to do while watching television.

Oh, and be prepared to do a little battle with your hot glue gun. Ouch! I recommend using a small craft glue gun rather than a heavy-duty glue gun if you still want fingerprints when you're done.😉

This is completely optional but while I was in the rosette making groove, I made two larger ones to embellish the bottom of the heart along with a smaller rosette.

Wreath Hanger

Make a loop with a narrower twine rope and hot glue it to the back of the wreath for a hanger. That's it, we're done!

If you use a blow dryer to get the paint to dry quickly, this heart wreath can be hanging on your door, a mirror, or wall within a few hours. For more DIY heart shape wreath ideas you might like this recycled scarf heart wreath or this Valentine burlap rag wreath idea.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this ticking stripe recycled slipcover Valentine heart wreath.

Almost all of our DIY ideas have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also find us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this DIY vintage-style Valentine wreath from recycled materials, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your favorite board on Pinterest.

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.