Upcycled Hardware Love Sign

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I decided I needed some repurposed decor for the big day!  Using items from my scrap wood pile and a few items from the hardware store, I made this super simple upcycled hardware love sign for my mantel.  The eclectic style and the pop of color are a perfect fit in my home!

Before I show you how to make this wood sign, I want to tell you about something really fun that’s happening in the Upcycle Sharin’ facebook group {click on that link to join the other 50,000 members that love a good repurposed project and to get updates on the challenge each month}!  

Monthly Themed Upcycle Challenge

At the beginning of each month this year, we’ll be posting a themed upcycling challenge.  You’ll have the chance to link up one {or more} of your favorite projects that fit the theme {you don’t need to have a blog … you can simply link a photo at the bottom of this post} and readers will have the chance to vote on their favorites!  So fun, right?  Even cooler?  We have sponsors each month so the winner will receive an awesome prize from one of our favorite brands!

This month’s theme is HARDWARE {your project must use some type of hardware} and the challenge is sponsored by D. Lawless Hardware!  D. Lawless Hardware has an amazing selection of drawer pulls, card catalog hardware {my favorite!}, and knobs and the prices are so reasonable.  They’re one of my favorite sources for finding something unique.

The person with the most votes in this month’s challenge will win a $100 gift card to D. Lawless Hardware!  Just imagine what you could buy with that!

How to Join the Upcycle Challenge

Check out my upcycled love sign then link up your project in the link party below and vote for your favorites!  You have until February 15th to link your project.  Voting begins on February 16th at 12:01 am PT and ends February 28th at 11:59 pm PT.  Gather your friends and family to vote for your project because the person with the most votes wins.  The winner will be announced on March 1st.

Dukes and Duchesses Upcycled Hardware Love Sign Project

Ready for the tutorial for this sign?

To make an upcycled hardware love sign, you’ll need a piece of wood 18-24 inches long {I used a leftover piece of fence planking}, a large washer, two flat corner braces, a mending plate, a variety of short screws, and a roll of that stuff you see in the picture below {wink}.  I have NO idea what that’s called and just dug it out of my garage.

You obviously don’t have to use exactly the same supplies I used to make the letters.  Scrounge around in your garage and scrap pile or at the hardware store for items that can be turned into letters.

Sand down the wood if desired and spray paint with bright red paint.

Let dry completely.

While the paint is drying, soak the metal pieces in vinegar to give them a bit of an aged appearance and to take away the shine.  You can also rough them up with steel wool if you want them to look even more distressed.

Lay the pieces out on the wood to form the word love then use a bit of hot glue to hold each piece of metal in place {use more on the washer since the glue is the only thing that will hold it down when the sign is complete}.

Use the screws to attach the metal to the sign.  You may have to drill a pilot hole if you’re using a hard wood.

I used a variety of screws from my stash and mixed and matched silver, black, white, and rusty {my favorite color}.

The sign, even with paint drying time, only took about 30 minutes to make …

… and I love the upcycled flair it’s adding to my Valentine’s Day mantel decor.

I added an old Coke crate, the cross stitch heart sign I made years ago, a couple of corbels, and a felt circle garland.  {I whipped up the garland in about ten minutes, cutting the circles out of felt on my Cricut Maker and hot gluing them onto red and white baker’s twine.}

While I created this sign for Valentine’s Day, I’m pretty sure I’ll keep it out all year round, adding it to the colorful shelves in my family room.

Upcycled Hardware Projects from Bloggers

Want some more hardware inspiration?  Check out these projects from participating bloggers this month!

Salvage Sister & Mister | Organized Clutter | Dukes and Duchesses

And now, we’d love to see your hardware projects!  Link up below!

Add Your Link to the Challenge