A lot of people hate Valentine’s Day.
I am not one of those people. I love Valentine’s Day!
It is just so cute. And it is a fun excuse to eat a lot of chocolate. And wear pink. And say cheesy things to special people.
So yeah, I dig it.
Part of my Valentine’s Day celebration this year involves this cute light up heart Valentine’s Day art that I made for my home. It’s bold and fun, and my favorite part is that it SHINES, day or night! 
It was a really quick project that my little guy helped me with (he loved helping poke the lights through the canvas).
SUPPLIES
- Blank artist’s canvas
- Acrylic paint in colors of your choice (I used ivory, black, red, and red glitter)
- 1″ foam brush
- Painter’s tape
- Pencil
- Scissors or other object with a sharp tip
- Battery operated string lights
- Hot glue gun
INSTRUCTIONS
First paint your canvas the desired background color. I used ivory, which ended up looking a little more yellow than I would have liked. Le sigh. 
Next, I taped off diagonal lines across my canvas and painted over the entire thing with black acrylic paint. 
After the paint dried, I removed the painters tape. I then painted a red heart on the canvas. 
Then I added some red glitter paint on top for good measure. I looooove glitter. 
Once the paint dried, I marked ten dots on the heart with my pencil. I then used some random poking tool (I think it may be a thread snipper from that time I tried to sew a couple of years ago), to poke holes through the canvas. I was REALLY careful not to rip the canvas. It’s very delicate, so be gentle.
Finally, I turned the canvas over and placed the mini lights through the holes. I held them in place with hot glue, which really helped to stabilize them. I taped the battery back to the bottom part of the canvas and that was it! 
As you can imagine, my kiddos love this Valentine’s Day decoration and are constantly begging me to make it light up. I’m sort of hoping the novelty wears off soon . . . but then again, maybe not. 
I’ve got another fun Valentine’s Day post planned for later this week, so make sure to check back! 
– Bre
To see where I’m sharing this post, please click here.
Christine says
This is so cute B! I love Valentine’s day too… for all the reasons you mentioned!
Bre says
Thanks, Christine! I should’ve had REESE’S HEARTS on the list, too! 🙂 xo
Christine says
That came out great! And what a great idea to let your helper poke the lights through! I bet that was a hit 🙂
Bre says
Hi, Christine! Thank you so much!! Yes, he was ALL ABOUT helping with the lights . . . I didn’t have much of a choice. 🙂 Hope your week is off to a great start!
Creative Mama Renee says
I love the bold graphic of the black and white stripes, and the lights make it super cool! Neat-o!
Bre says
Hi, Renee! Thank you so much!!! 🙂 Hope you are having a great Monday!
Erica says
ohmygoodness this is SO cute! love the hint of sparkle in the red paint 🙂 just adorable
Bre says
Hi, Erica! Thank you!! Gotta have a little sparkle, right?! 🙂 Hope your week is off to a great start, my friend!
Breanna says
Love this Bre! So fun 🙂 Pinned!
Bre says
Hi, friend! Thank you!! I really appreciate it! 🙂
Carmody says
I love this Bre!
Bre says
Thank you, Carmody! xo
Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness says
SO cute! Love that glitter, and the lights are perfect and make it so pretty! 🙂 Pinned!
Bre says
Hi! THANK YOU!! 🙂 Have a great day, my friend!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says
I would have never thought to do this, but wow it is so easy to add mini lights to a canvas. Love it!
Bre says
Hi, Carrie – yes – super super easy! I went the canvas route instead of wood for that simple reason! Happy Valentine’s Day (a little early)!
Alexandra says
This is such a neat idea! I love the look of the glittered heart on the cream and black canvas solo – the lights are an added bonus.
I would love if you linked this up to my 14 Days of Valentine Inspired Crafts Linky Party – http://eyeloveknots.blogspot.com/2015/02/14-days-of-valentine-inspired-craft.html.
Bre says
Hi, Alexandra – thank you!!! I will check out your party – thank you for the invitation! xo
Amy | Canary Street Crafts says
So cute!! I love the lights!
Bre says
Thank you, friend! BTW, I cannot wait to check out your painted dresser post. I saw a pic and it looks amazing. I am behind on everything so I haven’t read the post yet, but I will be. You are a pro already!
Emily, Our house now a home says
This is adorable! I love the bold colors of red, black and white. I also think Valentines day is a sweet holiday.
Bre says
Hi, Emily! Thank you!! You are so sweet. 🙂 Hope you have a fun Valentine’s Day planned. I can’t believe it’s next week!