Here you will learn how to decorate for Valentines with this cute DIY wood Valentine gingerbread house. Along with simple steps on how to make these adorable wooden gingerbread houses to add to your hutch, mantle, or anywhere in your home. Plus more inspiration from some talented friends.
I love Valentine's day and I love bringing you loads of ideas. In this post, we will decorate for Valentine's with this cute DIY wood gingerbread house, and then at the end, I am sharing some more ideas from my talented friends on Instagram.
You are going to LOVE these ideas!!! 😉
Decorate for Valentines
After getting your house in order from Christmas most people are not ready to decorate but Valentine's day is perfect for just a few love accessories blended into your current decor. Good news! Gingerbread houses are just for Christmas decor anymore.
In fact, most of us love decorating with gingerbread houses so why not leave them out until after Valentine's day. While a real gingerbread house probably won't last through Valentine's Day, I have a fun alternative for you.
But what cupid inspired decorations should you use? Well, there are many options at the store but I think homemade is a little more special which is why I came up with this simple wooden Valentine's gingerbread house DIY. I think this will become one of your favorite things for the Valentine's holiday season.
Wooden Valentine's Gingerbread House DIY
So what is a wooden Valentine's gingerbread house or village? Well, it is basically 2 x 4 pieces of woodcut and painted with a cute whimsical house design.
A traditional gingerbread house has Christmas written all over it but adds a few pink or red hearts and magically you have Valentine's day inspired structures.
So now that you know what Valentine's gingerbread house is let's get started making these easy homes with a few supplies. You can pick up most of these items at your local craft stores. The best part, no wood glue or hot glue gun are required for this fun project.
Wooden Gingerbread House Supplies
- 2 x 4 wood (3′ of wood will make at least 4 or 5 houses)
- White acrylic paint
- Pink acrylic paint
- Very thin artist or craft paintbrush
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
Measure & Cut Wood
Your first step for this DIY is to determine how many wood houses you want and how high you want them. I cut my house shapes anywhere from 8″ tall to 5″ tall.
Measure down your board and cut a straight edge. I would go ahead and cut all the houses with a straight edge.
Next, it is time to start cutting the pitch on the house. I cut all mine similar but you can even have some flat roofs. One of the roofs I accidentally cut one angle further over instead of the in the middle. It was a happy accident because it happens to be my favorite house now. Haha!
Now that your houses cut let's start planning each house design.
Gingerbread House Design
The next step is so much fun! Grab a sheet of paper and set one of your houses on the paper. Trace around the edge.
Next, use a pencil to draw a design on the paper. You can also use design as inspiration or look up more on Pinterest.
I started with the door placement then drew in the windows. Then last I created swirls, lines, dots, and hearts to fill in between the door and windows or to top windows and such.
Draw on the House
Now it is time to paint. One thing to remember before you begin. These houses are whimsical, fun, and homemade so give yourself some grace when painting. The wood is close to gingerbread color so we're going to add whimsical touches to our DIY wooden gingerbread houses.
Another thing is to practice on paper or a board that you don't plan to use. This will help your hand to become familiar with the brush. You'll also be able to test out some holiday creativity.
Okay, there are two ways you can paint these doors and windows on the house. You can use some chalk and draw the design that way if you make a mistake you can erase it and try again or you can start painting freehand.
If you use a pencil to draw on the wood it is a little challenging to cover with paint. Chalk seems to be the best solution if you want to draw it on first.
Paint White on the Wood
Now put a tiny bit of paint on your super thin paintbrush and start drawing in the door. Next draw in the windows and then the swirls, dots, and hearts.
Here is a picture of the thin paintbrush I used. I feel the fewer and shorter bristles the better. And the more pointed the brush the better.
Paint Pink on the Wood
Next, add your pink hearts wherever you have hearts planned. These little pink hearts are important because they are the details that make this Valentine's gingerbread house.
How to Decorate for Valentine's with DIY Wooden Gingerbread Houses?
Guess what? It is time to start decorating with your sweet little gingerbread houses. Here are a few ideas of where I placed them. These ideas only require simple assembly of a few items and will look amazing in your home.
Valentine Mantel Decor Ideas
Let's start with the mantle. If you are planning to use a few things to decorate with for Valentine's then your mantle is a great place to add decor.
Add some garland to your mantle like this eucalyptus garland and toss in some tiny lights. Then all you have to do is create a centerpiece in the front with your new houses.
See how simple this mantle design is for love day?
Valentine Hutch Decor Ideas
Another great place to add some holiday decor is your hutch or china cabinet.
And don't forget to add some garlands. Another really simple DIY is this heart doily garland.
Place your houses between dishes on each shelf. If you only have four or five houses then sit then in the center of each row.
If you have one leftover place it on the tabletop of the hutch. It will look really cut combines with some of your usual accessories.
Don't be afraid to place your houses behind the garlands. They will still look good peeking out from behind it.
Here is the overall look. I decided this will be the home of all my Valentine's village. Something about it makes me smile!
The faint subtle tones of the houses blend in so nicely.
A year has passed since I made these Valentine houses and this year I dusted them off from the attic and used them as a centerpiece on Valentine's day. Here are family Valentine dinner ideas with details on how to make this tablescape for your loved ones.
Conclusion
So now that you have a simple idea to decorate for Valentine's day would you like some more inspiration with a farmhouse vibe?
Well, some of my friends have come up with more inspiration to share with you. Check out all these gorgeous ideas and links to their Instagram. I hope it fills you with love and inspiration to bring a little cupid touch into your home.
I hope you enjoy decorating your home for the Valentine holiday season. If you are looking for more ideas on decorating for Valentine's day try these:
- Valentines day garland
- 5 Effortless Valentine Room Ideas to Make your Valentine Feel Special
- Simple Farmhouse Valentine's Day Porch Decor Ideas
Have you tried making these DIY wooden gingerbread houses for your own holiday decoration? I'd love to hear how they turned out in the comments.
Happy Decorating!
EASY AND FUN FAMILY VALENTINE DINNER IDEAS
Sunday 31st of January 2021
[…] wooden gingerbread village in the center around the edge. Here are directions on how to make Valentine's wooden gingerbread houses. They are very easy to make using a 2 x 4 piece of wood and […]