Upcycled Copper Pipe Heart Wreath
We saved the water line from our old refrigerator and used it to make an upcycled copper pipe heart wreath.
In 2020 we not only had to replace our refrigerator, but we also had to replace our dishwasher, furnace, and air conditioning unit.
When the appliance delivery man asked if we wanted to save the copper water line from the refrigerator, Mr. SP immediately said yes. I don’t know what he had in mind for this pipe but when I saw it, I knew I would eventually use it for a project.
Mr. SP and I used the pipe to make a heart shaped wreath and I love the end result.
I’m sharing my wreath for this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosted by Cindy of County Road 407. Each month Cindy selects a picture from Pinterest and challenges our group to create our own version of the look.
If you arrived here from Our Southern Home, welcome! Christy and I have been blogging friends for many years. If you have never visited her blog, do so! You’ll love her classic southern style.
Our Inspiration for this Challenge
The theme for this challenge is Valentine’s Day Front Door Décor and the inspiration comes from Sky at Capital B.
Sky crafted her wreath using vine covered craft wire and hearts cut from scrapbook paper.
Upcycled Copper Pipe Heart Wreath
Instead of using wire to make my version of our inspiration picture, I used a copper water line from our old refrigerator.
I am so glad that Mr. SP saved this water line because it was perfect to use for this project.
I know not everyone has a water line waiting to be used for crafting, but the same copper tubing without the water line fittings is available at hardware stores or on Amazon.
For Valentine’s Day, I decorated the heart with Valentine’s Day ribbon that I had in my craft stash.
I didn’t want to have to buy anything to make this wreath and I succeeded!
To get the ribbon in the exact position that I wanted it, I used fabric stiffening spray. I sprayed it on the loops of the ribbon, positioned the loops exactly how I wanted them, then I sprayed them again for good measure.
I also used the fabric stiffener on the tails of the ribbon to give them a slight bend. I sprayed the ribbon, formed the bends, then held the ribbon in place with rolls of painter’s tape while the fabric stiffener dried.
To hang the wreath on my door, I used a 3M hanger.
The ribbon is attached to the hanger that we made for the wreath (more on that in a minute) and can be easily changed after Valentine’s Day is over.
I’m thinking about hanging this in my niece’s room at our lake house with a neutral ribbon after Valentine’s Day. I also think this wreath would look great in a dorm room.
How to Make a Copper Pipe Wreath
Now that you’ve seen the wreath, let’s see how we made it!
Supplies
- Copper Tubing – I used a water line from our old refrigerator.
- Pipe Cutter
- Paint Can
- Scrap Poster Board, Plyboard, or Paper
- Pencil
- Torch with Mapp Gas
- Flux
- Solder
- Wire to Make a Hanger
- E6000 Glue
How to Make the Copper Heart
The first step to make the heart was to cut off the pipe fittings with a pipe cutter. A pipe cutter is super easy to use.
To form one side of the top of the heart, we used a paint can.
This worked perfectly to form one side of the top of the heart.
Note that there is excess pipe where the two top loops will join together. The excess will be removed in a later step.
Next we bent the pipe where we wanted the bottom of the heart.
To make the heart symmetrical, we traced the half of the heart on a scrap piece of plyboard.
The we flipped the heart over and formed the second half of the heart by following the pencil line on the plyboard.
The second heart looped was made just like the first one, with the paint can.
The excess copper pipe was then cut off using the pipe cutter.
We then taped the pipe to the board and marked above the tape where we wanted to cut each section of the pipe.
Those sections were cut and now the heart was symmetrical.
How to Solder the Heart Together
To connect the two pieces of pipe, we soldered the pipe pieces together.
Flux was added to the area of piping where we wanted to apply the solder joint.
Mr. SP operated the torch while I put solder under the flame. (Not shown because I couldn’t do this and take a picture at the same time.) You’ll see the soldered joint below. We used an old piece of ceramic tile as our heat shield.
How to Make a Hanger for the Heart
After the heart was soldered together, I realized I had no idea how I would hang it. Clever Mr. SP used an insulation support wire leftover from last winter’s basement project to make a hanger.
The two wire ends are inserted into the pipes. I later used E6000 glue to glue the hanger into the pipe.
Hang and Enjoy
I love how this looks hanging on a door in our bedroom.
This was such a fun project to make and it was a great way to upcycle two items: the copper piping and also the insulation wire.
The next blogger sharing her version of our inspiration picture is Carol from Bluesky at Home. I can’t wait to see what she created for this challenge!
More Projects to Enjoy
Many thanks to Cindy for organizing this fun monthly challenge!
Click on the links below to visit each blogger who is sharing their version of our inspiration picture.
So cute Paula! I love the simplicity!
Thank you, Peggy! I’m going to switch the ribbon out after Valentine’s Day and hang this is my niece’s bedroom at the lake.
Paula
Love your copper tubing heart!
Thank you! I didn’t know if my plan would work but it did.
Paula
LOVE the copper! The heart ribbon is a darling touch.
Thank you so much, Laura! I’m looking forward to reading your post.
Paula
I love reading your blog and seeing how crafty you are. Hope you are doing well!
Thank you so much, Carla! We had fun making this and it was a great way to use something that was otherwise cluttering a shelf in our basement.
Paula
Using the copper wire was a great idea, Paula. Using the paint can to shape it was brilliant. I also love how you made the hanger. It’s so simple but so sweet. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Mr. SP.
I love the simplicity of this beautiful wreath.. Plus, you salvaged something instead of sending to a landfill. Love that too!
I’d love it if you’d share it at my link party this week, too! Sundays on Silverado!
Niky @ The House on Silverado
This is such a fun project Paula, and SO incredibly unique!
Paula, your so clever and industrious! I would have never thought to do this but the wreath turned out great! Simple but adorable. Thanks for showing us how you did it.
Very pretty in it’s simplicity.
I love this simple wreath! You and Mr. SP make quite the crafty team. Hope it doesn’t get stolen! I’ve heard in some places people are stealing coppery wiring. Even out of the A.C units! People need Jesus. Enjoy your adorable wreath and thank you so much for joining in! Pinned
This is a great repurpose. Your tutorial was fantastic. I will be on the look out for copper tubing. I love it!
I can TOTALLY see this wreath in the blush bedroom at the lake! It will look lovely with some neutral ribbon! Pinned!
And the DIY award goes to…! Oh my word, Paula! I can’t believe you used the copper wire from a fridge to make this. It’s absolutely charming! I’m especially impressed since we’ve been without a fridge for over a week now, waiting for it to be repaired. If it takes much longer, I’m going to rip out some copper wires. Love the tip about the fabric spray too!
So cute paula! I love the copper wire! I would save it too!
Oh my goodness Paula – I love that you made this out of copper water line! Talk about an awesome repurpose project! And the bow you added is perfect! Well done!
Brilliant! I’m going to have to show this project to Mr Fix-it; he’ll love the engineering! I think you should hang it outside where the copper will turn that beautiful verdigris! Great repurposed project!
Paula,
What a sweet wreath!!! I love that it’s made out of copper. I can’t believe you had to replace all of that in 1 year! Goodness! I don’t do a lot for Valentine’s Day anymore with the kids in college, but I love simple touches like this!
Paula,
I love that you used copper. I’m
Obsessed with copper right now.
Hey we get to see you in action with more fun tools, and I see that Mr SP sure is handy when you need him. One thing I really love about your wreath is that it is really copper. No need for spray paint here! Love it Paula!
Oh copper is so fun and so pretty. So clever of you guys to save it…I love how it turned out!
What a unique idea! I love how it tuned out! How great that you and your husband do these projects together!
So cute and pretty! I love that you used materials you already had and that you and your husband completed the project together! Sweet! Hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Paula, only you would break out the welding torch to make a Valentine’e wreath!!! I love it! Your wreath is simply perfect!!! I love that you used the paint can to bend the copper tubing and used scrap plywood to form a template. Great job!!
Isn’t it funny how everyone picks different things to create their wreaths?? Just shows what inspiration and what’s lying around the house can create!
Happy almost Valentine’s Day to you, your hubby and pup,
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
p.s. I can’t believe you had ALL those appliances break down in one year… It killed us in CA whenever one broke down. Charles’ final coaching check bought a refrigerator we needed one summer, thankfully. I’m sorry you had to go through that because those are some big expenses. <3
This looks like something that would be outside of my comfort zone but you made it easy to understand. I might give it a go someday! It’s just gorgeous!
What a great idea, Paula! The copper color is so pretty and the wreath turned out beautifully!
This is so clever, Paula! Love how it looks and your instructions are so easy to follow. Can’t wait to see what you end up using the rest of that gorgeous copper piping to make!
Such a clever and unique idea! I loved seeing all the other heart wreaths too.
How cute is this! I love everything copper and this is no exception!
what a clever idea Paula! I love this idea! And your instructions are super easy to follow! I am pinning to make my own! xoxo
I love this Valentine as I think its something the male half would like as well. I showed your post to Hubs and he was impressed saying he could make me one. He liked it as well.
Cute! I love an upcycled project! Thank you for sharing with us at EH&F!
So simple, but beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
How adorable. I love the simplicity of it. You are so creative.
Thank you so much, Lisa. This was a fun project to make.