Two Valentine's Day DIY projects – for your special person

29 Jan 2026

There are so many gifts available to buy for Valentines Day – and none of us miss out on seeing the constant reminders in advertising! But if you want to give something truly special, make a one-of-a-kind gift for your loved one with their favourite Resene colours, or atleast some Valentines-inspired ones. Here are two easy DIY gifts you can make:

In love with plants

Flowers at Valentines Day can be pricey but a nice pot plant is something that can last a long time. We took an inexpensive terracotta pot and painted it in Resene Glorious, and yes, it is glorious! We then hand painted some love heart eyes and mouth on using a fine paintbrush, but you could get creative with any patterns you like or even paint your loved one’s name.

You will need:

• A pot; ours was 16cm tall and 17cm wide 
• Paintbrush
• Fine paintbrush
• Pencil
• Testpots in your chosen colours. We used Resene Glamour Puss and Resene Smashing

Step 1: Paint your pot in Resene Glamour Puss, you will need two coats for best coverage.

Step 2:Using a pencil draw the heart eyes and mouth onto the pot.

Step 3:Using a fine paintbrush paint the eyes and mouth in Resene Smashing.

Step 4: Pop in your plant ready to give to your loved one.

Wall in Resene Half Pearl Lusta, console in Eighth Spanish White, book in Poppy.

Picture perfect

Instead of giving your special person a frame that everyone else can buy, why not make your own… in these cute little heart shapes! We took two heart trays/boxes from Kmart, painted them using some Resene testpots, added some photos, and used ribbon to hang them on the wall. Simple, easy, and one-of-a-kind!

You will need:

• 2x heart shaped tray/boxes (ours were from Kmart and are 24cm wide and 23cm in height.)
• Ribbon
• Glue
• Paintbrush
• Testpots in your chosen colours. We used Resene Poppy and Hopbush
• Photos

Step 1:Paint one heart in Resene Poppy.

Step 2:Paint the second heart in Resene Hopbush.

Step 3:Print and cut out photos to fit into shapes and secure with glue.

Step 4:Take some ribbon and glue to the back of the hearts to hang on the wall.

Step 5:Give to your loved as a gift, or hang on the wall ready for them when they wake up on Valentines Day.

Wall in Resene Half Pearl Lusta, console table in Eighth Spanish White, candle sticks in Ballerina and book in Candy Floss.

projects Vanessa Nouwens

images Bryce Carleton

Published: 29 Jan 2026