Upcycled Vintage Puzzle Heart

If you’re missing a few pieces from an old puzzle, no worries. Upcycle vintage puzzle pieces into a charming heart decor accent. Here’s how!

Ever wondered what you could do with an old puzzle missing  some pieces? Is it worthless; should you throw it out? Today’s project shows there’s nothing that can’t be saved and repurposed. You just need to get your creative juices flowing! Today’s Upcycled Vintage Puzzle Heart may find you looking around your house for that forgotten treasure!

Years ago, a friend dropped off a bunch of her grandma’s old things. She knew if there was anyone who would appreciate a bunch of old stuff, it would be me:) I just love it when friends send their families’ vintage leftovers my way!

I’ve had this old Valentine’s puzzle stashed away in a drawer. It’s so adorable, but unfortunately it’s missing a couple pieces. I have considered just throwing it. But for some reason this year, I finally saw the potential.

Sometimes life (and ideas) are like that; you need to keep them around a while until the lightbulb moment strikes.

If I’d have given up on this cute little puzzle, I never would have gotten to enjoy the sweet little heart I made from it. And, it happens to have my maternal grandparents wedding anniversary written on it; the year it must have been gifted! Which makes this repurposing project all the more sweet.

Because my maternal grandma was the queen of reclaiming, redeeming, rescuing and repurposing. And her and my grandpa got married on Valentine’s Day, soon before he headed off to war.

This sweet little Valentine puzzle card came in a Hallmark bag, where the sender would write their to and from:

Here’s how I repurposed this cute, old puzzle gift.

Upcycled Vintage Puzzle Heart

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First, Divide Up the Puzzle Pieces

This old puzzle had some cute Valentine-shaped pieces that I wanted to highlight. First I divided up the normal pieces from the decorative ones.

Play With Your Upcycled Heart Design

While I was sipping my coffee, I laid out the regular pieces around a little paper doily I had sitting there. The doily size was too small to fit all the pieces around, so my heart would have to be bigger.

But…I really liked the idea!

Cut Out Your Heart Shape and Glue on Pieces

I decided on a 7″x 7″ size. I simply cut a heart shape out of tagboard and then cut out the middle, leaving about 1/2″ width to stick the puzzle pieces to.

Then I decided which basic pieces to put on first, so the heart shape would still be obvious. I hot glued them into place.

I continued gluing the pieces on, trying to cover most of the white tagboard, and keeping the heart shape.

Lastly, I added the cute Valentine-shaped pieces.

Ready for the cute reveal?

Finish Your Puzzle Heart with Ribbon and Buttons

There were a couple spots where I could still see the white tagboard, so I dug out my vintage buttons. Old buttons are a great way to cover any mistakes, and they add great texture, too.

Lastly I glued on a length of pretty coral ribbon to hang.

Isn’t it just a cutie? Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

This will be a beautiful addition to my Valentine’s Day decor, especially since it has my grandparents wedding anniversary right at the bottom. It could also be used as a picture frame.

This Upcycled Vintage Puzzle Heart looks adorable, hanging next to my  upcycled mini violin shelves {“Violin Instrument Case Repurpose”}. Hanging everything on a crib spring makes it easy to swap up with the seasons!

My Valentine’s decor definitely leaned toward the Spring greens and pinks this year, starting with the “DIY Rustic Valentine’s Wreath with Origami Flowers.” Every year different Valentine’s inspiration strikes!

For more Valentines Inspiration, check out:

“Handmade Valentine’s Gift Ideas with Vintage Style”

“DIY Valentine Bunting”

“From White Elephant to Valentine”

“Valentine’s Day Decor in the Kitchen”

Hope you enjoyed this sweet little project! Hopefully it will remind you to not throw things out too quickly. Sometimes it takes a little while for for the idea to form. I’m so glad I didn’t throw out this old puzzle; I’m loving my “new” Upcycled Vintage Puzzle Heart.

Sharing at these lovely parties:

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