This DIY wood corazón con milagros is such a special project and I’m delighted to share it with all of you! I’m sharing not one, but two versions of this idea.
In December 2019, I hosted a Crafty Chica Art Retreat in San Miguel de Allende. We had a group of about 30 people and we ate, shopped, walked, and crafted our hearts out! As part of the “experience” we invited a local artist to come and teach a workshop for our group.
His name was Rafael and he taught us how to make these beautiful wood milagro hearts – corazóns.
A corazón translates to heart and is very meaningful to San Miguel de Allende.
The city is known as the corazón of Mexico because it is in the center of the country. Everywhere you go, you’ll see many beautiful hearts with the flame on top.
Where to find a wood Mexican heart!
You can search online for Mexican wood hearts, I found this listing on Etsy.
You can also check a local import shop.
How to make a wood corazón con milagros
Then we applied gold leaf. We smoothed it down and sealed it with another coat of Mod Podge.
I love how Rafael uses plastic bottle tops as paint dishes. Great way to recycle!We painted the top of the heart however we wanted.
Here’s my corazón. We used tiny nails to affix the milagros.
NOTE: I love how the artists in Mexico don’t glue the milagros, they hammer in each and every one. Three tiny nails for each milagro, that way it will stay in place. However, you can use glue if you want!
Add an aging medium
The last step is to add a finish to the heart to make it look old and aged.
Let’s talk about how Rafael aged our hearts. He used ….gasoline and tar mixed together, then brushed them on each piece and wiped off the excess.
Yes. It smelled and he wore a mask. I did too. I think an alternative might be wood stain. But the hearts came out beautiful!
After going through Rafael’s class, I thought I’d do a tutorial on a similiar process. For my project I made molds and casting resin. Then I applied the hearts to wood.
RELATED: Mold making for casting resin
For this project, I bought the wood plaques at the craft store and used the same process as above to bring them to life. As far as the heart, check out the above link for directions of how I made it.
I you loved this idea for a wood corazón con milagros!
About Rafael – he put all his kids through college by running his art business and teaching workshops in San Miguel de Allende! We were all so grateful to be his students!
That heart is beautiful. I would like to make but where can I get Milagros. Thank you
Hi! you can get them online n Etsy or Amazon. They have so many of them! Hope this helps!
Yes! I found on Amazon. Thank you for your response!