Easy Valentines Day Crafts

Every store I have been in lately has an absolute overload of red and white colours! Oh yes - Valentine’s day is coming soon! I tell you - I look at the prices of some of the items available  and I think : Yes, that is very cute and pretty , but it is also quite likely that it will end up in the trash after the celebration.

I really believe in making things with your own hands, giving some thought to it, getting creative juices running and involving kids in the works . Here is have put together a few easy to make crafts that you can make - and have fun doing it and mostly - have fun giving the special treats!

Special Red Roses

Nothing much says :I love You, then a single red rose! This one is easy to make and when you attach personalized tag to your rose, it can quickly become treasured keepsakes for members of you family!

Materials:

• 1 ½ green chenille stems (per flower)
• Red craft foam
• Scissors
• White craft glue or hot glue gun

Instructions:

1. Set aside half the chenille stem for a later step. Take the full chenille stem and bend it in half. Starting at the bent end, twist the chenille stem around itself all the way up. When you reach the end trim it to make it even if needed.
2. Cut out 1″ tear drop shapes from the red foam, you will need 7 of these.
3. Cut out ¾” tear drop shapes from the red foam, you will need 3 of these.
4. Lay a 1″ tear drop on the table, point side down. Glue the open end of the twisted chenille stem to the red tear drop petal.
5. Glue a second tear drop behind the first tear drop (point side down), most of the tear drop in back will be visible. Repeat on the other side. Repeat again on each side, gluing them in a curved fashion (similar to a half circle). When you are done there should be one petal in the middle and 3 on each side.
6. Glue one of the smaller tear drop petals on top of the green chenille stem. Glue the other two smaller petals overlapping the first one, point side down.
7. Once these are all dry, bend and curve the foam petals to join both rounded sides together to form the flower. Glue in place and hold until dry, hot glue comes in handy here.
8. Use the ½ chenille stem to bend the leaves into shape and twist around the stem.

Friendship Box

Sometimes it’s not the actual gift but the message that it brings that is most cherished. This friendship box is great for showing how much your friends and family mean to you.

What you’ll need:

• 1 empty box, any size
• Valentine themed wrapping paper or pink/red construction paper
• Pink construction paper
• White paper for poem
• White craft glue
• White ribbon
• Scissors

How to make it:

1. Wrap the empty box in wrapping paper or construction paper.
2. Tie white ribbon around the box and tie into a bow on the top.
3. Print out the poem below.
4. Trim the poem and glue the trimmed poem to pink construction paper.
5. Trim the pink construction paper to give it an even border all the way around.
6. Glue the poem to the box.

Friendship Box Poem
Inside this fancy little box
I placed a gift so nice
You’ll probably always cherish it
Not even thinking twice

Now even though this box I give
Holds nothing you can touch
I’ve placed inside our friendship
It’s you I like so much!

Soft and Puffy Heart

Not only can you use this adorable craft to write a special message on the back, it can also be turned into a very special dinner table decoration!

Materials:

• Pink and white tissue paper, cut into 1″ squares
• White craft glue
• Scissors
• Piece of card stock or construction paper
• Pencil with an eraser

Directions:

1. Cut out a heart shape from the construction paper or card stock.
2. Put white craft glue into the center of the heart, shaped like a heart.
3. Using the eraser end of a pencil, place the eraser into the center of a white tissue paper square. Twist the tissue paper square around the eraser and dot it onto the glue. Continue this process until entire middle of the heart is covered with white tissue paper. See photo.
4. Repeat the process from step #3 with pink tissue paper for the border of the heart.
5. Glue a hanger to the back if you like.

Tips:

• For younger kids who have trouble working the pencil steps, allow them to wad up the tissue paper squares and press them directly onto the glue with their fingers.
• Instead of a hanger, try gluing a magnet strip to the back and hang on your fridge!
• Always saved the tissue paper from birthday gifts for craft projects like these.

Give Hugs

We all could use a hug! This cute pink, purple and green card includes brackets, which are the emoticons (email and text-message symbols) for “hug.” Tuck some hug IOUs inside for every member of the family

Materials:

• Green cardstock cut to 5 ½” x 8 1/2″
• Patterned paper cut to 5″ x 4″
• Pale purple cardstock
• Adhesive, such as double-sided sticky tape, glue stick, liquid glue or mini glue dots
• Scissors
• Several pieces of pink and purple cardstock, about 3″ x 4″
• Heart stamps and ink, or stickers
• Spiral paperclip

Directions:

1. Fold green cardstock in half.
2. Glue patterned paper to green cardstock.
3. Stamp, write or print “(((hugs)))”on the pale purple cardstock. Cut out and glue to the patterned paper.
4. Write your Valentine message inside the card.
5. Write personalized “hug IOUs” on the 3″ x 4″ pieces of cardstock. Decorate with stamps or stickers. Use the paperclip to hold them inside the card.

Tips:

• Have some fun with other emoticons, such as (kiss, kiss) or :-{} (blowing a kiss). Or, put the recipient’s name inside the hug brackets.
• Use some of the patterned paper from the outside of the card on the IOUs.
• Spiral paperclips add a special touch and are available in a variety of colors at craft stores in packages of 20 or 50.
• If you don’t want to use a paperclip, glue a piece of paper inside the card to act as a pocket.

Lollipop Love

This adorable piece will not take you very long to make - engage your children to help and use to send people or use as decorations for your home or your table!

Materials:

• Pink coloured glitter glue
• White cardstock
• 1 wooden skewer
• Coloured strips of ribbon (2) 1/4″ and (1) 1/8″ wide
• Large plastic clear crystals
• Pencil
• Glue gun
• Heart-shaped polystyrene/craft foam
• White glue
• Scissors

Directions:

Card Template

1. Fold white cardstock in half.
2. Trace polystyrene heart onto cardstock.
3. Cut out heart leaving a fold line at top of card. Make sure the card heart shape is small enough to fit nicely on the front of the polystyrene heart.

Step 2:  Making the Heart

1. Glue heart card to front of heart-shaped polystyrene using white glue.
2. Cover the front and sides of heart shaped styrofoam with pink glitter glue.
3. Dip styrofoam heart in a bowl of plastic clear crystals. Let it dry.
4. Cover back of card with pink glitter glue.
5. Dip again in clear plastic crystals. Let it dry.

Step 3: Lollipop Stick

1. Twist and glue one piece of 1/4″x10″ coloured ribbon around stick.
2. Twist and glue a second piece of 1/8″x10″ coloured ribbon around stick.
3. Trim off excess ribbon.
4. Pierce tip of skewer into bottom end of polystyrene heart.
5. Glue a piece of 1/4″x 7″ribbon end to inside front bottom card.
6. Glue a piece 1/8″ x 7″ ribbon end to the back inside bottom card.
7. Tie both ribbons together.
8. Cut a piece of 1/4″x 15″ ribbon.
9. Tie a bow around the base of heart.

Old Fashioned Scroll Message

Special scroll messages date back to centuries ago - dressing it up using your creativity will make your special!

Materials:

• 3/8″ x 7”wooden dowel
• Two 3/8″ wooden caps
• 1/4″x 40″ ribbon
• 3-D fabric paint
• Green paper
• Two medium-sized beads
• Two small-sized pearl beads
• Design paper
• Wood glue
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Heart-shaped paper holer puncher
• Watered-down glue

Directions:

Step 1: Cutouts

1. Cut out 6″ x 11″ rectangle with design paper.
2. Cut the ¼” sized ribbon in half–making two pieces of 20″ ribbon.
3. Cut out 16 hearts using heart paper hole puncher or cut by hand.
4. Cut a 7″ dowel.

Step 2 : Scroll/Ribbon

1. Place a small amount of glue in the hole of each cap.
2. Place a cap on each ends of dowel.
3. Glue one ribbon end to each end of the dowel.
4. Glue one 6″ side of the 6″x 11″ rectangle along dowel. Wait until glue sets.
5. Wrap paper around dowel. Use a little glue to keep paper in place. Wrap the loose ribbons around the covered dowel and tie the ribbons together with a bow in the middle.

Step 3: Designing Caps

1. Glue medium-sized beads on each end of scroll.
2. Glue small-sized pearls on top of medium beads (let it dry).
3. Apply small dots around end caps using 3-D fabric paint (let it dry).
4. Glue green heart cutouts on caps using watered down glue.

Key to Your Heart

One of my personal favourites and again - your creativity will make it special!

Materials:

• Design cardstock
• 1/4″ x 20″ cream-colored ribbon
• Antique key
• Medium-sized pearl
• 6 small rhinestones
• Gold thread
• Glue gun
• Hole puncher
• Velvet fabric
• Fabric filler
• Cardboard
• Watered down glue
• Small paint brush

Directions:

Step 1:   Card Template

1. Cut out two  5″ x 7″ rectangles with design cardstock.
2. Cut out a 2 ½” heart from cardboard.
3. Cut out 3 ½” heart from fabric.

Step 2:  Heart pillow

1. Wrap heart-shaped fabric around cardboard heart.
2. Glue fabric to back of cardboard heart with glue gun.
3. Leave 1 ½” on one side of heart unglued.
4. Stuff heart with small amount of fabric filler.
5. Glue open seam on back of heart closed.
6. Tie a small bow with 1/4″ ribbon.
7. Glue bow to top of heart with glue gun.
8. Glue medium sized pearl below the center of the bow with glue gun.

Step 3:  Key

1. Tie gold thread to the key. Cut thread.
2. Glue the free end of the gold thread on the backside of the padded heart.

Step 4:  Card

1. Place the 5″ x 7″ rectangles of cardstock together to make the card. Make sure the design side is visable on both sides.
2. Punch (7) even-spaced holes along left edge of card with hole puncher.
3. Lace 1/4″ ribbon through each hole from top to bottom and back to top
4. Glue ribbon ends on inside of card at top.
5. Glue padded heart on front center at 1 ½” from top of card with glue gun.
6. Glue rhinestones to the front of card with watered down glue

Butterfly Kisses

Children love to give butterfly kisses - pressing their faces on your cheek and blinking. This is the paper version and I am sure it will be just as welcomed!

Materials:

• White cardstock cut to 5 ½” x 8 1/2″
• Scraps of patterned pink paper
• Scrap of patterned brown paper
• Pink cardstock
• Black or brown fine-tip marker
• Adhesive such as double-sided sticky tape, glue stick, liquid glue or mini glue dots
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Fold white cardstock in half.
2. Use your scissors to freehand cut two teardrop-shaped pieces, about 2 inches long, from the pink patterned paper. These are the top wings of the butterfly.
3. Use your scissors to freehand cut two more teardrop-shaped pieces, about 1.5 inches long, from the pink patterned paper. These are the bottom wings of the butterfly.
4. Use your scissors to freehand cut a strip of brown patterned paper, about 2 ¼ inches long. Round one end and make the other end pointed. This is the body of your butterfly.
5. Glue the teardrop pieces to the white cardstock, pointy side to the middle. Glue the body over top of the wings.
6. Use the fine-tip marker to draw curly antennae.
7. Stamp, write or print off “Sending you butterfly kisses on Valentine’s Day!” on the pink cardstock. Cut out and glue to the white cardstock on an angle.

Tips:

• Chose white cardstock with a bit of fleck pattern to it-it’s more interesting than plain white cardstock.
• Keep an eye out for different sources of paper and cardstock. For example, the patterned paper of the butterfly is actually from a magazine ad (printed on a card like a magazine subscription card) that shows the new tweed patterns of a widely available pair of canvas tennis shoes.
• Thinner cardstock (which is also less expensive) tends to work better in home printers. Look for it at office supply stores.
• To give the feeling of a fluttering butterfly, choose a font that has the letters following a wave pattern, rather than a straight line.

Thumbprint Card

Who says it’s a bad thing to be all thumbs?  This heart card makes good use of even the littlest crafter’s thumbprints! A cute and simple way to make homemade Valentine’s Day cards.

Materials:

• ½ sheet of pink construction paper
• Red acrylic paint
• White paint pen, white paint, or tiny wiggle eyes
• Black fine point marker

Directions:

1. Fold the half sheet of construction paper in half and crease to create your card.
2. Dip thumb in red paint and press onto card at a slight angle to the right. Repeat on the left, lining up the bottom of your thumb with the bottom of the first thumb print. This should create a heart shape. Let the thumbprint dry.
3. Use a black marker to write a Valentine greeting on the front of the card.
4. Add arms and legs with the black marker. Use a white paint pen to dot on two eyes.
5. When white is dry, add two black dots to the two whites with black marker.
6. Write a message inside the card.

Tips:

1. If you don’t have a white paint pen, you can dot on white paint with a toothpick or the handle end of a small paint brush.
2. Instead of construction paper, you can use colourful card stock for this project.
3. Construction paper provides hours of fun and stimulates your child’s imagination!

Enjoy making these pretty keepsakes ad please send in your comments, suggestions and ideas. Your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!