DIY Valentine Roundup

Origami Heart Necklace 2012

In the past six years of blogging, I've been sharing all my Valentine projects with you.  And since I've built up quite the collection, I thought I would share some of my favorites.  Enjoy.

 Superhero Lollipop Valentine 2011

Out of this World Valentine 2012

Snail Valentine 2009

Origami Heart Valentine 2011

Roller skate Valentine 2013

Valentine Printable: Heart Teasers

Do you remember brain teasers?  Brain teasers are puzzles that require one to figure out a phrase or idiom from the image/words.  I recall having fun trying to decipher these kinds of puzzles when I was in elementary school.  Recently, my son reminded me of brain teasers when he showed me one that he learned in school.  That inspired me to make these valentine "heart teasers".

There are four printable "heart teasers" .  I recommend them for children in grades 3rd - 5th. 

This template was created to be printed on 8 1/2 x 11 card stock.  Click on the image, right click, copy and paste into a document such as word.  You may have to re-size it to fit. Print. Cut out cards.

I printed the valentines on card stock.  I also wrote the answers on the back of the valentines.  You could also tape a piece of candy over the answer so the recipient doesn't see the answer right away. 

The Last, Last Minute Valentine

It must be some kind of Valentine's Day miracle because I designed, finished and made all 33 valentine's for my son's class last night.  I had planned on making candy watches but to my surprise he didn't like the idea. Instead he suggested I make the candy talk.  And to add to the challenge, I still had a bag of lifesavers to incorporate into the  cards.  What to do; what to do? 

Here's what I came up with:

I got the idea of writing on the lifesaver wrappers from the watch valentine.  Once I started drawing faces on them, I realized the hole kind of looked like a mouth.  And if you ever decide to do this, make sure to use a fine point sharpie.  I learned the hard way that micron pens do not dry well on candy wrappers.  I taped the edges of the candy wrappers back so the lifesaver stayed in place.   Then I adhered the candy to the paper with glue dots.   Last, I taped the cards closed with washi tape.

Hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Feature in Family Fun Magazine

If you happen to have the February issue of Family Fun Magazine, my Outer Space Valentine is featured in the publication.  I know most of you have already made or purchased valentines if you needed to.  However, if you're still looking for some last minute ideas, the Parents site is sharing some of the valentines from the Family Fun Magazine.  I wouldn't recommend making thirty of any of them by tomorrow.   But if you want to make a few, there are some great ideas over there.

I actually had planned on making the watch valentine for my son's class but he told me he wants something else.  Now the question is to buy cards from the picked over valentine's rack or make 33 of something by tomorrow. Thankfully I finished all the roller skate valentines so that's one less thing to worry about.

Printable: Roller Skate Valentine Cards

I'm a little behind this year on my valentine cards but I still wanted to share what I've been up to.  The inspiration for the cards came from my daughter's new hobby, roller skating!   It also might have something to do with my childhood rollerskating memories.  I spent many weekends at the rink.  Just thinking about it makes me want to put on a pair of skates and roll to Celebration by Kool & The Gang.

These valentines are pretty easy to make.  What will take the most time is the cutting out the shapes.  So do a little hand stretches before you begin.

Supplies:
Card Stock in two complementing colors
Small Brads - any colors you wish
White Cotton Yarn
Scissors
Hole Punch

1. Click on this image twice.  Right click, copy, save, paste in Word or any other program you use.

2. Print on two different colored pieces of card stock.

3.  Cut out all shapes.

4. Place one wheel over bottom part of roller skate.  Punch hole (refer to top picture).

5. Place brad through both holes.  Repeat for second wheel.

This is what the back of your roller skate will look like.

6.  Punch a hole in the top heart.  Thread the yarn through the hole and cut into a bow.

*Other ideas: print out on white card stock for coloring.  Add stickers.  Use heart brads instead of circles.

And now if you would excuse me, I have lots and lots of cutting to do.  See the three skates pictured above?  That's all I've made so far.

Printable Despicable Me 2 Valentines

If you're a fan of the movie Despicable Me or the minions, you're going to love these valentine printables.  Today Marie from Make and Takes is sharing the free printable for the minions on her blog.  The valentines come in four different lovable styles.  They're also easy for kids to assemble on their own. Click here for the free download and instructions.

The valentines are designed to hold lollipops but I don't see why you couldn't add any candy of your choice, exp. licorice sticks.

Despicable Me 2 is coming to theaters Summer 2013! To find out more about the movie, visit the Official Website, like Despicable Me on Facebook or follow on Twitter .  You can also watch the movie teaser, here.


Disclosure: This is a Sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

A Mameshiba Valentine

This year I decided to do something a little different for Valentine's Day. Instead of giving my children candy or cards, I decided to knit them a batch of tiny mameshiba. Each mameshiba is about the length of a quarter (I knit them on size zero needles) Now I just need to decide whether to hide them around the house or package them in some cute Valentine's Day take out containers.

What are mameshiba you ask? Well, they're tiny bean dogs that show up in random places with random quotes. If you're curious about the bean dogs, you can learn all about them at Mameshiba. I've also written about them here and here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pixelated Hearts that Pop

Photo Credit: minieco

Kate Lilley of minieco created these cute and fun pixelated heart cards for Valentine's Day. She's offering up free template to make the cards pictured above. I love the simplicity of them and the bright colors she used. Stop by the site for the template or for more inspiration. Her site is covered in creativity.

via Craft

An Out of this World Valentine

This tutorial has moved to the new site.  Click here.

Valentine Cards with Heart Necklaces

Earlier this week I shared about the origami lucky hearts I was making. Well, my daughter and I liked them so much that we decided to make them into necklaces for Valentine's Day cards. While I was making them, I realized some of you may wonder why I even go through all this trouble. You may even be asking: Won't most of those go into the trash? Do the kids even appreciate them? Here are my thoughts. . .

First, I love creating and making things. I love the design process from beginning to end. I can tell you right now if this wasn't my passion, I would not do this. Instead, I would probably just buy the cards. Also, my kids like and appreciate the personalized cards.

The second reason I do this stems back to my own childhood. I absolutely adored Valentine's Day as a child. I can remember being so excited to empty my haul of cards onto my desk (those days we got to look at our cards at school). I would pull out each card an examine it thoroughly. In particular, if it was from a boy I liked, I paid extra attention to the words: did it say friend? valentine? were there any xoxo's on it? That was half the fun but what I liked most were the handmade cards. I was that child. I can remember one of the kids in my fifth grade class had an extra crafty mother. She always made fun cards. I can recall one that had a unique opening with jokes inside. I also remember a card of a heart eating heart. Now that I'm thinking about it, that's kind of strange. Nonetheless, I remembered, liked, and appreciated what she made. So, I can only believe that there is some child besides my own that will appreciate what I make. I'll probably never get as much as a thank you and I don't care. To me it's a small way of making the day fun and special.

Here are the templates for the valentine cards. The squares are designed to measure 3.3" x 3.5". To make your own, click on the template, right click, copy, paste and print.

Click here for heart folding video. To make the necklace just thread it with string.

To attach the necklaces to the cards, I punched two holes at the top and cut a slit from the edge of the card to the hole. This way I could just slide the string into the hole.

So the necklaces don't turn into a tangled mess, I taped them in the back. I used washi tape because it's low tack and will be easy for the kids to peel off.

Featured in Disney FamilyFun Magazine

A while back FamilyFun Magazine requested to use my Superhero Lollipop Valentine idea. It has been a long wait but the February issue is finally out featuring the project. Also featured in the magazine are some cute ideas from bloggers Design Mom and Dollhouse Bake Shoppe. If you get a chance, check out the magazine. It's filled with lots of cute ideas for Valentine crafts. I particularly have my eye on the chocolate kiss ring project.

Photo of Superhero Valentine in FamilyFun Magazine

Minifigure Valentines

Over the weekend I began the process of designing and assembling the kids valentine cards. From past experience, I've realized it's never too early to start. The last thing you want to find yourself doing is constructing 50+ valentine cards in the wee hours of the night while watching reality TV. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

This year I decided to go with a Lego theme since that's my son's current obsession. The Lego guys are supposed to be a minifigure version of my son.

My design was inspired by the MUJI Lego kits. I always loved the concept of combining Legos and paper. It's only now that I got a chance to play with the combination. To make the paper minifigures stand, they are wedged between two Lego blocks. I purchased the blocks at the Lego store where you can pick and choose which blocks you want. If anyone is curious, I purchased the small container which you can fill for $7.99. Sixty red blocks filled up half the container which allowed us to get some fun extras to play with.

Sorry guys, I will not be sharing a template for this project. But if you wanted to make something similar, I think it might be fun to use an actual photo. Another idea would be to place a standard valentine card between the blocks.

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's a Super Valentine!

The directions and template for this Valentine has moved. Click here.

How To Make a Sweetheart Cookie Box

Who doesn't like conversation hearts? They come in pretty pastel colors, they have cute sayings (Tweet Me) printed on them, and did I mention they're made of sugar! So, as a tribute to the conversation heart, I've made an oversized box to fill with conversation heart cookies. Enjoy.

Supplies:
Template printed out
Box - I used a Barilla pasta box but you can use any kind you want
exacto knife
Paint
Hot glue

Click on image to make it larger, right click, copy, save, and print on cardstock. I made the borders extra large on this template so it can fit different size boxes. You can also scale the image if need be.

If you can, find a box with a window like the one in the picture.

Carefully take apart, re-glue inside out (refer to picture).

Paint the sides and back of box pink. You can also cover it with pink paper. I tried both ways and here's the verdict: painting is quick and easy, paper looks better but takes longer.

If your box has a window, cut out heart with exacto knife (refer to picture). If not, skip this step.

Line up printed template how you want it to show on the box. Trace front of box + top flap onto the back of template. Cut out and glue on front of box. Done!

I paid the model in cookies.

Comment Challenge - write your comments using conversation heart sayings.

Craft: Watercolor Heart Garland

I've been wanting to test this heart garland idea out for a while. It was just a matter of getting to the store to buy the doilies. I feel like lately we've been so busy. Baseball season has officially started for us and now we're up to two practices a week opposed to the one that I'm used to. I'm just thankful my youngest hasn't started a sport yet.

This craft is quick, easy and inexpensive to make. It's great for all ages. Simple direction below.

Supplies:
Heart Doilies - I find they're usually cheaper at the dollar store. You can also find them at craft and party supply stores.
Watercolors
Paintbrush
Fishing line

1. Paint with watercolors. Let dry.

2. Iron flat, paint side down. Use the lowest setting.

3. String on fishing line. Done.

Craft Tips:
1. If you're going to have a child make these, I recommend selecting the color palette. Take out the blacks and browns so the hearts don't end up murky looking. This still gives the child creative freedom and works much better than telling them not to use certain colors. I speak from experience.

2. Fishing line is a great investment for your craft supplies. I'm constantly using it for birthday parties, garland and even mobiles. It's inexpensive and you get a lot. You'll have it for years.

Upcycle: Valentine Heart Pouches

Want to take a guess at what these heart pouches are made of? Here's a clue, usually someone sends them to you. Still not sure what they are? Here's the answer . . .

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envelopes!

These hearts are very easy and addicting to make. I've got a whole bunch of them lying around the house just waiting to be decorated. All you need is an envelope and a pair of scissors to get started. Directions below.

Cut the corner off the bottom of an envelope.

Cut out heart shape as pictured above.

Done! You now have an heart pouch to fill with love notes, candy, etc.

Decorate them anyway you want. You can even seal the top edges with a little glue to make a packet.

Craft: Origami Heart Valentines

As promised, here's one of the valentine projects I've been working on. It's a really simple craft, just a lollipop covered with an origami heart. I could picture the hearts set up on a dessert table, Amy Atlas style. Or, use them as a unique valentine for kids.

Supplies
Origami paper - I used 6" x 6" washi paper that I stamped with hearts
Lollipops - any kind that are small - I used dum dums
Hole punch
Double stick tape

Fold heart with directions above. Click on image for a larger view.

On the back side of the heart, lift the flap up. Punch a hole in the bottom of the corner pocket. Make sure the hole doesn't show through the front.

Add the lollipop. Close flap back down and tape closed. Done! Both pictures are the back side of the valentine.

Optional - write messages on the back of hearts before adding lollipops.