I love shopping. If shopping was an Olympic event, I would be the undefeated champion. Nonetheless, nothing I have ever bought has the value and importance to me to the things I have received over the years from my loved ones that were made with their hands and their hearts. There is something special knowing that the one you love spent the time to bring something they saw and decided to make it for you. No store bought item can top that. For Valentine’s Day, here are some do-it-yourself gift ideas that will take your present to the next level. The compilation ranges from easy heart stamps made from toilet paper rolls and heart crayons for the kids, to love notes and heart branches for the romantics. You have a practical person in your life, how about a painted rock that can be used as a paper weight. There is something for everyone. This Valentine’s Day take the challenge and make your sweetheart something from the heart. I guarantee there will be swooning and possibly a tear or two.Knot bracelets that represent ever lasting love. You can make cross knots or overhand knots for your fashionable love token.
Use freezer paper to create a stencil of hearts, letters or any design you want. Cut it using a knife. Set your iron on medium heat, iron the the freezer paper on the muslin bag. Insert a cardboard piece into bag, and then add light craft paint on the muslin bag. Gently peel the freezer paper while the paint is wet.
Trace lightly with a pencil a heart. Take your child’s hands and dip them in the paint. Have them stamp their prints on the paper. Use a black felt to write on top of the penciled heart. Let it dry, erase the heart line.
Remove the original labels off the water bottles. Print water bottle labels. Apply glue and paste it on the bottles. Let it dry.
This is for those in long distance relationships. Cut up hearts in various sizes and colors. Find a box that will hold all the hearts. Cut up a bigger hearts to glue on the outside of the box. One of the hearts will have the address of your love recipient. Send and know you will make your loved one smile.
Talk about reusing things in your home. Take the toilet paper roll and shape it in to a heart. Dip in to paint and stamp away with the kids.
Pick up some stick branches from any of your trees outside. Cut up hearts in pink or any color of your choice. Hot glue the hearts on the branches. Place in any vase in your home.
Use mason jars, fill them with your favorite sweets. Use stickers to paste on the glass. For the lids, you can apply more stickers and decorative tape on the edge.
All you need for this romantic letters are, 12 paper notes, 12 envelopes, different color felts and your inner poet. Write uplifting and romantic reminders your loved one will look forward to opening.
Cut up heart shaped template. Buy red fabric paint and the end of the eraser on a pencil. Dip the eraser end on the paint, make dots with the paint around the heart. Let it dry.
This is a simple way to show your love. Take pink Post-it notes and write your sweet love reasons why you love him/her.
If you are packing lunches for your kids and partner, simply write a message on their fruit professing your love. It will make snack time that much sweeter.
Make your valentine’s a date at home. Use a popcorn carton and fill it with utensils for your at home dinner, add confetti and a love note bottle.
If you want to take your gift box from blah to wow, this is the perfect idea for you. Draw spirals on color paper and cut along the spirals. These are glued in to a twirl. The bottom part of the flower bud is glued on to the top of the box.
Professing your love does not have to happen only once a year. You can download the template in to 8×10 paper. Insert in to a glass frame. Add your messages with erasable markers.
These adorable glasses can be cut up with a template you can download. You can add tags with messages and kids can hand them out as a new fun valentine’s cards.
If you love wine and you have corks lying around, this may be the thing for you to make. Draw a heart on a piece of paper, keeping in mind the size you want it to be. Line the corks along the line of the heart. Using a hot glue gun, glue each cork beside the other, following the line of the heart. Let it dry. Hang it on a door or with your new bottle of wine to be opened this Saturday.
Look for a smooth stone and wash it. Use acrylic paints, fine point marker and let your inner rock artist do the work. This is also a great activity for kids.
Visit your local home improvement store and ask for sample paint swatches in reds, pinks, and blues. Use a heart puncher for each color block. Punch a heart hole on the top left hand side of the swatch. Add ribbons and you have fun and original bookmarks.
Wether you are making a fresh batch of waffles or frozen you can give breakfast a little heart. Use a cookie heart-shaped cutter to make the desired design. Add maple syrup and whipped cream and voila your breakfast just got a little romantic.
Use a thumb stamp from a crafts store and use different color inks. Simply stamp in the different shades in a horizontal line on folded stock paper. Write your message from the heart.
Collect all the broken crayons. Place them in silicone baking mold. Bake for 20 minutes or until fully melted. Let it cool and remove the hearts one by one.
Take plain mason jars to delicate vases. Use two coats of paint. You can choose from a variety of soft and hot pinks. For a little extra glamour, simply glitter spray paint the jars.
Cut up 42 small hearts in red paper, fold them in half. Make a rows where the hearts are glued only on the left, right or flat glue on to white craft paper. With some of the hearts, keep them in white and write your name plus your valentines. Use a glass frame to place your paper hearts creation.
With red and pink felt fabrics, cut a 4 1/2-inch-diameter circle. Cut the matching felt in to ribbon slightly shorter than 4 1/2 inches. Use wire cutters, cut a piece of floral wire shorter than the length of ribbon. Glue the wire to the middle of the felt circle. Glue the ribbon on top, covering the wire. Let it dry for 30 minutes. Bend the wire at in half, forming a fortune-cookie shape. Insert your personal fortune message and candies. Fold the cookie to close.
Use construction paper. Draw a heart and fold your paper over. Cut it up. That gives you the butterfly shape. One scrapbook paper will make eight butterflies. Write your message on the edge of the wings. In the middle of the paper cut and insert your sucker into the cuts. Glue googly eyes.
Use the same pancake recipe you are currently using. When you pour the batter on the pan, place slices of strawberries and sprinkles. Cook for two minutes on each side.
The colder the weather, the hotter the drink. You will need felt fabric, scissors, pinking shears and hot glue. Download the template from Martha Stewart’s website. Cut felt with fabric scissors, wrap it around a coffee cup, pin in place, and slide cup out. Trim the seam with pinking shears. Cut out hearts with scissors; glue to sleeve.
You will need construction paper. Cut up hearts in small, medium and large sizes. Place the heart on a stick skewer and spread glue all around. Place a second heart on top and glue as well making it stick together. Once dried, apply glue on one side of each heart and cover it with glitter. Shake the excess off, flip the other side and repeat. Once dried, place it on your valentine’s day cake.
If your valentine is a book lover, find out his/her favorite author or books. Purchase the books from your local book store. Use pink or red construction paper to wrap the books in. Place stickers at the top of the book that spells LOVE. Wrap paper ribbon around the beloved books.
