Valentine’s Day is coming! And after all the hustle and bustle of the
end-of-year holidays, you may want to keep your heart-day celebration
simple. Luckily, your family can have plenty of fun making crafts with
items you have on hand.
There is no reason to turn a day that is supposed to be about love into
another long to-do list. Just wait for some downtime before V-day, pull out
some supplies and jump into these simple crafts. These approaches create
heart-felt results that will spark smiles during and after.
Put down a plastic tablecloth to make messy craft cleanup a snap. Crafts
are listed from easy to complex to help you make the best choices for your
kids whatever their ages.
Rainbow Heart Sun Catchers
-
Tissue paper scraps
-
Clear sheet protectors
-
Glossy Mod Podge
-
Foam brushes
-
Scissors
-
Scotch tape
Cut tissue paper scraps into one-inch squares. Use a variety of colors.
Don’t forget red, pink and white. Cut the edges off one plastic sheet
protector and split it into two sheets. Spread one sheet for each heart
with a thin coat of Mod Podge. Cover the page with overlapping tissue
squares, using a bit more Mod Podge, as needed. When you are done putting
down tissue, cover the entire page with a thin layer of Mod Podge. Let dry
overnight. Bend page in half and cut into one large heart. Sun-catchers
will last longer if you leave them on the plastic sheet protector and tape
them onto sunny windows sheet-side-out with Scotch tape.
Seed Valentines for the Birds
-
1/2 cup boiling water
-
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2.5 teaspoons)
-
3 tablespoons corn syrup
-
4 cups birdseed
-
3/4 cup flour
-
Heart-shaped metal cookie cutters
-
Cookie sheet
-
Parchment or waxed paper
-
Drinking straws
Heat water to boiling in a microwave using a microwave-proof bowl or cup.
Slowly sprinkle in gelatin, stir with fork and let sit one minute. Add corn
syrup and stir.
In a large bowl, combine birdseed with flour. Pour a thin stream of liquid
all over the top of the dry ingredients. Spray a large mixing spoon with
non-stick cooking spray and mix until ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Give it a light spray of
non-stick cooking spray. Also spray the inside of the cookie cutters. Fill
each cookie cutter with birdseed mixture, while inserting a short piece of
a cut drinking straw all the way through each cookie. If you do not have
straws, you can use a chopstick or something similar. If birdseed mixture
is sticking, use more cooking spray, even on hands. Then push the seed
cookie through the cookie cutter and onto the tray and let sit overnight.
Once dry and firm, thread the cookies with waterproof ribbon and hang
outdoors where birds gather. Discard leftover seed mixture outdoors.
Every Pretty Thing Garland
Take a string of white lights. Then go around your house, dipping into
craft, birthday and entertaining supplies and pull out anything red, pink
and white that is heart-shaped, frilly, glittery or pretty. Attach cutout
shapes or leftover cards, baubles, doilies, napkins twirled into roses –
anything that says Valentine’s Day. Use tiny clothespins or punch a hole
and tie items on with ribbon. Tie snugly so items don’t slide. Hang
completed garland up a stairway, across a mantel or hutch or on a curtain
rod. Unplug when not attended.
Suggested materials:
-
Fabric scraps
-
Ribbon scraps
-
Cut-out shapes
-
Gift tags
-
Doilies
-
Baubles
-
Tassels
-
Felt ornaments
-
Valentines
-
Paper dolls
-
Tiny clothespins
-
Hole puncher
Embellished Jewelry Boxes
-
Jewelry gift boxes
-
Acrylic paint
-
Glossy Mod Podge
-
Foam brushes
-
Tissue paper scraps
-
Glitter
-
Ribbon
-
Magazine cut-outs
-
Spray lacquer
-
Tacky glue
-
Leftover jewelry charms
-
Stick-on embellishments
-
Wire rack
Drying times will vary, but as long as you apply liquids in a thin layer,
they will dry quickly. Paint box inside and out, as needed, or cover with
Mod Podge and tissue cut into one-inch squares. Let dry on wire rack. Add a
thin layer of paint or Mod Podge, magazine cut-outs and another layer of
Mod Podge, and sprinkle lightly or thickly with glitter. Let dry, tap off
excess glitter and then spray with a generous coat of spray lacquer to
adhere glitter permanently. Let dry. Add charms, embellishments and ribbons
using Tacky glue as needed. Let dry.
Glittery Mason Jars
-
Mason jars
-
Heart stickers
-
Blue painter’s tape
-
Acrylic paint
-
Glossy Mod Podge
-
Foam brushes
-
Cotton swabs
-
Spray lacquer
-
Tacky glue
-
Double-sided sticky foam squares
-
Real or battery-operated votives
-
Kitchen tongs
Glittery Mason jars may be used as candleholders or as vases for real or
artificial flowers. Use any size Mason jars. If you want candlelight to
come through heart shapes, adhere heart stickers or hearts made of
painter’s tape to jar. Wrap mouth of jar in blue painter’s tape to allow
cover to screw back on. Paint entire jar with a layer of acrylic paint.
While paint is still wet, carefully remove stickers or heart shapes. Let
dry. Add a coat of Mod Podge, avoiding heart shapes, and add a liberal
shake of glitter all over the jar except on bottom. Clear stray glitter
from heart shapes using damp cotton swab. Let dry. Spray entire jar with a
generous coat of spray lacquer to adhere glitter permanently. Dry
overnight. Adhere ribbon around the jar neck using Tacky glue. Affix bottom
of votive with double-sided sticky foam and place firmly inside the center
of jar using kitchen tongs. Never leave lit candles unattended.
