Valentine’s Day is a week away, and I wanted to share some fun ideas for crafts, treats, and Valentines you can mail to family and friends. I’ve even rounded up a few quarantine-specific ideas, too! For these ideas and many more, check out our Valentine’s Day Pinterest board.
Treats
Of course there’s the usual candy, conversation hearts, chocolate, and more, but here are a few more unique ideas for you to check out. In the past, we’ve made Valentine’s Day popcorn, and heart-shaped pancakes…
We also made pink, heart-shaped Rice Krispie treats one year, which were easy, fun, and delicious. We used beet juice (or maybe it was blended up beets, and not just the juice, I honestly don’t remember) to color the marshmallow-butter mixture, a natural food coloring that makes me so much happier to use than artificial coloring. (Although I have absolutely used artificial dye as well.) Grab a heart-shaped cookie cutter and you’re all set!
…and this year I’ve got my eyes on this “Valentine’s Day Peek-a-Boo” Pound Cake from Bellyful. Isn’t it adorable? It looks easy enough, and uses store-bought pound cake mix… I’m not really sure how the second batter doesn’t drip in between the pink hearts and mess it up aesthetically, but according to the author and many comments, apparently it works!
I also think these fruit roll-up fortune “cookies” from SheKnows are super cute, but I don’t love getting sticky messy and I’m sure this is a little messy, haha! Though they do look pretty easy to make, so maybe I’ll have the kids give it a try.
For the slightly more ambitious of you, these striped heart-shape cookies from Preppy Kitchen are adorable. You just have to be patient enough to cut two batches of cookie dough into strips… and I’m not sure I am. But aside from that, they don’t look too hard. I’d love to know if you give them a try!
Crafts and Decor
I love crafting. And I have learned that I really only have time to do ONE craft per holiday, maybe two if I’m lucky. So I’m going to have the kids vote and we’ll decide on a craft together.
In the past, we’ve made these pretty heart sun catchers from The Suburban Mom (just wax paper, melted crayons, and fishing line). I can’t find them… or a picture of ours, but they did turn out lovely!
And a few years ago my daughter and I made this adorable, SUPER easy argyle heart wreath that we hang on our door every year.
It’s really as easy as it looks, and we didn’t even need to use any glue! We just got a burlap wreath from the craft store, cut felt into hearts and laid them on the wreath then wrapped it with twine to keep them in place. For more details, check out the tutorial from Mine for the Making. (We simplified by buying a wrapped wreath and not using glue.)
We also made this cute baby/toddler salt dough footprint keepsake from RedTedArt when my son was 2 months old and my daughter was 2.5 years old…
and… we never “finished” it. As in, I never painted it or wrote a cute little saying around the edge. Whoops. Maybe I’ll finally do that this year, haha!! (I give that a 40% chance of happening.)
One of my favorite “crafty” decorations I made (that we still reuse each year) was cutting out fabric hearts and sticking them to a wall or door. The first year, I stuck them to my toddler daughter’s door when she was still asleep in the morning, while my infant son sat in his infant rocker and just smiled, giggled, and cooed. Such a precious memory! I had also used them for an at-home DIY photo shoot that year.
I first discovered the idea for this from a post on Craftster years ago, but sadly that community has closed. So here’s how to do it:
- Cut your fabric into shapes (in this case, hearts)
- Mix about 1/4 C cornstarch with about 1 C boiling water (to dissolve it)
- Add about 1-2 C warm water to that, stir
- WARNING: Let the mixture cool a bit before sticking your fingers in it
- Dip cut fabric into the mixture, wring it out (not too drippy, not too dry)
- Stick it on the wall or door and smooth it out as needed
- When you’re ready to take it down, it peels off super easily; if there is a sheen or anything left, just wash it off with a wet rag. Done!
I know it’s also popular to post lots of paper hearts on a neighbor’s door (with or without notes on them)–that’s a fun way to show someone you care, while keeping a social distance. (I’m not super keen on the common name for this being “heart attack,” but many bloggers call it that.) That’s What Che Said has a few different ideas for how to use this idea.
This year, a have a few new-to-me crafts I’m really excited about for us to choose from. These heart canvases from DesignImprovised are so simple (just do whatever!), but also so adorable, especially in a set! If we choose this one, we’ll probably do a set of 3–the kids and I will each make one.
I’ve also been loving pom poms lately, and it looks like something very easy that the kids and I can do together, even without a “pom pom maker.” I’ve pinned a few tutorials (here and here) for how to make your own pom poms, if you’re interested in trying this out yourself. Here’s a tutorial for making pom pom garland using a pom pom maker.
Another craft I think is adorable is these felt conversation hearts.
These happen to be available for purchase on Etsy, but I would love to try to DIY them, using this tutorial from Rose Clearfield as a starting point. Bonus: My daughter got a sewing machine for Christmas, so this feels like a great beginner craft for her to learn with. Of course you could hand sew them as well, but I prefer the efficiency of a sewing machine.
I also found this awesome, Covid/quarantine-appropriate “conversation hearts” design SVG on Etsy, for those of you who are more initiated and can make your own mugs, shirts, signs, and more!
There are so many fun crafts, it’s so hard to choose just one!
Valentines to Share
If you’re looking to mail Valentines to friends and family this year, or if your child’s school is allowing kids to exchange Valentines (ours is not, due to coronavirus), here are some fun ideas!
We’ve made these lollipop Valentines a few years ago and sent them to close family, they were a huge hit and are really easy! Get the tutorial here. Tip: make sure the star of the photo (your child, you, whomever) holds their hand out in front but not in front of their face :). I have looked and looked and can’t find a pic of our own Valentines, so here’s a pic from the blog 24-7-365.
Last year, I just wrote things I love about each of my family members on a paper heart and stuck it somewhere they would see it in the morning. Here’s the one I made for my son:
We might do these virtual hug Valentines that our own Kindness Elves suggested to the kids back in December (thanks to their fellow elves on Instagram). Just trace around your open arms onto big paper (or tape some paper together), cut out a red heart and put it in the middle, and (bonus) write notes of love to the recipient on the arms. So cute! You could also do handprints and connect them with a long piece of yarn or string instead.
I recently saw these cute painted cardboard hearts from Handmade Charlotte as an idea for Valentines and really love how simple yet pretty they are. And the sentiment “Though we may be far apart, you are always in my heart” is perfect anytime, but especially during these quarantine days. Super easy to make and sure to bring a smile to the recipient’s face!
Okay, I have to share one more, because these paper fortune cookie Valentines from Happy Hooligans are also super easy yet unique and pretty, too! You basically just need some cute (or plain) paper and glue.
I hope these ideas gave you some fun inspiration to brighten up your Valentine’s Day this year, whether it’s something you make in the kitchen, send to family, or use to decorate your home. Don’t forget to check out our Valentine’s Day Pinterest board for even more ideas!
I’d love to hear which one sparked joy for you, or if you have any other fun, easy ideas to celebrate this holiday of love. Please share in the comments below!
Dreaming Up Parties 