valentine crafts Archives

Indulge Your Sweet Tooth This Valentine’s Day!

January 27, 2012 by AllFreeHolidayCrafts 1 Comment

People always have mixed feelings about Valentine’s Day. Some are all about it, going all out with red and pink decorations and making handmade cards for everyone they love. Others, myself included, are a bit more skeptical of this gushy holiday. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all about expressing love for the special people in your life. It’s just that I don’t think I need to cover myself (and my apartment) in head-to-toe pink in order to celebrate.

There is one thing about Valentine’s Day that makes the holiday totally worthwhile. What’s that? The sweets, of course! This is the one holiday (other than Halloween) where you get to gorge yourself on candy and other sugary treats. And for a chocoholic like myself, that’s all you need to fall in love with a holiday 🙂

To indulge all of us with a larger-than-average sweet tooth this Valentine’s Day, I decided to round up some of my favorite sweet treats. Some of these you can actually savor, while others are merely dessert-inspired. But either way, these are all — by far — my favorite Valentine’s Day crafts in our collection.

Sweet, Sweet Crafts:

These Licorice Love Cookie Pops are such an adorable way to play with your food! Hop on board the “cookie pop” trend with these crafty sweets on a stick!

Skip those Candy Conversation Hearts you can buy at the drug store and make your own instead! This recipe shows you how to make a version that’s much tastier than the boxed variety. Plus when you go the homemade route, you can personalize the candies with whatever sayings strike your fancy!

I love the idea of giving someone a gigantic Hershey Kiss shaped treat for Valentine’s Day. But all is not as it seems from the picture. Inside this foil-wrapped treat is actually a giant rice krispie treat! I think this is such a clever idea for a gift — or just a fun snack to eat on February 14th!

Sugar-Inspired Creations: (*NOTE: These should not actually be ingested):

Don’t these Crochet Cookie Hearts look good enough to eat? Though I wouldn’t recommend eating them (unless you’re a fan of the taste of yarn!), they sure are cute to look at — and so much fun to make! Use the free pattern to make a batch for your family and friends this Valentine’s Day!

As Forest Gump was fond of saying: “Life is like a box of chocolates.” But for us crafters, life is really more like a Box of Crochet Chocolates, now isn’t it? Use your yarn to whip up something that will make your Valentine drool!

Who would have thought you can make gift wrap that looks like candy? This Peppermint Candy Wrap would be a perfect way to give a Valentine’s Day present to someone special. Just make sure they don’t try and lick it!

If you love the idea of crafts that look like food, there are plenty more ideas just like these! Check out our board on Pinterest for more foodie inspiration!

Now tell me: Will you be making any sweet treats for Valentine’s Day this year?

Making Valentine Jewelry: 7 Sugary Sweet Ideas

January 19, 2012 by AllFreeJewelryMaking Leave a Comment

One of my favorite parts of any holiday is dressing for the occasion. Whether I’m donning my clover headband for St. Patrick’s Day or piling on the pastels for Easter, I always like showing my holiday spirit through my clothes and accessories. With Valentine’s Day less than a month away, it’s finally time to start planning my red and pink! I don’t have many Valentine’s jewelry pieces in my collection, so I thought this would be the perfect time to craft something new.

Valentine Craft Ideas You Can Wear

These Lacy Heart Earrings are just what I need to complete my Valentine’s Day attire! With their red color and subtle heart shape, they’ll definitely get me in the holiday spirit. I love the intricate filigree details in these pretty heart pendants. They’re like tiny Valentines I can wear! I think I’ll be my own Valentine this year and gift myself this adorable DIY Valentine craft.

If you’re spending this special day with your sweetheart, you’re going to want to look your best. This Chocolate Covered Cherry Hearts Necklace is the perfect date night accessory. The colors are a bit more muted for a more sophisticated look, so you could definitely wear this out to a fancy dinner. The layered beads and chunky gold chain are fashionable but fun. I’d pair this with a solid black top or dress to really let the necklace stand out.

For all the single ladies out there, Valentine’s day is always a good excuse to get together with your girlfriends! Wouldn’t it be fun to have a girls’ night in and plan a fun Valentine’s craft you can all make together? I think this Valentine’s Beaded Heart Jewelry would make a fun party project. With a variety of ribbons, you’re all sure to come up with something different. Try using Swarovski crystal beads for some extra sparkle. No reason you can’t pamper yourself on Valentine’s day!

If you have to work on Valentine’s Day (like me), dressing up at the office is always a fun way to subtly celebrate. Crafts like this Wired Heart Pin or this Faux Metal Heart Necklace are good options if you’re looking for heart-themed jewelry, or if you just want to add a touch of pink to your outfit, you could try the Love on a Wire Bracelet or Right Angle Weave Cocktail Ring. Pieces like these will help you feel the Valentine’s Day love without going too overboard.

There is even more inspiration for Valentine jewelry over at AllFreeBeadedJewelry.com to get your creative juices flowing. It’s time to start on all your Valentine craft projects, because February 14th will be here before we know it!

So what are you crafting in preparation for Valentine’s Day? Do you dress up and decorate for the holiday?

Announcing: FaveCrafts Annual Valentine’s Day Card Swap!

January 13, 2012 by FaveCrafts 7 Comments

If you were a regular FaveCrafts reader last year, you may remember our Valentine’s Day card swap. It was a huge success, and everyone had such a great time making cards and swapping them with other FaveCrafts readers. So we decided to make it an annual event! Here are the cards I made last year:

If you’ve never heard of swapping before, here’s what it’s all about: Everyone who participates is assigned a partner to send to, and someone is assigned to send to you. Then every swap participant makes/buys/procures the item to be swapped. For our swap, it’s homemade Valentine’s cards. Once you receive your swap partner’s address, you send them a homemade card, and you’ll get one from someone else in return.

I’m excited to “meet” a few readers by sending and receiving cards from you! It’s so much fun to receive homemade Valentines in the mail, and I can’t wait to get more this year.
Want to start swapping? Here’s how:

Register for an account on swap-bot.com. It’s free!
Once your account is set up, go to our swap page here. It’s called “FaveCrafts Valentine’s Card Swap 2.”
Click “Join Swap.” The last day to join is February 1, 2012.
You will be randomly assigned a partner to make a card for. Make sure that it’s homemade in some way!
You will be notified via email when your partner has been assigned to you. Once you receive your partner’s name and address, send your card to them. Please have your card in the mail by February 11, 2012. Please don’t disappoint your partner by neglecting to send a card to them, or sending it late.
Then wait patiently by the mailbox for your Valentine to arrive!

Any questions? Contact us for more info! Now who’s excited to start swapping?

Gift Sunday: Wings and Things

January 31, 2010 by FaveCrafts Leave a Comment

This week’s gift feature is all about those winged keepsakes that we have a special affinity for around Valentine’s Day. When did winged hearts become popular? They’re representative of wild hearts and passionate love. Just as butterflies can be representative of friendship and beauty. Try some of our favorite winged crafts for a friend’s birthday or for Valentine’s Day coming up in two weeks!

Winged Heart Valentine Frame

Colorful Butterfly Necklace

Valentine’s Day Fancy Free Tee

Whimsical Hair Comb

For more Valentine’s gift ideas, click here.

How To: Unique Ideas for Valentine’s Day

January 27, 2010 by FaveCrafts 2 Comments

Have you hit the proverbial wall when it comes to unique ideas for Valentine’s Day? Your significant other and your friends basically know what to expect from you, like they do every year. Unique ideas for Valentine’s Day are foreign to you. In the originality department, you need a refresher.

Let’s be honest, Valentine’s Day is all about the red and pink hearts, lovey dovey stuffed animals and pretty flowers. Sure, that’s all a huge part of what has made Valentine’s Day what it is. But there’s another element of this holiday that often gets overlooked, even though it’s glaring us in the face. LOVE! While you’re looking at all those red and pink hearts this year, hopefully it reminds you of the love you have for your boyfriend, spouse, friends and family members.

What is love? It’s a feeling. It’s an emotion. I believe that love is best shown, not said. Think about the special things you share with your loved ones to come up with some great gifts and heartfelt unique ideas for Valentine’s Day.

1. What’s your boyfriend’s favorite candy? If he loves Skittles or M&M’s, put them in small packages with sweet love notes for him to find throughout the day – one in his car, gym bag, medicine cabinet, laptop bag. If you really have some extra time – go through the Skittles and pick out all the red and purple ones and give those instead of the entire assortment! Do the same for the red M&M’s.

2. Make him something he’s not expecting. You’ve noticed that all his socks have holes in them, or his underwear really need an update. Make a special Valentine gift that’s practical and thoughtful. If you’re a knitter, knit a pair of great socks. Or buy a fun pair of cotton boxers and decorate them for Valentine’s Day! Check out this knit sock pattern, and this craft project for Valentine boxers.

3. Say “I Love You” with a poem. Sometimes those ready-made greeting cards don’t quite express how we feel about our loved ones. Say something meaningful in a heartfelt poem that your guy will appreciate and treasure – yes, even boys might like poems. Make a pretty (or cheesy) Valentine card to go with it, to bring out the sensitive and goofy side of you as well. Poems don’t always have to rhyme, either!

4. Order take-out from a variety of your favorite restaurants, for a feast-for-2 in the comfort of your own home. Take the reigns on the dinner plans this year, instead of always relying on him to make the first move. He’ll appreciate being let off the hook for once, and might make up for it in other areas. Try something creative like personalized or heart-themed napkin rings or dinnerware. Follow this tutorial for Valentine Table Setting and Custom Dinnerware.

For more unique ideas for Valentine’s Day, check out these 12 suggestions for every type of guy.

Gift Sunday: Valentine Crafts to Start Now

January 10, 2010 by FaveCrafts 2 Comments

You may not even be thinking about Valentine’s Day. And if you plan to get storebought Valentines for all your friends and loved ones this year, you really shouldn’t be thinking about it yet. However, if you’d like to make something a little more intricate to show your love and devotion – then now is the time to get started on those Valentine craft projects.

Here’s a few Valentine crafts to get started on now:

Heart Felt Ornaments
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