Upcycled gifts for Valentine’s Day

I like to celebrate the people in my life with small tokens of appreciation during holidays like Valentine's Day, but sometimes I don't have a lot of cash in the budget for gift giving. This year I decided to get creative, upcycling some items I had around the house to make special gifts for my Valentines.

The items that I used to make my upcycled gifts included:

-pink, metallic cardboard from a body soap gift set box

-used candle tins (from Aldi)

-used fruit cup (from Panera Bread)

I decided that the piece of pink, metallic cardboard would make a sweet Valentine card and used the Cricut machine at my local library to cut out the heart shape. I'm still learning with the Cricut, but I was able to take a free heart image from Cricut's Design Space and slice out half circles around the border to make it look like a lace/doily card.

I love the way that the heart Valentine turned out, even though it is a harder item to photograph because of the metallic finish on the cardboard! It's the perfect shade of pale pink, and I am glad I was able to repurpose or upcycle this piece of cardboard from a bath set box.

For my next upcycle, I cleaned out candle tins from Aldi to make little gift holders. I used a candle warmer to melt the last of the candle wax and then wiped out the tin. I also used soap and water to wash them out, since I wanted to use some of them to give candy.

I used some gold ribbon to package the candies inside some of the empty tins. In the others, I used tissue paper to give some heart earrings that I made specifically for Valentine's Day.

The design on the candle tins were so cute, I couldn't bear the thought of throwing them out, so I'm glad that I was able to recycle them to make these Valentine's Day gifts.

The last item to repurpose was the plastic fruit cup. I washed this out with soap and water and peeled off the fruit label from the lid. The plastic cup would be a cute way to gift candy, cookies, or even a cupcake! I decided to show a way to repurpose the food cup with a non-edible gift. These adorable llama (or are they alpaca?) socks were actually a gift to me from my sister-in-law, but they look sweet as a cupcake rolled up inside.

You may not have the same items on hand for upcycling your own Valentine's Day gifts, but you can get creative! I think upcycled gifts and packaging are good for the environment, and make your gift stand out. What do you think? What items do you have around the house that you would repurpose for gift giving?

Happy Valentine's Day!

February Crafternoon

February crafternoon was held right before we got all the snow in Louisville. Good thing, or it would have been a very lonely party! I decided that our project would be to decorate cardboard boxes with decoupage. It was very easy, and didn't require me to buy a bunch of supplies. I already had a lot of paper, stickers, and glue, and just needed to get some cardboard boxes.

My nephew, the expert in multi-tasking, selected his box while doing research on his iphone. Haha!

This kid cracks me up.

To make the decoupage boxes, simply brush glue onto the paper box with a sponge brush, apply strips of paper, and brush on more glue over the paper. My favorite glue to use is Mod Podge because it's so easy to dip a brush in the container and the glue is the perfect consistency for this project. Continue to add stickers or decorative elements onto your box until satisfied. Give the box one final coat of glue and allow to dry. Remember not to place the lid on the box until both sides have dried! Otherwise your lid will be glued to the box.

We used scrapbook stickers, stamps, and different papers on our boxes. Use what you have. Trust me, I know a little something about a supply stash! This was a great project and I think that everyone was pleased with their finished boxes! Some people even made two of them!

One of my favorite things about hosting these crafternoon parties, besides having a good time with family and friends, is seeing how different the finished results can be! With the sames supplies, my friends and family members make totally different designs. It's amazing! Here are some photos of the finished boxes:

Now it's time to get planning for March crafternoon!

Valentine's Day Themed Baby Shower

I don't think it's any secret that I like to plan parties. Parties must appeal to my creative side. I just love to pick a theme and plan the party around it. That's why I was happy about planning a Valentine's Day themed baby shower for my cousin "T" who is having a baby girl.

All it takes is one element for me to spark ideas for an entire theme. In this case, it was the heart tablecloth above from Target in pink, red, and yellow. Since the baby shower is in February, I decided to sketch out some plans for a Valentine party theme.

Similar to the guest book messages from this baby shower, I want to have a mailbox for love letters, or notes with well wishes for mom and baby. This is a cute way to entertain guests at the party and make mom feel special. The mailbox also goes great with the Valentine theme.

I found some other cute elements on my trip to Target including the packs of heart straws, pink serving trays, and some adorable pink and yellow attired dollies. Pulled all together, these items compliment the color scheme I was going for.

I mean, really! How cute are these dolls?!! The bonus with using baby toys as a centerpiece is that they double as gifts for the little one on the way!

I have been known to have milk and straws on the snack table at my parties, but this time I wanted to go with something fruity. Instead of juice, I decided on flavored water. It doesn't hurt that the water is pink! The heart straws look adorable with the water bottles!

The snack table also includes Conversation heart candies, white cheddar popcorn, Valentine's Day M&Ms, and cupcakes with strawberry whipped topping (courtesy of the grocery store)!

It really doesn't take much to make a great tablescape for a Valentine's Day baby shower! 

Just remember when planning any party to pick a theme and a color scheme, and this will guide your choices. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help. I may do the fun stuff for these parties, but lots of my family members chip in with the "real food" and usually supply the location. 

Many of these baby shower ideas would work for a Valentine's Day party too! Be sure to pin this post to reference for next year. Happy Valentine's Day!

Video: Easy Valentine's Day cards

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! Don't worry, you still have time for this easy craft project. With scrapbook paper, stickers, and some Mod Podge Dimensional Magic glue, you're all set to make some fun cards for Heart Day. Be sure to give Valentines to all the loved ones in your life--a handmade card with a special note can make their day! For full instructions, see this post. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Easy D.I.Y. Valentines

February is the kind of month that flies by, but don't get caught without a Valentine's Day card for your sweeties. Hint: It's this Friday, February 14!

These valentines are easy to make and fun to give. All you need are Valentine Holiday themed papers or stickers, blank cards, and some Mod Podge brand Dimensional Magic. The Dimensional Magic product goes on like paint or glue, and dries clear to make a 3-D seal.   

I thought it would be easiest to use Valentine's Day stickers on a blank card.

Next, uncap the Dimensional Magic and add small or large 3-D elements to your card. For this Be Mine card, I filled in the entire shape with the glue.

Once the clear glue dries over your card, it will look 3-Dimensional.

For this whale sticker card, I only filled in the heart shape and eyeball, adding some fun silliness to the card.

 The best part of this glue is that you can also use it for your collage projects. Use Valentine's Day themed scrapbook paper and letter stickers to collage on a block of wood, then highlight some of the hearts with the Dimensional Magic! This takes 3-D cards to a whole new level and is sure to be a special gift for your sweetheart.

You can find more Valentine craft projects on my blog here. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day week!

Craft Video: Heart-shaped treat pockets!

In case you missed it, here is the video from my visit to WDRB in the Morning last week. We got an early start on crafting for Valentine's Day. Show your Valentine a little handmade love with this cute treat pocket. Fill it with candy, stickers, or as Candyce says: Diamonds! Haha! For the full instructions, visit the Heart Pocket tutorial post. I will be on WDRB again on Wednesday, February 5. Catch me and DIY Louisville at 7:45 and 8:15AM EST.

Heart-shaped Candy Pocket for Valentine's Day

We are still enduring a cold and dreary Winter around here, so I was happy to pull out the colorful felt fabric for my next project for WDRB in the Morning. I think you will enjoy this craft tutorial for an easy heart-shaped treat pocket. This project is so quick to make and is a fun gift for Valentine's Day! Fill the hearts with candy, stickers, love notes, or other treats for your Valentine!

 For this project you will need:

Felt to cut 3 heart shapes
Scissors

Needle and thread

Begin by cutting out 3 heart shapes from the felt. 

Leave the first heart whole. Cut the second heart close to the top, keeping only the bottom half. Cut the third heart near the middle, keeping only the top half.

The first heart is the base layer. The second heart that was cut (looks like an upside down triangle) will form the inside pocket, so it will be sandwiched in between. The third heart that was cut (the heart top) will go on last to form the top part of the pocket.

Sew completely around the edges of the heart, sandwiching all 3 pieces together.

Now you have a heart-shaped pocket to fill with candies or other goodies for Valentine's Day! I love how quick this project is. You could make dozens of them in one sitting!

Use any felt colors that you have on hand. The more colorful the better, to chase away those Winter weather blues! These handmade gifts are sure to make your Valentine smile.

Be sure to catch Craft E Magee and D.I.Y. Louisville on WDRB in the Morning every other Wednesday at 7:45 and 8:15 AM EST! You can also check out our projects on YouTube.