Showing posts with label Valentine crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine crafts. Show all posts

Friday, February 5, 2016

Valentine Crafts Reviewed

Valentine Crafts Reviewed
My loyal readers will not be the least bit surprised to hear me say, I love crafts!  Not only do I enjoy creating things myself, but I love to look at tutorials.  Even if I don't end up making a particular craft, I often take away really valuable advice and tips when watching or reading tutorials.

Some of my personal favorite gifts have been handmade crafts.  My mom quilted a throw for me several years ago.  My grandmother made a huge stuffed mouse for me when I was little.  I have ornaments on my Christmas tree that friends and family have made for me.  Year after year, I loving place them in their "spot" on the tree.  

Some of my best childhood memories were opening my gifts and discovering that Mom had made me a new dress, blouse, or rayon* overalls.  Yes, I expect I was the only person ever to have silky overalls, but I loved them!  They suited my feminine tomboy image.  Although, I admit it.  I did not climb trees in those overalls, but I do believe I wore them fishing.  

By the way, did I mention that those rayon overalls were a Valentine's Day gift?  If memory serves me correctly, I do believe they were.  They were certainly lovingly sewn and made just for me.  Isn't that really the best kind of Valentine's Day gift?

Now, let's explore some really wonderful Valentine's Day crafts that would make fabulous gifts!

  *For those who may not know, rayon is a material that looks like silk or satin, but is actually more durable than either.


Valentine's Day Crafts Make Great Gifts


The Keepsake Box


Valentine Crafts for Seniors
Here is a great Valentine's Day craft!  One of our very own contributors, Mary Beth, shared how to decorate a heart shaped keepsake box in her article, Crafts for Seniors.  This is such a perfect craft for parents to make with their young children.  It requires very little, if any, crafting experience and gives a child a real sense of accomplishment.  

But the really cool thing about this craft is that it is not limited to little children.  Anyone could make a beautiful keepsake box for their sweetheart, mom, dad, friend, sibling, or child.  In Mary Beth's case, she helped her own mother make a beautiful box.  These types of memories, and times spent with the people we love, are a big part of what makes me love crafting so much.  Both the memory and the box are true cherished keepsakes.



The Sailor's Valentine


Sailor's Valentine by Sylvestermouse
The Sailor's Valentines that I made for our children is one of my own personal favorite crafts.  It is a simple technique that has stunning results.

A sailor's valentine is made with a variety of seashells.  The art of creating a sailors valentine is simply laying the shells out in a pattern that is visually appealing.  As my grandmother used to say, "how can you fail when you are using such beautiful things to begin with?"  She was absolutely right, of course.  Seashells are quite beautiful individually.   Placed in a pattern or design, seashells are spectacular!

You can learn the history of this craft as well as how to make an easy Sailor's Valentine in this tutorial:  Sailor's Valentine



Heart shaped Puzzles

The Heart Shaped Puzzle


If you want to give, or send, a secret message to your sweetheart, you will love the idea of creating a Heart Shaped Puzzle.

There are a couple of ways to craft a puzzle.  You can either purchase a puzzle kit, print your own design and completely make the puzzle yourself.  Or, you can simply craft your design with a message and allow the online company to print your image on the puzzle and send it to you to give completely ready to assemble.


I absolutely love the idea of making a one of a kind puzzle for your sweetheart with a private message or photo.  The question is, will you help put the puzzle together or simply watch the process in anticipation of the moment you sweetheart figures it out.


Handmade that is Ready-Made for You to Purchase

If the holiday has sneaked up on you, as holidays are apt to do, then I have a suggestion for you too!   You can still give a handmade gift.  Our own Elf has you covered.  In her Etsy shop, Wednesday Elf offers these really fabulous Valentine Heart Coasters.  Now, I shall forewarn you, there is only one set left, so you will want to act quickly.  I heard tell of a certain mouse that had her eye on these lovelies.  She might sneak right in there and snatch these coasters for her sweetheart.

Handmade Valentine Heart Coasters
  


Your Turn!


I have shared some ideas, but I would love to hear from you too!  Please leave your Valentine's Day Craft link in the guestbook below.  I know I am not alone!  We would all love to discover more Valentine's Day crafts that would make great gifts.

 
 
Valentine's Day Crafts Review by:
House of Sylvestermouse





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, January 28, 2016

Valentines Crafts for Seniors

Valentine Crafts for Seniors The following information is a review of some Valentine crafts I did at my Mom's nursing home during the last year of her life.  I hope you will find it useful in working with Seniors or Children in your life.

Easy Valentine Crafts

 
Crafts for the elderly with dementia need to be very basic. I work with the residents at my Mother's memory unit and help them to do a different craft activity each week. I have been doing this for the past year and have learned by trial and error which types of crafts seem to work well with the group of women. The crafts need to be involved enough to keep their interest, but simple enough that they can do the majority of the work by themselves.

On this page I will tell you about two crafts that they will be doing for Valentines this year.

photos by mbgphoto



Valentine Treasure Box - a place for trinkets and treasures


heart shaped box

The ladies in my Mom's group love to make special boxes for different occassions. They will then put the boxes in their rooms and keep small items such as candies, jewelry or other trinkets in them. For Valentines day I was able to find some great boxes in the dollar racks at Target. These boxes are heart shaped and made of heavy cardboard. As you can see from the photo, they have a design on the box but the lid is a solid color. This will leave plenty of space for the ladies to decorate the top of their special box.

Heart Decorations - provide lots of variety

foam stickers

I am keeping the heart boxes fairly simple. I give each lady a box and a variety of stickers. I show them a sample of a box that I have made and then encourage them to design their own boxes. The decorations that we are using include a variety of different heart shaped stickers. I have puffy stickers, 3D stickers, foam stickers and rhinestone stickers. From experience I have found that some of the ladies like to line up their design very precisely and others like to cover their box with lots of different stickers. I have also found that some of the ladies like to copy exactly what I have done and feel frustrated if they don't have an example, so I also make an example and tell them they can make the box like mine or design it however they would like. Although, I am only using different stickers this time, you could use a variety of materials to decorate the boxes. Some thoughts that come to mind are buttons, rickrack, or cut out hearts. They could also paint a design on the boxes or use markers.

heart stickers

Puffy Sticker to Decorate

puffy stickers

Homemade Valentine Card

Blank Cards Ready to Decorate

blank cards
I found these blank cards in the Target dollar bins. They came 8 in a pack with a bright pink plain outside and a white inside. They will be perfect for making some Valentine cards. You can also find these types of cards at craft stores or you can make your own from construction paper.
 

Valentine Sticker Sayings

valentine stickers
These stickers are one of the varieties I will have out for the ladies to use in decorating their cards. I liked them because they include a variety of sayings for Valentines day. The ladies can use these to add a message to their cards. As an alternative I could have them cut sayings out of old magazines or cards. I could also provide markers for them to write their own messages.
 

Finished Card

finished card

Inside Card

inside card



Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Craft Review: Easy Handmade Valentine's Decorations


heart made out of red buttons


Show your love on Valentine's Day with the gift of your own handiwork. Inside this craft review, you'll find ideas for easy handmade Valentine's decorations.

The simplest expressions of love can leave the biggest impact on your loved one's heart. Especially when those tokens of affection are made from the heart and made by hand.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, review this list of easy handmade Valentine's decorations and find a craft that will melt your loved one's heart.

Pour Your Porcelain Heart Out



These white porcelain hearts are a kitchen crafter's delight. With a few simple ingredients from your local grocery store and pharmacy, you can cook up a batch of cold porcelain and mold it into any shape.

Cold porcelain is a homemade air-drying modeling clay made from white glue, cornstarch, cold cream, and glycerin. The ingredients are mixed together in an old saucepan, cooked over medium heat until it looks like clay, and kneaded until the mixture is smooth.

You'll find a detailed tutorial on how to make cold porcelain at CraftStylish. There are pictures to guide you through the porcelain making process step-by-step. And, there are ideas for molding the porcelain clay into different shapes.

Hang Your Heart on Your Hearth



Garlands are the perfect decoration for any occasion. On Valentine's Day, create a garland of hearts and hang those hearts all over a room.

Cut hearts out of any material you have in the closet and attach those hearts to a string. You can use fabric, paper, or plastic. Whatever material your heart desires.

Felt is a popular crafting material this year and Marie Williams Johnstone has an easy tutorial for a Valentine felt heart garland. To cut the felt, you'll need a good pair of scissors. To put the garland together, you'll need basic hand sewing skills.

More Valentine's Decorations and Crafts



Pinterest is blushing with Valentine's Day craft and decoration ideas. Here are a few Pinterest boards that you may find inspiring:
  • Valentine's Romance by lakeerieartists has pins for heart-themed garlands, giant paper roses, wreaths, greeting cards, and date night ideas.
  • Valentine Crafts and Gift Ideas by annmackiemiller has pins for heart-shaped yarn and string projects. If you love to crochet, you'll find several Valentine-themed projects.
  • Heart Shapes I love! Crafty by haydnsgrammie has every heart design imaginable. This is the place to go when you need inspiration for a one-of-a-kind heart.
  • Valentine Crafts and Ideas by planetpals has Valentine crafts and activities for kids with an earth-friendly approach.

Creating a handmade token of your love is a gift that creates lasting memories. In the time you spend watching a TV show, you can also make a craft or decoration to celebrate your Valentine.





Posted by Coletta Teske
Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Friday, February 6, 2015

Valentine's Day Crafts Reviewed

Be My Valentine World Website
I have always loved making Valentine's Day crafts, but it wasn't until my children started crafting, that I learned to truly appreciate receiving a handmade Valentine's Day gift.  There are no possessions in this world that I cherish more than the gifts my children have made for me and I proudly display those little treasures throughout my home.


Hanging Hearts Valentine Craft for Kids 

diy mini heart mobile
As parents, we want to find easy crafts for our children to make so they will experience the deep felt pleasure of creating something awesome.  It is even better when we teach them to make gifts for others, perhaps their grandparents or siblings.  But, to be the recipient ourselves, is truly a treasured gift as well as a memory that stays with us all of our days.

If we are fortunate enough to be a part of the actual making of the craft, then we have shared irreplaceable, valuable time with the most precious "gift" we have ever been given.

Vicky Barone shares how to make the Hanging Hearts Valentine shown in the photo.  With her step by step instructions, including photos to help us along the way, she makes it so easy, that even a child could do it.  Wouldn't this make a beautiful Valentine gift!  


Craft Tissue Paper Hearts 

http://leehansen.com/articles/easy-heart-crafts.html
Lee Hansen shares another fabulous hanging heart craft that would touch any mother's or grandmother's heart if we were blessed enough to receive this valentine.
Would you believe this awesome Valentine's Day gift is made from a cereal box and tissue paper?  

I truly love this very practical and economical approach to making craft gifts that will no doubt be a treasured possession.  

Lee provides very easy instructions to make this wonderfully fabulous heart.   I can just imagine the fun children will have tearing the tissue and decorating this heart.



DIY Valentine Candles

https://www.stewardshipathome.com/diy-valentine-candles/
Another fantastic and easy Valentine craft is these DIY Valentine candles.  

With a store purchased candle and a few simple supplies including tissue paper, wax paper, and markers, these awesome candles will light up the recipients day and make their heart glow with delight.

You will find the simple directions to make these candles on Simple Saving Savvy, so grab you hot glue gun and get ready to decorate your own candle that is sure to brighten someones day with this special messenger of love.



Easy Valentine's Day Crafts for Seniors

 Valentines Crafts for Seniors
From one of our very own contributors here on Review This, Mary Beth shares an extremely easy Valentine craft idea for seniors to make. 

Most of us understand how physically limited senior adults can be and how frustrating it is for them, especially when they still want to be creative and working themselves.

She shares from her own experiences derived from helping her mother and her mom's friends to have fun crafting in spite of their limitations. 

Her craft ideas and recommendations would also be fun and easy for very young children.


Make a Sailor's Valentine


I, myself, have been crafting for as long as I can remember.  Many years ago I made Sailor's Valentines for my children.  To this day, the Sailor's Valentine is still my own personal favorite of all Valentine's Day crafts.  I think, perhaps, that may well be the romantic in me though.  I truly love the idea and history behind the Sailor's Valentine.

If you would like to learn how to make a Sailor's Valentine, or to read about the history of this special valentine, simply visit me by clicking the link or the photo below. 

Sailor's Valentine




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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