Valentine's Day DIY Gift- For Under $4!

My daughter LOVES Valentine's Day. All she really knows about this holiday is that it's pink, purple, and red and that it's about love- so what's not to love about it, right? =) She's a sweet, happy child and her favorite things reflect the sweetheart that she truly is inside. This year, she wanted to make some gifts for two of her favorite cousins so we went to the Dollar Tree and poked around for ideas about a month ago. I found these amazingly cute little wood boxes with magnetic lids. So very customizable for any occasion and perfect for little trinkets and gifts that little girls love to give and receive!

My mini-me painted the pink one for her best friend, Olivia, and I worked on the purple one. I like the idea of teaching my daughter to make a special semi-homemade gift instead of giving only store-bought stuff all the time. It just makes it so much more special, doesn't it? 

The castle, heart and crown were sponges that we applied paint to and stamped to the tops of the boxes. So darling, aren't they? Perfect for little princesses who enjoy a sweet and pretty holiday like Valentine's. One day, we'll have to teach them the real story behind this holiday, but for now, I'm pretty happy just explaining that it's about showing and celebrating the love we have for one another.

We went to the Red Store (Target) and got some cute socks and sticky notepads from the Dollar Spot. We found these cute gel pens on a clearance end cap- 5 for only $1.47! Score! Perfect price and perfect size for our little boxes!

We even customized their gift bags to coordinate with their boxes...well, at least I did, lol. My daughter has yet to learn patience when it comes to drawing. She much prefers the quick scribble to a refined piece of artwork. 

For each gift, not including the bag, it was less than $4! I already had the bags on hand from my daughter's birthday party last September so I guess you could say the cost for those were free. My daughter made cards for both her cousins as well and we stuffed those all in with some pretty pink tissue paper (courtesy of a generous Victoria's Secret employee- thanks, by the way). All in all, a very satisfying little craft-turned-Valentine's Day gift for cheap.