Simple "Heartfelt" Cards for Valentine's Day

Why buy expensive holiday cards when you can make simple, beautiful, heartfelt cards for your loved ones? I think these are adorable and perfect for sending to family and friends who I know will truly appreciate the thought and time I put into sending a little love their way. 

 Seriously- anyone who can cut a heart out of paper and felt can make these. Such a simple, sweet reminder to the recipient about how much we love and care about them. Great for V-day or anytime of the year! I'm making more just to stock up and because I have so much Valentine's paper to use up- not to mention scrap felt! It definitely is a great way to use up all the scraps in your craft room!

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.

DIY Valentine Mailboxes

I recycled an old value-size Kraft Mac & Cheese box and a Rice Krispies multi-pack snack box into adorable little Valentine mailboxes for my kids this year. They will both be making homemade cards for each other and for friends and family. I've made a resolution this year to celebrate each holiday, no matter how minor it may seem. After V-day, we'll focus on Martin Luther King Jr. I think they are definitely old enough to understand who he was and why he's so important to the history of our country. Happy Love Day everyone! <3

Cute Love Bug Valentine's Day Cards

Aren't these Valentine cards adorable??? I got the free jar template here: http://www.dandee-designs.com/2012/02/love-bug-valentines.html. The gummy bugs are from Oriental Trading Company and I just used glue dots to adhere them to the card. 

I just think these are fantastic for my son's first Valentine's Day at school. These are perfect for boys to hand out- none of that girly, mushy, lovey-dovey stuff for my tough guy, nope. He's very much into disgusting little creepy crawly things, mostly snakes, but slimy bugs will do as well. =)