Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Day of Love

Valentine's Day cam be a controversial holiday for some. It can be a source of sadness for those without a partner, or can be filled with pressure for couples to for something magically, perfectly, romantic. Cynics dismiss it as a made up Hallmark holiday, but I think regardless of your romantic status, it's a wonderful excuse to show those in your life that you love them. Yes, it can be cheesy, or overrated, but it can also be simple, fun and encouraging.

It's a little late to give you inspiration for this year, but I didn't want to spoil any Valentine's surprises by sharing them here too early. So here's a little glimpse into this year's crafts... If you're interested, file them away for next year...(I won't tell anyone where you got the ideas!)

Paint Chip Valentine's cards

So easy...and free! (Dustin questioned how Home Depot felt about me clearing out their entire range of reds...but I figure I didn't take any more than I typically do when choosing paint for my house. Seriously- you should see my collection of beiges. Nuts.) I used Behr swatches because I liked the size and the range of color on each card. Four colors gave me the perfect amount of space to write my note. Each strip included the simple message of I "heart", + a characteristic about the recipient. You could also use the three color versions and write your To/From on the back. Just cut off the rounded edges (and most of the type) and then cut the remaining rectangle in half lengthwise, giving you two strips per card. Jot down your vday note, and you're done!
Paint Chip Valentine's "Book"


For Dustin I continued the paint chip theme, and made an alphabet book- the ABC's of how we met. You could easily tailor the subject to your recipient, making it as general or specific, as funny or sappy as you want. I was originally going to list reasons I love him, but thought it would be more fun to focus on the very beginning of our courtship...before he was a dad, or even a husband. A little walk down memory lane is always fun, and having letter prompts helped me to recall details I might otherwise have forgotten.

This version uses one paint chip card per letter (Home Depot must really hate this one!) I cut them to the size I wanted (again eliminating the rounded corners and color names) and glued plain paper to the back. On the front I wrote "A is for..." whatever memory I chose, and then filled in the back with the story. The four color cards worked perfectly for this too because then there was an open spot for a hole punch (make sure to leave room for this when you're writing on the back!) Thread a ring through, tie a bow on to make it a little fancy and you're done!


Valentine's Nails
And of course it wouldn't be a holiday without a festive coat of nail polish. Behold the vday gradient:



(it took a lot of restraint to resist glitter...)


Hope you had a craftilicious Valentine's Day (if you're into that sort of thing.) And for you project obssessed pinners- remember the true spirit of the day is love...not glue sticks.




3 comments :

  1. Okay, first of all I just wanna say that I made Derek a homemade Valentine. I mean, its no where near as cute as these, but its pretty cute considering I made it.

    It's really more of a scrapbook page. I used some recycled card bits and a picture, an old ticket stub, and added some sweet sentiments.

    I was pretty pleased with how it turned out and Derek seemed to like it and bonus...its not one more card to throw in the huge rubbermaid container of cards we have.

    However, I love your idea here. Love it. I'm going to use it and not even wait until next Valentine's Day.

    Our anniversary is in March. :-)

    Look out Lowe's...here I come!

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  2. This is suuuuuch an awesome idea! I'm adding yours to a list I'm compiling of awesome DIY Valentines : )

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