Valentine's Day Crafts

Valentine's Day offers a great opportunity to make lovely and personal handmade gifts and cards to show someone that they are special. Valentine's Day crafts are suitable for people of all craft abilities. Whether it is someone just starting out and learning a new craft or an experienced crafter, there is bound to be a suitable craft project.

Making Handmade Valentine's Day Cards

Making handmade cards is a popular Valentine craft. Handmade cards make a thoughtful gift and are always appreciated. A Valentine's Day card needn't just be for a loved one. Members of the family and friends will also appreciate the thought that has gone into creating a special card.

Handmade Valentine's Day cards are straightforward to make. Hearts and romantic themes are the traditional choice, however there is no reason why other designs cannot be used. More unusual designs include incorporating something from the recipient's favourite hobby, using a few words from a popular song or poem or including special photographs.

Make Valentine's Day Gifts

Use basic craft skills to make Valentine's Day gifts. Some quick and easy projects include:

• Bookmarks – bookmarks are a useful gift and easy to make. Give them as a gift on their own or pop one onto a book to personalise a gift. Simply cut a shape from a piece of card and decorate this using pens, paints or other methods. Add pieces of coloured paper or odds and ends of fabric or lace to embellish the bookmark further. Don't forget to write a few special words onto the bookmark!
• Mobile phone charms – use polymer clay to make key rings or phone charms. Simply cut heart shapes from a piece of polymer clay, make a hole in the top and bake this according to the manufacturers instructions. Attach a ready made phone charm loop to finish (these are available from craft shops).
• Scrapbook – make a special scrapbook that celebrates a special relationship. As well as adding photographs to the scrapbook, add other items that have a unique importance such as theatre tickets from a romantic evening out, copies of old letters or emails or even write a few words about special memories. Always look for acid free paper and accessories when making scrapbooks as these are specially designed to help protect special photographs and memories for many years to come.

Create Valentine's Day Ornaments And Decorations

Give a room a special romantic makeover using some simple Valentine's Day crafts!

• Candle Holders - paint glass jars or plain candle holders with glass paints to create beautiful and unique Valentine themed candle holders. Add a few glass beads for added flair.
• Table Decorations - sew table decorations such as place mats or table runners using fabric that is decorated with hearts or embroider hearts onto plain fabric. These are pretty table accessories and are quick and easy to make with a sewing machine. Make romantic scented ornaments using felt. Felt is easy to work with and is suitable for hand sewing as well as machine sewing. Cut two hearts from a piece of felt and sew them together adding scented fillings such as lavender flowers or cotton wadding that has been dabbed with fragrance oil.
• Decorated Plant Pots - paint a plant pot with hearts. A rose might be the traditional Valentine's Day gift, however a living plant in a pretty plant pot will last a lot longer. Paint the plant pot with poster paints and add a coat of clear varnish to seal the paint.
• Glass Charms - make glass charms from shrink plastic. Draw heart shapes onto a piece of shrink plastic, colour these and punch a hole into the top of the heart. Heat the shrink plastic according to the manufacturers instructions. Use a piece of craft wire to attach these to wine glasses to make a pretty and romantic accessory.

With a little thought and a few basic craft skills, a whole range of gifts and tokens can be created that are the perfect way to show someone how special they are.