Do-It-Yourself Valentine’s Day Gifts & Hand-Made Treats

These post earrings are easy to make, require only 3 materials, and are very cute. You could make shapes other than hearts, too. These earrings were originally inspired by traditional conversation hearts, but I made them a little more modern so they could be worn all year long instead of just in February. You could also make bobby pins, hair clips, dangly earrings by simply modifying the instructions below.

 

Materials needed: Modeling Clay, earring posts, tacky glue, and toothpicks (optional)

 

1.) Open the modeling clay and select a few colors. This clay was purchased at Wal-Mart for only $2.97. It dries overnight, comes in 20 colors, and can be used for many other crafts, too.
2.) Choose a few Valentines colors – red, pink, purple, white. Note: Wash hands before handling white clay. If you have touched other colored clay, those colors will transfer to the white.
3.) Use a knife to slice the clay strips into ¼ inch slices.
4.) Form little round balls with the clay slices.
5.) Carefully shape the clay balls into little hearts. A toothpick might be helpful while doing so. Keep in mind that you want the entire heart shape to be large enough to cover the earring post on the back; this should determine the size of the heart.
6.) Let the heart dry overnight. Then, take some clear-drying tacky glue and place one drop on the backside of either heart. Tacky glue can be purchased at any craft store for roughly $1. If you do not have tacky glue, hot glue, super glue, or an epoxy resin can be used.
7.) Take the post earrings and place them in the dollop of glue. Press down so the glue is in complete contact with the metal earring back. Let the glue dry completely. These earrings posts were purchased at Michael’s Craft Store for $2.99/12 posts and earring backs.
8.) Ta-da! Valentine’s Day earrings that can be shared with girlfriends, daughters, mothers, and other Valentines.

 

Want to feel extra spirited, extra girlie and extra glam this Valentine’s Day? Spice up your nails with this simple tutorial. You don’t have to be completely ambidextrous to complete this nail design – you could just put in on whichever finger nail you feel most comfortable painting. You could even paint a heart on all of your nails. If you’re feeling extremely giving – paint someone else’s nails for them!  You’ll only need a few shades of nail polish, some glitter polish, and a few toothpicks.

 

1.) Paint your nails as normal. For fun, paint the ring fingers of either hand a bright, cheery color to make them really stand out. We chose a neutral tan color with a pop of bright pink. Let dry.
2.) Pour a tiny amount (3 drops will do) of a different colored nail polish onto a paper surface – paper plates or a few pieces of newspaper seem to work well. We chose red nail polish.
3.) Using a toothpick as a paintbrush, create a small heart on your ring finger. Let dry.
4.) Pour a different color on a piece of paper and dip the toothpick in the polish. We used white nail polish. Very carefully, paint an outline around the heart painted previously. If you bump the polish, use the toothpick to go back and make corrections. Let dry.
5.) Add some sparkle. We used pink glitter polish to add some glitz to the heart. One small swipe over the heart shape will make it glisten. Let dry.
6.) Voila! A pretty set of nails perfectly styled for Valentine’s Day!

 

Your four-legged canine companion will really love you on Valentine’s Day if you bake some of these delicious treats. Even if you’re not normally a good baker, these treats will taste great to any dog. You will have all the tails wagging when you deliver these snacks on Valentine’s Day. These treats are made with oats and bananas and are a healthy treat,( & something to do with those quickly browning bananas rotting on your kitchen counter.) Most ingredients can be purchased in the ‘natural and organic’ section of local grocery stores.

 

Ingredients: 1 ½ cup oat flour, 1 ½ cup brown rice flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup rolled oats (not instant oats), ½ cup oat bran, 1 egg, ½ cup bananas (mashed), ½ cup water.

 

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   2.) Combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly to create dough. If dough does not form easily, add more brown rice flour until doughy. The dough should not stick to your hands or the mixing bowl.    3.) Put some flour on a clean, flat surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough. With a heart-shaped (any shape will do, really) cookie-cutter, cut shapes out of dough. Heart shape cookie cutters can be picked up at Michael's for $.99 – $3.99 depending upon size.   4.) Place flattened treats on a greased cookie sheet.   5.) Bake 18-22 minutes or until edges are golden brown.   6.) Let treats cool completely on a wire rack.   7.) Store at room temperature in a loosely covered container. Do not place in a plastic baggie – they will grow mold if there is any condensation in the container.   8.) Share your yummy baking skills with your dog… they’ll be begging for more!

 

Many people believe that Valentine's Day is a made-up holiday created by the large card companies as a way to boost sales between Christmas and Easter. Whether it's true or not, who really cares? Everyone loves getting a fancy little Valentine's love note delivered to their mailbox. There are many options when it comes to picking out a Valentine's Day card. Too cheesey? Too corny? Too over-the-top romantic? Not romantic enough? Not simple enough? Here's a thought – Why don't you just make a Valentine's Day card for your lover?   Any local craft store (like Michael's, Hancock, or Hobby Lobby) sells fancy scrapbooking paper that can be cut up, glued, folded, and turned into the world's best Valentine. Simple construction paper, white paste, and some crayons work just as well. Check out the homemade kids card to the right…   You can obviously tell that this card was hand-crafted with love.

Martha Stewart Crafts, Recollections, and other well known crafting supply brands sell die-cut pieces that can be easily glued to a folded piece of scrabooking paper. Don't forget to write a special message to your Valentine inside. Voila! A custom card with not much hassel.    The card on the left was created using Martha Stewart Crafts glittered Valentine's die-cuts glued to thick red cardstock. The two cards on the right were purchased at a local superstore. Both hand-made and purchased cards are sure to make their recipients smile on Valentine's Day.   If you're not feeling card crafty, just head to the card isle at any local shop, pharmacy, or grocery store. Just remember to sign the card!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!