Regardless of whether or not you’re in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can be super fun. With all things glittery, red, pink and, of course, heart-shaped, February is a blast. Don’t all of the cute Valentine’s Day store decorations make you want your apartment or dorm to be a little more festive, too?
Check out these fun and simple crafts, which you can do with just a few easily accessible supplies. Whether you’re giving them as gifts or just decorating your dorm, making these crafts is a fun way to have a girls’ night in with your friends.
1. Homemade Valentines
Valentine cards are probably the most widely recognized part of Valentine’s Day—remember passing the ones with cute Disney characters on them out in elementary school? Up your game by making your own cards this year for your family, friends or boyfriend. It’s a cute way to show them how much they mean to you and a great excuse to improve your scrapbooking skills. Card-making is more fun and effective if you get a group of friends together, because that way you can share supplies like heart punches and glitter glue, so plan a day where a few of your friends can catch up and make valentines together.
Tools and Materials
- Colored construction paper
- Markers or colored pencils
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- Glitter glue pens
Classic Valentine Card Instructions
Elementary school art might have included drawing a heart on paper, but you can do a lot better than that.
- Cut a variety of colored hearts, and glue them onto the card to create a collage.
- Decorate the individual hearts with glitter glue or color different patterns on them to show how much effort you put into the card.
- If you have access to buttons and ribbon, bows would make a great accent to the outside of the cards, too. Get creative!
Or, if the idea of cutting a template and gluing a bunch of hearts together makes you sweat, try this cute and easy valentine idea we found on Pinterest.
You can get the popcorn holder at a dollar store and can find candy hearts almost anywhere this time of year. All you need is a hot glue gun to get everything to stick, and the result is adorable.
Popup Valentine cards
If you’re ready to take your valentines to the next level, try making popup cards. MarthaStewart.com has step-by-step instructions for making crafts like accordion cards and illustrated cards, so you can choose the project that fits with your skill level.
We love the accordion card since it’s easy to make—here are Martha Stewart’s instructions, taken from her website:
Tools and Materials
- Card stock, scrapbook paper, and envelopes
- Pens and pencils
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Craft knife
- Self-healing cutting mat
- Double-sided tape
- Hole punch
- Bone folder
Accordion Card Instructions
- Print a template (which can be as simple as the outline of a heart shape) on cardstock; cut and trace onto the paper for the folded piece. If making one card, print directly on desired paper.
- Fold along score marks. Then unfold, cut out and refold.
- Position the folded piece inside base card so it pops. Secure with double-sided tape.
2. Crayon Hearts for Windows
If you’ve always loved stained glass or just want a way to make your room look a bit more inviting, these crayon hearts are a festive way to spruce up your space. All you need are a few pieces of wax paper, some crayons and an iron, and you’ll have plenty of hearts in no time. Here are the instructions for these lovely crayon hearts.
Tools and Materials
- Wax Paper
- Crayons in festive Valentine’s Day Colors
- Iron
- Handheld Pencil Sharpener
- Kraft paper
Crayon Heart Instructions
- Begin with a 12-by-16-inch sheet of waxed paper. Fold it in half along its length; unfold.
- Deposit wax-crayon shavings (made with a handheld pencil sharpener) evenly but not thickly across one half of the paper. Fold the clean half of the paper over the shavings.
- Crimp the three open edges with a 1/2-inch fold to hold the shavings.
- Protect your ironing surface with kraft paper. Place the waxed paper on the kraft paper, and cover it with another sheet of kraft paper.
- Iron lightly on medium heat, checking after every few passes.
- Stop when all the shavings have melted; let cool.
- Next, trace and cut out hearts of various sizes. String each heart with a silk thread for hanging.
3. Hanging Heart Wall Art
If you don’t have crayons or an iron, this heat-free project is a great alternative. Wall art is perfect for decorating a small space, and it will add instant holiday spirit to your décor.
Here are the instructions, taken from Making Home Base:
Tools and Materials
- Card stock in various colors
- Scissors
- Twine
- Hot glue
- Old frame found around the house or from a vintage store or thrift shop
Heart Wall Art Instructions
- Create cutout hearts from the cardstock pieces. You can leave them in solid colors or add stripes and other patterns—it’s up to you and your decorating style. For her project, Chelsea of Making Home Base used a combination of patterned and solid hearts.
- Place cutout hearts in the frame to position them.
- Place the string over the top of the hearts and start gluing. On the site, Chelsea recommends gluing two heart cut outs together so that you don’t see the glue or string on one side if they get turned around.
- Glue the strings in place onto the frame with hot glue.
4. Decorating with Candy
There are so many Valentine’s Day-specific candies that it would be a shame not to use them in a Valentine’s Day craft. Also, having a few treats around will make you everyone’s favorite hostess next time your friends visit your dorm room or apartment.
Try Lauren Conrad’s idea of putting candy hearts in a Mason jar and wrapping the lid in a festive ribbon. This requires very little effort and will add instant Valentine’s Day charm to your room. Conrad makes the jar even sweeter by adding a tag with a penny and a note about being lucky in love, making this a quick and easy gift to give your friends. Here are the instructions, taken from Lauren’s blog:
Tools and Materials
- Penny
- Red or pink ribbon
- Mason jar
- Hot glue gun
- Gift tag
- Bag of Sweethearts or your other favorite Valentine’s Day candy
Lucky in Love Jar Instructions
- Using the hot glue gun, glue your lucky penny in the middle of the tag (heads up, of course).
- Next, take a letter stamp set or a Sharpie and write the message “Here’s to getting lucky in love” onto the gift tag around the penny.
- Use the ribbon to tie the tag onto a Mason jar and fill it with Sweethearts or your other favorite candy.
5. Felt Fortune Cookies
Martha Stewart’s creative mind is at it again with her felt fortune cookies, which unfold to include a personal message and a treat for the recipient. Everyone loves opening fortune cookies, and your friends or party guests will love that you took the time to make this thoughtful gift. Plus, they include candy!
So, ready to get crafty? Here are the instructions for the fortune cookies, taken from MarthaStewart.com:
Tools and Materials
- Felt sheets in various red and pink shades
- Fabric shears
- Fabric glue
- Wire cutters
- Floral wire
- Ribbon or paper with printed message
- Small, individually wrapped candies
Fortune Cookie Instructions
- Use fabric shears to cut a 4 1/2-inch-diameter circle from a piece of felt. Cut a piece of matching ribbon slightly shorter than 4 1/2 inches. Use wire cutters to cut a piece of floral wire slightly shorter than the length of the ribbon.
- Using craft glue, affix the wire to the middle of the felt circle. Glue the ribbon on top, covering the wire. Let dry for 30 minutes.
- Fold the felt circle in half, using the wire as a guide so the ribbon is inside the cookie. Next, angle the sides toward each other, bending the wire at its halfway point and forming a fortune-cookie shape.
- Assemble the fortune cookies. Carefully peel back one flap of the felt cookie and insert a paper fortune and a few candies. Fold the flap back over to close cookie around contents.
6. Heart-Filled Gift Box
If you want to show your friends or boyfriend how much you care about them, why not give them this adorable box filled with dozens of heart cutouts? The best part about this project is that it is super easy to create, so if you’re not great with arts projects you’ll love this one from The House That Lars Built.
Here are the tools and instructions, which, along with the photo, are taken from The House That Lars Built:
Tools and Materials
- Medium-sized gift box
- Scissors
- Cutout hearts made from construction paper in various colors
Heart-Filled Box Instructions
- Glue a large heart on each side of the box’s exterior. You can also write the person’s name or a Valentine’s Day message inside the hearts.
- Fill the box with the heart cutouts. It’s as simple as that! For a more heartfelt version of this craft, write a reason why you love the recipient on each heart.
7. Decorated Wine Glasses
Wine glasses are the classy way to consume any beverage, alcoholic or not, and there’s no better wine glass than a personalized one. You can make these with your friends at a Valentine’s Day get-together, or you could make them for your friends in advance as Valentine’s Day gifts in lieu of traditional valentine cards.
For the glasses themselves, you can find affordable packages of clear, plastic wine and champagne glasses at most party supply stores. They’ll be easy to work with, and you won’t have to worry about breaking glass during your craft making.
Tools and Materials
- Plastic wine glasses
- Permanent markers
- Enamel paint
- Fine paintbrushes
Decorated Wine Glass Instructions
Here are the instructions for painting your wine glasses, taken from WikiHow:
- Sketch your designs onto the glass before you apply paint. The design can be hearts, flowers, your friend’s name—anything you want to include that signifies Valentine’s Day. This will help you avoid mistakes before you start painting, and according to WikiHow, you can remove mistakes with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover.
- Fill in your sketches with paint. You may need to add multiple coats to ensure that the paint won’t chip off after a few uses of your wine glass. As with the sketches, you can use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to get rid of paint mistakes.
- Let your wine glasses dry for a full 24 hours before heating them.
- Now, it’s time to heat the glasses to set the paint. Line a cookie sheet with foil and turn your oven to 350ºF. Immediately put the glasses on the lined sheet and place them in the oven without waiting for it to preheat—the gradual warming will prevent the glasses from cracking.
- Set a timer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat after 20 minutes, leave in for a further 10 minutes, and then remove the glasses after the 30 minutes.
Whether you want to give a valentine to the guy you’ve liked for months make a gift for a friend, or decorate your dorm room, these craft ideas will impress all of your friends.