Easy Valentine Garland & Gift Tags

I'm not sure how it really started....I think I will blame Pinterest.  Valentine's Day has become a BIG DEAL for my kids.  Long gone are the days of pre-made cards and maybe a single chocolate.  We have entered the realm of handmade cards, goody bags, and other cute items to the nines!  Next to Christmas morning, they get super excited for the planning and creating process.

I am a creative person.  I was an art history major.  I own a wedding business.  So naturally, I am a creative and somewhat crafty person.  For some reason, Valentine's drives me like no other holiday to outdo myself and make the most treasurable Valentine's ever!

As I brainstormed ideas for Valentine crafts, I came up with a cute idea for Valentine garland.  It was based on some dough I made that was meant for handmade Christmas ornaments.  But I thought it would transcend well to a Valentine theme.

So, to make this cute garland, you need to make this very simple "dough" (note: not to be eaten, strictly for making cute shapes for the garland).  Here is the ingredient list, inspired by this recipe:

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

3/4 cup water

Combine these ingredients and "cook" over medium heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly.  Keep stirring until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes (see photo below). Remove from pan, form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and cool in the fridge until completely cold.  

Then, transfer to a board sprinkled with corn starch.  I found it easier to knead the dough in my hands.  I just kept rolling it and molding it like a baseball until it got super soft.  It is important to knead this dough like crazy until it is very soft.  Then, transfer to the board (sprinkled with corn starch) and roll out to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  Be sure you have rolled it out evenly, uniformly, and with no cracks.

Choose your desired cookie cutters to make your shapes.  I bought inexpensive Valentine-themed cutters at the dollar store.  They worked great!  Cut out your shapes.  Place on wax paper and place on a cookie sheet. Use a straw to poke holes in each cut-out.  Bake at 175 degrees for one hour (turning halfway through).  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Prepare some acrylic paints in shades of pink and red.  Paint away!  Add glitter if you like.  Allow to dry completely.  I added my children's names in permanent marker once the paint had dried.  You could also use these as cute gift tags or ornaments for friends.  Then, once dry, coat with mod podge.  Once that has dried completely, string your desired ribbon through the shapes to create your garland.  Or string individually to create gift tags or ornaments.  

For my kids' closest friends, we are doing personalized ornaments and tags.  They'll be part of goody bags with other treats.  I will be sure to post photos of the final Valentine projects this year!

Like what you're reading?  I invite you to follow my blog by clicking the button below.  

Craft Spotlight: Upcycled Christmas Light Ornaments

By Meg Hodson

I am an avid recycler and try to be a good role model for my children when it comes to conserving and recycling.  So, when we were recently decorating our Christmas tree, we were testing our lights and inevitably, many needed replacing.  I gazed at the pile of colored bulbs on our counter, not wanting to just throw them away.  Then a great idea struck me.

I have always loved to tie ornaments or other small trinkets to presents.  I will usually buy a package of small bulbs strictly for this purpose.  But looking at these old bulbs, I decided to play with the idea of using them instead.  I am very excited about the results!

To make them sparkle (and to get the kids involved with this project), I had them coat each bulb heavily with a glue stick.  (The bulbs I had are the C7 old-fashioned bulbs, but the C9's should work equally as well) Then, I gently rolled them in small cups of glitter.  I found, through experimentation, that matching bulb to glitter color worked best, in case there were microscopic areas that were missed by glitter. So, I chose green on green, red on red, and used white with silver.  To let them dry, I used a cookie cooling rack and set them upright in the holes.  I did not use a craft sealant of any kind on these, but they are a little delicate and I think it would be a good idea.

Once dry, have your hot glue gun ready and ribbon of your choice (I used 1/4 inch wide single face satin).  First, cut off a strand and glue the ends on opposites side of the end of the bulb (see photo below).  Let dry for a minute and cut another strand to tie a bow across the end of the bulb.

                         Tweet

And you're done!  They look positively adorable on gifts and equally adorable hanging on the tree. Have fun!

          

Let's Get Crafty: Christmas Ball Wreath

By Meg Hodson

When Martha Stewart was first on the scene, this was one of the first craft projects I watched her make.  So, my sister and I tackled it, and it turned out great.  As I was coming up with good ideas for kid craft projects for the blog, this one crossed my mind.  But to personalize it on the kids' level, I added a twist.

Each of my three children had one ornament to personalize.They drew a picture, wrote their name on the ornament in permanent marker (supervised, of course!), or whatever they wanted to do to that one ornament.

                 

So, for this project, here is the list of what you will need:

Kids Christmas Ball Ornament Wreath

Wreath Frame (9-12 inch diameter, a foam or willow straw frame is best)

Lots of ball ornaments (readily available at the dollar store or Target)

Glue gun (to be used by adults only)

Permanent markets (like a Sharpie, but the dollar store has good knock-offs)

I started by gluing the three personalized ornaments the kids completed. I spaced them evenly apart on the wreath.

 

Then, begin hot gluing the remaining ornaments.  I began by gluing some of the large ornaments in a "zig zag" pattern around the top of the wreath (see photo below).  The kids can participate, but I apply the glue, then they hold the ornaments in place.  Then, continue gluing until the inner and outer sides are completely covered.  Some of these side ornaments will be glued to the wreath form; as it begins to fill up, you will need to apply glue on the ornaments themselves and glue them together to fill the gaps.

If desired, you can hot glue a pre-tied bow at the bottom center of the wreath.  You could even add a small ornament or sign in lieu of the ribbon.  

Although strong, this wreath is very fragile, so handle with care.  I recommend one of those wreath boxes to store it in.  For hanging, use a metal wreath hanger that goes over the door.  I even add a few glue dots behind the lower back portion of the wreath so it doesn't bang against the door.