On Valentine’s Day what do conversation hearts, cards, and flower bouquets have in common? Give up? They all disappear…the candy gets eaten, the cards get recycled, and the flowers wilt. I ask you this: why are we showing our affection with gifts that have zero staying power?

Obviously I believe that a homemade gift tops the charts, and Valentine’s Day is certainly no exception. I bet if you took a survey, asking what the most personal gift could possibly be, the vast majority will agree on photographs. This Valentine’s Day, I’ve partnered with Nations Photo Lab to show you two clever ways to combine photographs and crafting to get your kids involved in making meaningful, heartfelt Valentine gifts with affordable photo prints.

Free your pics from your memory card and phone to craft these simple but stylish Valentine’s gifts for the special people in your family’s life!

PHOTO WALL HANGING

This mobile takes about ten minutes to make, but can last forever. Cut the strings as long as you’d like to hold as many photos as you want! Since the photographs are not glued, your giftee can switch them out for new ones when the mood strikes.

What you’ll need:

• Photographic prints (you can choose from a variety of finishes; I chose glossy)
• Skewer
• Scissors
• Colorful and natural beads
• Twine
• Mini clothespins
• Tacky glue

1. Trim the point off of the skewer.

2. Tie the twine to one end of the skewer and add a dot of glue to keep it in place.

3. Slip the beads (in a pattern or at random!) over the skewer.

4. Cut the twine about 12-inches long, and tie the end to the other end of the skewer; add another dot of glue.

5. Cut pieces of twine, ranging in length from 10 inches and longer, tie beads to one end securing with a knot, and tie in between the beads on the skewer.

6. Trim photos if necessary, and clip them to the strings using mini clothespins.

LOVE FRAME

You can use this technique to write out someone’s name, or even to make a series of heart-shaped frames. The “O” in love makes the perfect spot for the perfect picture!

What you’ll need:

• Sturdy, but pliable wire
• Wire cutters
• Paper straws
• Scissors
• Photograph
• Marker or pen
• Mini glue dots

1. Cut about 7 to 8 straws into 1/4-inch beads.

2. Cut a 36-inch piece of wire (better to have too much than not enough at this stage) and fold over one end, creating a stopper. String on the paper straw beads until you fill the wire. Fold the wire over the last bead to create a stopper.

3. Bend the wire into the script word “love.” (Don’t worry if you mess up…the straw pieces will hide any kinks in the wire so it’s okay to undo what’s not working.)

4. Lay your photo under the “O” and trace the circle onto the photo.

5. Cut inside the line that you drew, and measure it to make sure it’s fitting perfectly behind the letter. Trim off edges when needed.

6. Use mini glue dots around the periphery of the photos, and carefully stick the photo in place on the back of the “O.” You can stand the frame up on the edge of a shelf or dresser, or tie string to the “L” and “E” to hang.

This post was lovingly sponsored by Nations Photo Lab.

If you are ever in need of a laugh, a quick google search for “vintage valentines” brings up more weird and wacky cards than you would think possible. I’d love to know who bought them back in the day! Inspired by these funny throwbacks, I’ve gathered a collection of crafts that are light on the candy and heavy on the humor. Pardon the puns in advance!

1.

Diamond-shaped ring pops will make kids feel just as special as if they were receiving the real thing! Let your kids show their classmates how much they shine with this idea from Bloom Design.

2.

The Alison Show came up with a wearable valentine that’s as fun to make as it is to give – plus the painting and stringing are a great way to help develop your toddler’s motor skills.

3.

This classic piece of kid jewelry brings some summertime magic into chilly February.  Dandee shares the simple instructions and free printable so that every kid can be part of the club.

4.

Say Yes’s clever fruit captions will have the whole class feeling peachy. Dollar store fruit never looked so delicious!

5.

“Will zoo be mine?” – it’s tough to ask without getting the giggles! The circus animals, stamped letters, and felt heart give these valentines from The Blue Robin Cottage an irresistibly timeless look.

6.

These “amaze”ing valentines from Frog Prince Paperie will find their way into the hearts of your kids classmates – while giving them an outlet for all their sugar rush energy. You can buy the heart mazes here.

7.

I’m a sucker for all things miniature, especially when they’re functional! These pocket-sized watercolor sets are a fun way to spark creativity. Get the cute printable from Armelle.

8.

This toothy heart from All for the Boys might have sharp chompers, but it’s also perfect for delivering a sweet kiss.

9.

This valentine from Love and Lion is sure snot to disappoint….(sorry I couldn’t help it). Luckily the only thing that will be coming out of this nose is pencil shavings.

10.

Finally, this cute card from Paging Super Mom will help your kids express their feelings, rather than erase them!

Vintage popcorn valentine image via Vintage Holiday Crafts

Need a fun playdate craft that makes no mess? These bracelets that I made for an issue of Make it Yourself magazine are so fun and easy to make, and your kids will get so into that they’ll have arms full of them when you’re done!

What you’ll need:

• -Clothesline rope
• -Duct tape
• -Scissors
• -Parchment paper

Make it!

1. 1. Measure wrist and cut rope so as a ring, it’s large enough to slip over your hand.
2. 2. Wrap the rope in metallic duct tape.
3. 3. Adhere strips of colored duct tape to the parchment paper and cut strips of varying size. Apply strips around the cord.
4. 4. Connect two ends together with a piece of metallic duct tape.

All kids, boys and girls, go through a pretend food phase. Cooking, tea parties, picnics…and you can go far down the rabbit hole buying plastic peppers, wooden watermelons, or felt fettuccine.

Especially if you suspect this is a short lived phase, craft these treats to play with your kids. Pizza, a big pretzel, popcorn, and cotton candy…all made from upcycled materials.

So fun to make, but not so tasty to eat!

What you’ll need:

• Brown paper grocery bags

• Tacky glue

• White, red, and yellow paint

• Paintbrushes

• Newspaper

• 1 popsicle stick

• 1 square cracker box

• Scallop scissors

• Red crayon

• Resealable gallon-size plastic bag

• Packing peanuts

• Cookie sheet lined with wax paper

• Cardboard

• Magazines

Pretzel:

1 Cut a grocery bag into 3-inch-wide strips and glue them together to make a 24-inch-long piece.

2 Roll and crumple the strip into a rope shape, being sure to keep any labels or writing on the inside.

3 Fold the tube into a U shape, then bend the ends toward the bottom of the U, twist them, and glue them down, crisscrossed. (You may want to put the pretzel under a medium-heavy book until it dries.)

4 Paint white dots on as the salt.

Popcorn:

1 Unfold the cracker box. Measure 7 to 8 inches from the bottom folds to where the top of the popcorn box will be, and cut a line straight across with scallop scissors.

2 Paint the inside surface (nonprinted side) of the box white. Let it dry.

3 Color red stripes vertically on the painted side of the box with the crayon.

4 Reassemble and glue the box so that the decorated side is on the outside.

5 To make the popcorn, squeeze a quarter-size dollop of yellow paint into the resealable bag, add enough packing peanuts to fill the cracker box, and shake. Start with a little paint; you can always add more.

6 Set the popcorn out to dry on a sheet of newspaper. Once the popcorn is dry, fill your box.

Pizza:

1 Cut a triangle from cardboard, with two long sides of about 7 inches and a short side of about 5 inches. The short side of the triangle (the crust side of the pizza) should be slightly rounded.

2 Give your pizza some tomato sauce by painting the cardboard red and let it dry.

3 To make the crust, roll and crumple a 4-inch-wide-by-7-inchlong strip of brown grocery bag into a tubelike shape and glue it across the rounded edge of the pizza. Trim or glue any excess underneath.

4 Paint a 10-by-10-inch piece of newspaper yellow on both sides. Once it’s dry, fringe 1⁄4-inch strips of the paper (see the Fringing lesson on page 120) and then cut across to make tiny strips, about 1 inch long.

5 Cut pepperoni and peppers (or whatever toppings you like) from magazine pages in the appropriate colors.

6 Brush watered-down glue (in about a 1-to-1 ratio) onto the cardboard, then sprinkle the “cheese” on top. Glue the toppings on top of the cheese.

Last-minute DIY gift sounds a bit like an oxymoron, no? DIY is usually time-consuming, requiring a trip to some special store to get the supplies that are probably expensive or sold out. Not this craft. This craft can…

1. be made from materials from your drug store.
2. be made from materials on a routine visit to Target.
3. be made from things you might already have at home.

What you’ll need:

• Plain bangle bracelets
• Socks
• Scissors
• Hot-glue gun

1. Slip bangle into the sock and cut. Leave at least a 1/2 inch on either side of the bangle for gluing.
2. Hot-glue the edges of the sock to the inside of the bangle.

Voila! A fun gift to make and give…plus helps keep wrists warm this winter!