Sweet and simple valentines

Sweet and simple valentines Kids will come to love this mushy-gushy holiday when they get to craft their own cute mementos.

By Hannah Doolin Photographs by Lauren Spinelli

Watercolor heart garland

STEP 2 Cover the paper with drops of food coloring, spacing the colors out to create a tiedye effect. Let the paper dry completely, then cut out the hearts with scissors.

STEP 1 Using a stencil, draw 8 to 10 hearts in pencil on pieces of watercolor paper. Place newspaper beneath the watercolor paper, then brush the surface of the pages with water.

STEP 3 Place the hearts facedown and side by side with a bit of space between them, then tape them to a long piece of twine. Hang the garland wherever desired!

Floral pens

STEP 2 Glue the end of a ball of colored twine to the bottom edge of a clean, clear-glass jar and secure it with tape. Apply a thin ½-inch– wide ring of glue at the bottom of the jar. Wind twine around jar and press into glue.

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STEP 3 Apply glue and twine in ½-inch increments up to the top of the jar. Cut twine and secure the end with glue, then tie a piece of ribbon in a bow around the mouth of the jar. Place flower pens inside.

PHOTOGRAPHS: CREDIT HERE

STEP 1 Wrap all but the tip of a capless ballpoint pen in green duct tape. Cut 30 2-by2–inch squares of red duct tape and fold the top two corners into a point on each. Apply to the end of the pen to create layers of petals.

DIY Gifts

STEP 1 Make a stamp by cutting a potato in half and drawing the desired shape onto the surface with a marker. Cut around the shape with a paring knife so that the design is raised.

Empire State Building card

STEP 1 Cut out a 5-by-7–inch piece of pink cardstock. Cut shapes with the following dimensions from pearlized gray cardstock: 3½-by-1½ inches, 2½-by-1 inches, 2-by-1 inches and a 1½-inch funnel-shaped piece for the spire base.

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STEP 3 Press the potato firmly onto the muslin bag, then pull away and allow to dry.

The potato can be washed and used again with other colors.

STEP 2 Glue each piece to the pink card, stacking them and overlapping slightly to create a building shape. Decorate the gray sections with window designs, and draw a tall spire on top using liquid glue.

Sprinkle pink glitter over wet glue, and shake excess onto a paper plate to discard.

STEP 3 Cut out small paper hearts from another shade of pink paper and glue as desired around the building, then write “You light up my life!” on the card with a finepoint black marker. Get creative making other NYCthemed valentines using the same materials!

PHOTOGRAPHS: CREDIT HERE

Stamped gift bags

STEP 2 Place a piece of scrap cardboard inside a small muslin pouch, and lay it flat. Pour craft paint onto a paper plate, and dab the potato in it, evenly coating the surface of the design.

DIY Gifts

Candleholder STEP 1 Cut a piece of white tissue paper into 1-by-1–inch squares.

Cut a piece of red or pink tissue paper in heart shapes of various sizes.

STEP 3 Place white tissue squares onto the jar while it’s wet, then brush Mod Podge over them, overlapping squares until the jar is covered in a single layer of white paper.

Apply tissue-paper hearts in the same fashion around the jar and let dry.

STEP 2 Pour glossy Mod Podge onto a paper plate (this is your palette), and using a medium-size foam brush, paint it on the outside of a clear-glass candleholder or recycled glass jar.

Felt fortune cookies

STEP 1 Measure and cut a circle about 4 inches in diameter from red or pink felt.

Cut a piece of matching ribbon slightly shorter than 4 inches. Using wire cutters, cut a piece of pliable wire 1/8-inch shorter than the ribbon.

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STEP 2 Glue wire in the middle of the felt circle, and glue ribbon on top to cover it.

Let it dry for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 2-inch–long strips of white paper, and inscribe them with cute fortunes.

STEP 3 Pinch the edges of the half circle, gently bending the ends of wire toward each other to create a fortune-cookie shape. Slip a fortune and small candies inside each cookie.