Two DIY Valentine’s Day Gifts That Will Earn You A Kiss
Bella Breakdown
Valentine’s Day can be a very cheesy holiday, and with all the candy and jewelry and cards that stores try to push on us around this time of year, it can make the day feel a lot less genuine. My favorite way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is with some homemade goodies, from a nice homemade meal to a homemade card or DIY gift. Celebrate with your loved ones and give them a thoughtful gift they will truly love!
Love Cactus
Succulents are all the rage right now, so why not give your loved one a prickly little love plant?
Mini metal buckets in pink and white.
White fish tank gravel.
Pink spray paint.
Wood kitchen skewers
Assorted cacti and succulents
Valentine plant tags (download and print right here!)
Rubber cement
Nail
Hammer
Succulent soil
Punch a few holes in the bottom of your buckets with a nail and hammer. Well-draining soil is very important to these plants. This will help keep your them happy and healthy!
Plant your cacti and succulents in the buckets. I’m going to demonstrate how to re-pot a spiny cactus since those are a little harder to do without harming the plant or yourself. Add a layer of succulent soil to the bottom of your container at about the height of where your rootball will sit.
Roll up a few layers of butcher paper or newspaper. Flatten it. Fold it in half to create a loop. Position the cactus inside the loop and hold it tight on the end.
Lay the plant on its side and remove the pot. Grabbing the roots with one hand and the paper loop with the other, position the cactus in the pot. Still holding the cactus upright with the paper, fill around the roots with soil. Done! No need to look for the tweezers!
Spread out a thin layer of gravel in a cardboard box or on a paper plate and spray paint it. Mix the gravel up between coats to get more coverage. When it’s fully dry, layer it over the exposed soil in the buckets. Resist the urge to water! Let them get used to their new digs for a week or two before watering.
Print the download on white cardstock (the thicker, the better) and cut out with scissors or a craft knife. Add a dab of rubber cement to the top of the skewer and attach to the back of the tag. To make it more secure, glue a scrap of paper over the back.
Add them to your freshly-potted succulents and give to your valentines (if you can bear to part with them)!
Conversation Heart Pinatas
Mini Cardboard Heart Boxes
Awl
Twine or String
Candy
White School/Craft Glue
Crepe Paper Folds
Red Felt
Letter Print Outs (This printable has the full alphabet plus extra letters to spell out a few classic conversation heart phrases! Alternatively, you can free hand them or use stencils you already have!)
Small Scissors
Poke a hole in the top of your box with the awl. Cut a length of twine and pull both ends through the hole, then tie a knot in the inside of the box to secure. This will form a loop.
Cut 3/4″ wide strips off the bottom of your crepe paper folds. You’ll need about 10 feet per heart. While the paper strips are still folded, fringe each strip. Fill your piñata with candy and goodies and place the lid on top. You don’t need to glue or tape it as the fringe strips will hold it together. Starting at the bottom of the top of your box, run a line of glue horizontally across the box and adhere your fringe, trimming at the end. Repeat this, gluing strip by strip, and work your way all the way up to the top of the box.
Now do the same to the bottom of the box. Now you’ll do the sides. Start at the bottom point of the heart and using the same method, glue strip by strip up to the top center of your heart.
Then start again on the other side of the heart’s point and work your way up to the top center again. Done! Cut out your message from the red felt using the letter print out here or by free handing them. You’ll need tiny scissors for this, they’re small! Glue the letters onto your piñata (I recommend using a toothpick to spread the glue on so it’s not super thick.).
And then it’s time to gift, and destroy. To crack open your mini piñata, you can (strongly!) pull apart the box and lid or you can let the kids loose to smash it however they please!
