9 DIY Hearts Crafts for Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day. All things hearts and red and pink and Cupid. Oh, Cupid, that cute little guy!

Each year I have good intentions to decorate my mantel and hang a heart-shaped wreath on the front door. Each year I peruse blogs for fun crafts. And each year I don't decorate my mantel or hang a heart-shaped wreath. Not this year! I vow to make at least one of the following crafts AND hang a wreath!

Below I've gathered nine lovely heart ideas that are perfect for anyone to recreate. Grab a chair, your latte and a notepad and pen to make a list of the supplies you'll need to get started!

/1/ LOVE Bowl - It has SPARKLES...need I say more?

/2/ Heart String Art - This could be a pretty mindless activity. Grab the needed supplies and park yourself in front of the TV. Catch up on The Bachelor. Or Downton Abbey. Whatever drama show is your vice.

/3/ Heart Pincushion - The sewist in me LOVES this craft. Make one for someone you love who sews!

/4/ Heart Pom-Pom Wreath - Did you make pom-poms when you were a kid? I did. A million of them! I would wind and wind the yarn around a piece of cardboard, tie it off and then trim the strands until it was a cute little pom. Now you can find a fancy pom-pom maker at the craft store for less than $10. Give this wreath a try today!

/5/ Red Heart Shaped Ice Cubes - Wouldn't it be fun to surprise the kids on Valentine's Day morning with these ice cubes? And the sprinkles trimmed glass? Be still my heart!

/6/ Heart Shaped Bookmark - SUUUUPEEERRR simple craft for the book lover in your life!

/7/ Burlap Valentine's Gift Bags - These would make great little bags to give small Valentine's treats to the neighbors, the mailman and your children's teachers. Fill them with candy or hot cocoa mix.

/8/ Lighted Marquee Heart - The tutorial for this marquee is amazing! Use it to make the pictured heart or a letter. Wouldn't one of these be a great addition to a child's room? I love it!

/9/ Heart Bokeh - As a photographer, I'm always looking for new ideas to take unique pictures. Heart bokeh? Yes, please!

Which of these heart-shaped crafts is calling your name? I'd love to see what you make! Will you share with me? I'm @jonahbonah on Instagram or leave me link to your blog  in the comments.

Wanna see more great crafts with hearts?? Check out this post I wrote on BlissfullyDomestic.com.

9 Easy DIY Valentine's Day Cards for Kids

This post contains affiliate links. 

Can you believe it's 2014? Each year, as January 1st passes, I get excited about the first holiday. Valentine's Day!

I can remember when I was a kid how fun it was at school to make a "mailbox" from an old shoe box. The next day or so everyone would bring in their Valentine's Day cards to pass out. It was definitely one of my favorite days of each elementary school year!

Today I've gathered nine DIY Valentine's Day cards {or small gift ideas} for you and your kiddos to make together. I imagine their little faces will shine bright as they deliver each of them to their friends!

/1/ Bubblegum Valentines - These are so fun! There's a bonus idea in this gal's blog post, too. {Tip: you can find the tubes of gumballs at Sam's Club. I saw them there just the other day.}

/2/ Heart Gift Tags - You can use chocolate OR heart shaped trinkets for this printable tag.

/3/ Love Potion Valentine - I love this idea! It's simple and SO unique. AND, it promotes drinking good ol' fashioned H2O!

/4/ "Say Cheese!" Printable - The photographer in me LOVES this! Send this free printable to your local print shop for optimum color and quality.

/5/ "In Good Hands" Printable Teacher Valentine - Do you love to spoil your kid's teachers? I do. They keep our silly monkeys six to seven hours of every day, after all. This is an inexpensive way to tell them you are thinking of them.

/6/ "Cake in a Cup" Valentine - Another great idea for the teachers. Pair it with a mug and call it done!

/7/ Popcorn Valentine Printable - This is a Valentine for anyone you love! Friend, spouse, teacher, care taker, babysitter....the list goes on and on.

/8/ Bobby Pin Valentine Printable - Are you crafty? Like, in a "I can make this AND wear it" kind of way? Well, you should share that crafty goodness with those you love! Here's a printable that allows you to show off in a loving way.

/9/ Felt Heart Pocket Bracelet - My daughter would LOVE these. I think I might make her one just because I love her so. Who will you make one for?

Thinking back on Valentine's Day when I was a kid, the cards available were so blah! Just cards. Or, maybe my mom never sprung for the ones with candy. :o) Either way, these are SO MUCH COOLER than the ones offered twenty-five years ago. #whoa #imold #hashtagsdontcare

Want to see more great ideas? Go check out my post on Blissfully Domestic!

Budget-Friendly Valentine's Day Card for Kids

Disclaimer: I received the printable featured in this post for free in exchange for my promoting on Instagram. Because I thought you would love it so much, I decided to promote it here, too! Also, there is an affiliate link within this post. This simply means I get a small commission on anything you purchase. Thank you for supporting jonahbonah. 

Valentine's Day cards for the kid's classmates have been on the store's shelves for weeks already. Every year I see them, and every year I know I want to do something more. I want something my kids will LOVE to give their friends!

While at the Dollar Tree the other day I came across 3-packs of toy cars. PERFECT! {I would've bought the more expensive cars, if I had to. But, since this was an option, I was all about cutting my cost by a third!}

I was going to just have Jett give toy cars to the boys and the girls, but then I found something super cute for the girls. So, both McKinley and Jett will pass these cute car valentines out to the BOYS in their class. Check back later this week for the GIRL Valentines that the kids will be giving!

Visit theprettypaperie.etsy.com to find this and other super cute Valentine's Day printables. Use the code IHEARTFREE to take advantage of an amazing BOGO offer that Natalie has going on right now!

Want to save even more money? Here's a 50-count of cars for less than 30 cents a car!

A Sweet Pairing for Valentine's Day with Josh Cellars Wine and Ghirardelli Chocolate {#asweetpairing}

A special thank you to Ghirardelli & Josh Cellar wine for sponsoring this post.  All opinions are my own.

As a mom of five, I rarely get an free evening to spend with girlfriends. My nights are filled with cheer practice, football practice, dinner prep, and bedtime routines. You can imagine my excitement when my husband told me to have a Valentine's Day themed Girls Night In that featured chocolate, wine, crafts, and girlfriends. 

My first stop for party supplies is always Walmart. This trip I found numerous varieties of Ghirardelli  chocolates, both for dessert making, gifting/party treat gifting and just plain 'ol eating. I also found Josh Cellar Wines that would be great for sipping as we craft. 

Strawberries dipped in Ghirardelli Chocolate Melting Wafers and then sprinkled with heart shaped sprinkles only sound childish, they are divine from the first to last bite!

Fresh grapes and strawberries, and Ghirardelli chocolate drizzled cream puffs made for the perfect snacks while sipping wine. 

Well, I didn't get a completely kid-free evening, McKinley stayed home with me. She was excited for a night with "just the girls," too. She was a big help in teaching my guests how to make the no-sew pillow covers.

This was everyone's finished pillow cover. I'll be sharing how we made them in an upcoming post. Stay tuned.

We had such a great night...just the girls. I'll be sure to not let too much time go by before I have another girls night!

Please remember, have fun with your girlfriends, but drink responsibly. 

handmade photo cards for valentine's day.

i've seen this idea floating around the internet for the last few years.
every year i say i'm going to do it and every year i don't.

this year i was determined.

and i made them!

here's jett holding his finished valentine...

cute, right?!?!

and, here's how you can make your own.

first, grab your camera and your kiddo.
do whatever it takes to get him to understand that he just needs to hold his hand out like that, no matter how silly it seems.
you'll get something like this. {after a kajillion outtakes}


next, go to picnik and add some words.
i chose happy {heart} day! primarily because "valentine's" was too long and running into his head.


have them printed at your local photo shop.

mine look great here on my computer screen yet, they printed really dark.
oh well, too late to worry with it now.
there's only FIVE days until {heart} day!

now, bring them home and grab your x-acto knife, self healing mat, a bag of lollipops, and your photos you just had printed.

in case you're wondering what an x-acto knife is...


cut a little slit above his hand and one below.


gently poke the lollipop through those holes and...

voila!
it appears as if he's handing his friend a lolli!

so, you CAN do this!
easy-peasy, right?!
and cute, taboot!

ok, GO!
you'll get ooh's and aah's from the teachers...of course, you aren't making handmade for that reason, though. :0)

*****************************************
did you make handmade valentine's??
i'd love to see them.
will you link them in the comments???

happy {heart} day.

...love

today is a day for lovers.
a day to spend with the one you love.
or think about them so much it hurts...

even though Hubs is halfway across the world he still somehow managed to surprise me.
first, with these...






then, the next day with these...






happy valentine's day Hubs!

love,
your girls