February, the month of Valentines and love, is here! Do you do anything special for Valentine’s Day? I loved picking out special cards each year for my friends, and creating mailboxes to collect them in. And, I still like to buy candy hearts at the store!

If you have kids, do their classrooms still have Valentine’s Day parties? Mine do, but they usually just eat pizza and participate in a fun activity with their classmates.

As an adult, I still love to send Valentine cards to friends and family, especially those I haven’t seen in awhile. With so much email and social media in our lives, it’s a nice surprise to get handwritten cards in the mail. Valentine’s Day is an unexpected day to receive mail!

Do-It-Yourself Valentine Crafts

Are you the crafty type? There are so many fun ideas for inexpensive things you can make to show someone you care! From something as simple as a hand-drawn card with a heartfelt message, to heart-shaped baked goods and more, there’s something for every skill level.

When I was searching for ideas, I found this list from HGTV. It includes things like:
– Conversation heart cookies
– DIY cupcake bouquet
– Valentine tea bags
– Heart-shaped window clings
– Fringed heart-shaped pinata
– Etched wineglasses
– Conversation heart bath bombs
– Festive Valentine banners
– Candy necklaces

Heart-Shaped Crayons

Do you have kids? A fun Valentine craft for children is making heart-shaped crayons! I did this a few years ago with my kids, and it was a big hit. You probably already have plenty of broken crayons in your house, so you might as well do something fun with them!

All you need is a silicone heart-shaped mold (or any shape, for that matter) and a pile of broken crayons. You’ll need to peel the paper off the crayons first, and then sort them into colors that work well together. It’s a great sorting activity for smaller kids! For example, pinks and reds, various shades of greens and yellows, or blues and purples. Get creative! But remember that adding dark colors like blacks or browns will cover up the brighter colors.

Next, fill the molds with sorted crayons, then pop them in the oven! Bake them at 250 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until the crayons are fully melted. Let them cool and harden before attempting to remove them from the molds.

You can add a cute paper Valentine with the heart-shaped crayons and give them as gifts- they’re perfect for classroom parties. Here’s a tutorial along with an idea for cards.

Valentine Reminders for Panel Members

As Valentine’s Day approaches, remember to scan items you purchase for yourself or others, such as candy, cards, flowers, and other gifts. Fresh flowers and plants are often overlooked, but you can report these in the Non-Barcoded Items list in NCPMobile.

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