Julie Finn
We have a homemade valentine rule in our house.
I mean, obviously.
This year, one of my kids scandalously chose to design her valentines on the computer (Sigh…), but the other kid is happily making hers by hand, going from scrapbook paper to Perler beads to scissors and doilies, depending on her mood at that exact minute.
One of her cutest creations so far are these paper fortune cookies that she made using the tutorial from Unsophisticook. It took her a few frustrating tries to get the exact creasing and folding instructions down, and the final fold, the one that makes the paper circle LOOK like a fortune cookie, is still a little too hard for her to do independently, but she loved creating teeny-tiny fortunes for each one.
Based on the amusement that she gained by writing inside jokes into each fortune, I’m imagining that this would be an EXCELLENT class valentine project for a tween.
Curious about other valentines that you can make from your paper scraps? Here are a few more ideas!
garland. This tute calls for scrap fabric, but paper would work even better for a garland that you plan to give. Wrap it around a simple index card with your and the recipient’s name on it.
magnets. This project appeals to me because it looks best when the smallest of scraps are used. The tutorial uses a punched circle, but a heart wouldn’t be any harder to do, and it would be a nice memento for the recipient to keep on her fridge.
manila folder. I’m betting that you have at least a couple of grotty old manila folders around somewhere. Hint: You don’t actually need your receipts from 1987 anymore…
paper gems. This is a printable template, so you could use the backside of already-used cardstock. Otherwise, I think that stiff magazine covers would look really cool here.
