Valentine Heart Boxes: How to Make
Valentine’s Day was always my favorite holiday classroom party back in grade school. Choosing Valentines from the shelves of boxes at the local five and dime store was always fun. Once home, signing my name to each one and tucking it into a small white envelope marked with each classmate’s name was a task I enjoyed. It didn’t matter if you didn’t like someone in your class, you still gave each schoolmate a Valentine card. The teacher asked us to bring an empty shoe box to class and we’d all spend the afternoon decorating our box. We made certain to cut a slit in the top for classmates to drop in their Valentines to us. I relived this nostalgia yesterday when I decorated Valentine Heart Boxes for the upcoming holiday.
Valentine’s Day allows me to indulge my inner girl and saturate the days in every shade of pink. Everything girly and feminine is acceptable, from flowers to lace, and ribbons and bows.
To make your own Valentine Heart Boxes, you’ll need paper mache heart-shaped boxes. Decorative scrapbook paper in complementing patters, a bit of crochet lace or ribbon, and tiny paper flowers or other accouterments will transform your plain heart boxes into pretty Valentines.
Embellish the box bottom first. Cut a strip of scrapbook paper the height of the box bottom and long enough to wrap all the way around. Brush a thin coat of Mod Podge to the exterior of the box bottom, and then carefully press the strip of paper onto the box.
Next, you’ll trace the lid of the heart box onto scrapbook paper in a different pattern. Cut out the heart and use Mod Podge to glue it to the lid. Finally, cut a stretch of lace or ribbon that’s the same width or slightly wider than the edge of the lid. Using Mod Podge, glue the lace to the rim of the box lid. Let the glue dry before placing the lid on the box. If desired, glue a small paper flower to the top of the heart box.
On Valentine’s Day back in grade school, I waited with impatient anticipation to tuck our Valentines into each classmate’s decorated shoe box.
After playing games and eating treats, we’d go back to our desks to open our Valentine’s Day cards. Some kids would attach a sucker or treat to their cards.
Those nostalgic memories from childhood flooded my mind as I worked to transform plain brown heart boxes into fun and festive Valentine Heart Boxes.
Are you ready for Cupid’s holiday? I’m trying to stay awake from all the chocolate while I work on Valentine crafts. I plan to use my heart boxes for a special project coming up next week.
I love mixing and matching decorative scrapbook when working with paper crafts. I could spend hours in the craft store choosing paper.
A pair of stone hearts from my favorite store join the collection of Valentine Heart Boxes.
When you were a kid, how did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Resources for Valentine Crafts:
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Well, you just took me down memory lane. How fun if we had decorative scrapbook paper back Then! Crepe paper, doilies, and lace, along with construction paper were my standard supplies. When my kids were in school I was usually a room mother and I made individual heart cupcakes for their class treat. Let me tell you, when the youngest was in 6th grade, I was so received to be done with that Pan! I could only bake 6 at a time, so they took awhile to bake and decorate.
I use to decorate the chipwood boxes. It took a long time to figure out I needed to use gesso before painting.
It’s been awhile, so thanks for reminding me of my decorated boxes.
A couple of years ago, I saw an undecorated white box that already had the slit made in it for Valentines. I couldn’t pass it up.
You never know when you will get a brainstorm.
Love the boxes but where did you find the stone hearts? You said they were from your favorite store.
I simply love these beautiful boxes. Thank you for sharing.