Why are gifts given on Valentine's Day? What do you need to make them with your own hands? Crafts for Valentine's Day: the best ideas from paper, thread, felt, foamiran, with candles. Councils of the masters.
Crafts for Valentine's Day are a great opportunity to feel the warm atmosphere of the holiday long before the cherished February day. A creative approach to creating a gift or decorative item will show your attention and care for your significant other. But for parents with children, joint crafts for Valentine's Day are an opportunity to express the depth of their feelings and to introduce the kids not just to creativity, but to family values.
History of Valentine's Day
Decorations in the form of hearts, kissing couples or hugging angels are actively replacing the Christmas decor in the interior of the house. Red is becoming a favorite for many, which means February 14, Valentine's Day, is coming soon. The holiday is strongly associated by many with love and tenderness, because according to legend, it was on this day that a Christian saint was born, who secretly crowned couples in love. Valentine's Day crafts are given to each other by lovers as a symbol of immaculate feelings and sincerity. But this tradition has another story.
The first mention of the February holiday dates back to the Christian era. On February 15, near Rome, the locals organized the Lupercalia festival, during which young men in wolf skins presented girls and women with pieces of these very skins. The girls willingly accepted such a present as a sign of fertility and an assistant in childbirth. Only many later did the festival transform into a holiday for lovers, and only couples began to give gifts to each other.
The aura of romanticism of the holiday was created by the medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who in his poem "Parliament of Birds" mentioned that it is on Valentine's Day that birds start looking for a mate. The beautiful poetic image is inspired by the Scottish tradition, according to which the girls and boys of the settlement drew lots with names on February 14, on Valentine's Day. Couples formed by a lucky chance had to treat each other for a whole year, like knights and ladies of the heart - with tenderness and romanticism. At the same time, it was appropriate to give the lady a handicraft for Valentine's Day with her own hands, but nothing more.
But the first valentine card was sent by historical standards quite recently, in 1415. The Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of England, sent his wife a folded letter-craft for Valentine's Day.
In the New World, during active emigration, the local traditions of Italy, England, Scotland, France and other regions mixed, turning into a magnificent celebration. Today, not only do-it-yourself Valentine's Day crafts, but also purchased gifts, postcards, souvenirs, remain relevant. For the holiday, they decorate houses and streets, select special outfits and decorations.
Researchers of early Christianity tell of three saints named Valentine who died a martyrdom. But nothing is known about the dates of birth of these valiant Christians. In 1969, during the reform of the Roman Catholic calendar, February 14, as the day of commemoration of the memory of the Martyr Valentine, was abolished. But in Orthodoxy, the saint is revered, but not in winter, but in summer - on August 12. In this case, the name "Valentine's Day" should be understood not as a religious holiday, as such, but the tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day, which has developed over decades.
Note! The first crafts for Valentine's Day are best done simple, especially if you have never worked in the chosen technique - just take a rigid base and attach a heart to it. Try to surprise your half not with the complexity of the work performed, but with the quantity - a hundred hearts folded using the origami technique will surprise you no less than a toy knitted with your own hands.
What materials do you need for Valentine's Day crafts?
DIY Valentine's Day crafts can be divided into several categories:
- souvenirs for acquaintances as a sign of affection and warm relations;
- crafts for decoration and general preparation for the holiday;
- gifts for the second half, created with all the warmth of feelings and sincerity.
Simple souvenirs are very easy to make from paper. To get a traditional valentine card, just fold a sheet of A4 paper or cardboard in half and draw a couple of hearts.
For more complex creative experiments, you may need:
- Foamiran, also called revelour … It is very convenient in work - it allows you to make even but strong cuts and drapes well. It can be used both as a basis for soft crafts and as a material for decorative elements.
- Felt or other thick filled fabric … It is actively used to create soft toys. The filler is synthetic winterizer, foam rubber or ordinary cotton wool.
- Styrofoam … Perfect as a basis for volumetric gifts of a rigid shape. If you are creating a DIY Valentine's Day craft without a master class, think in advance how to completely cover the foam base with decorative elements. To do this, you may need threads, scraps of fabric, and more.
- Candles … This is a symbol of unquenchable feelings and sincere love. Such a gift in itself is perfect as a present for the second half. But only hand-made crafts with candles for Valentine's Day will tell your beloved or beloved that you prepared in advance for the holiday and put your work and patience into the gift.
As decoration materials, you can use paints, plasticine, beads, colored threads, corrugated paper, glitter and much more. But to work with materials, you will definitely need scissors, PVA glue or pistol glue, a needle and thread, and other tools. But, perhaps, the main helpers for crafts for Valentine's Day will be your imagination and warm feelings in relation to the person being gifted, and if you are decorating the house - the desire to add an atmosphere of warmth and comfort to the room.
The best DIY ideas for Valentine's Day
For the best Valentine's Day gift, use a familiar material technique. For example, if you like to work with yarn, knitting needles or crocheting, create a knit craft for Valentine's Day, or if your favorite pastime is painting, use paint. But if handmade is still new to you, use simple techniques for working with paper, fabrics, threads. Even the lightest crafts will be appreciated, as they are made especially for the second half.
Crafts for Valentine's Day from paper
Paper is an affordable material for home art. Colored, corrugated or holographic paper is cut into hearts and a garland of the required length is formed. To implement an uncomplicated idea, no special skills are required - only time and patience. And using the origami technique, you can also make volumetric decorative hearts to decorate the festive table. However, when thinking over the decoration of the room, do not forget that such elements should be installed away from candles.
The disadvantage of DIY Valentine's Day paper crafts is their fragility. Bulky hearts most likely will not be able to save until next year: creases and scuffs on the paper spoil the appearance. But at the same time, the material can be considered ideal for creating traditional valentine cards. It is more convenient to store flat postcards, but if you wish, you can decorate the cardboard base with voluminous paper flowers.
The simplest example of decorating a cardboard base is to draw two hearts connected together on a white background. By the way, such a base can be flat, that is, without a fold line. The main themes of decorating paper crafts for Valentine's Day with their own hands are hearts, hands woven together, a kissing couple. These motives can manifest themselves not only in the drawing, but also in the form. For example, a base for a postcard is cut out of cardboard in the form of palms brought together. In the center of the palms there is a heart cut out of paper and a wish.
A voluminous paper craft looks very symbolic. In order to make an unusual postcard, you will need:
- white cardboard;
- a sheet of red paper;
- scissors and pencil.
We fold the cardboard in half to form the basis for the postcard. Draw two identical large hearts on colored paper. Inside such drawn bases, at the same distance from the contour, draw hearts of the same shape, but smaller in size. We cut the inner contours so that we get a kind of "spring" in the form of diminishing hearts. We glue the middle of the blanks made of colored paper together, and attach the large contours to the spread of the base. When you open such a card, the "spring" will stretch in a spiral, symbolizing endless love and connection of two hearts.
Note! Try adding sweets to your crafts. To maintain the emotional atmosphere of the holiday, it is not at all necessary to buy sweets - you can also make a sweet gift yourself. To preserve the theme of the holiday, use cuttings or heart-shaped bases.
Crafts for Valentine's Day from threads
Yarn always adds a sense of comfort and warmth to crafts. And if knitted crafts for Valentine's Day can only be created by lovers of this technique, then everyone can study embroidery in the style of "isothread".
To work you will need:
- white cardboard as a base;
- sharp needle or awl;
- yarn.
To make a simple, but warming valentine, it is enough to draw a heart on a sheet of cardboard, and then mark points along the contour at an equal distance from each other. These points should be pierced with a thick needle or awl and used as a basis for embroidery. The “isothreading” technique involves the sequential connection of two oppositely lying points. Due to the superposition of equal lengths of threads between the points, a refined outline of the heart appears.
This same technique can be used to create decorative crafts. But in this case, the thread is pulled not on a cardboard base, but between needles or nails placed on a support. Before winding the yarn between the needles, moisten it with PVA glue, and when the glue dries, remove the needles. You will have a graceful ornate decoration.
Note! The correct presentation is just as important as the Valentine's Day craft. It is recommended to supplement the presentation of the surprise with a verse or confession. You can choose beautiful words yourself or choose from popular love poems.
Crafts for Valentine's Day from felt
Felt opens up ample opportunities for lovers of home handicrafts: dense and soft to the touch fabric drapes well and does not crumble at the cut points, thanks to which the material can be used both as a base and as decorative elements. Crafts made of felt for Valentine's Day can be made both for decoration and as a gift. Festive garlands made of felt are created in the form of pennants, hearts or volumetric flowers. In order to emphasize the atmosphere of Valentine's Day, it is better to use fabrics and threads of various shades of red. Leave other colors for other holidays.
Hearts cut out for garlands can be sewn together by filling with padding polyester or cotton wool. It is recommended to sprinkle such pillows with the scent of your own perfume, so that a small souvenir reminds your soul mate even more of the romantic nature of your companion. Large cuttings made of felt can not be completely sewn, forming a kind of pocket in which you can hide sweets, small valentines or even jewelry.
But the best felt craft for Valentine's Day for those who are really in anticipation of the holiday will be the Advent calendar from February 1 to February 14. On a rectangular white base, fix the felt hearts with a "pocket", on which you can pre-embroider or draw numbers from 1 to 14. You can put a nice little thing in each such pocket. Taking out every day, starting from February 1, a gift, your other half will be delighted with such anticipation of Valentine's Day.
Crafts for Valentine's Day from foamiran
Do not be afraid of an exotic name: revelure or foamiran is very easy to work with. The material is easy to cut, leaving even cuts, and keeps its shape. Crafts from foamiran for Valentine's Day are recommended to be made in the form of small hearts or buds. In order to receive an original gift, you should cut out a huge number of such blanks using a template, and then attach them to a foam or cardboard base. The base can also be cut in the shape of a heart.
Small blanks made of revelor can be supplemented with ear wires or pins to get exclusive earrings and brooches. Such jewelry will appeal to romantic girls. Crafts from foamiran for Valentine's Day can also be used as a decor. For example, if you attach a magnet to the workpiece, then any metal surface is decorated with a valentine. You can complement the photo frame with homemade flowers by presenting it with a photo of your other half. And, of course, wonderful compositions are made from foamiran flowers to decorate a romantic candlelight dinner. The techniques for creating revelatory flowers are very simple, you can learn them in master classes on the net.
Crafts for Valentine's Day with candles
The candle is a wonderful and symbolic gift for Valentine's Day. She talks about flared up feelings, ardent love and enduring passion. And crafts with candles for Valentine's Day will also fully reveal your romantic nature. At the same time, it is very easy to make such a gift.
If you chose scented candles as a presentation, make heart-shaped holders for them. Or you can take low glass cups with a wide bottom and paint them as your fantasy tells you. Wide decorative candles at the base can be supplemented with a soutache thread and a foamiran heart attached to it. The height of skill can be considered as hand-made candles, which can be given the shape of a heart or letters that make up the word "love".
Important! In the pre-holiday hype, do not forget about safety precautions. Keep flammable objects away from open flames.
How to make crafts for Valentine's Day - watch the video:
Crafts for Valentine's Day are gifts that are appropriate to give not only to the second half, but also to just loved ones. The holiday of lovers is intended to share your feelings, and a present created by your own hands will convey them in the best way. For a family with children, joint crafts for Valentine's Day will be a great way to tell the kids about the bright holiday and show how to share love with others.
