I bet if you asked people to name the first gift idea that popped into their head for Valentine’s Day, most would say:  jewelry, flowers, Hallmark, or chocolate.   There’s such an industry built around the 14th of February I think sometimes we lose focus on what the whole point of the day really is.  What better way to show someone you care than with a thoughtful craft or keepsake?  Here’s 4 DIY Valentine’s Day craft ideas I found on the web that caught my eye.  You can find nearly all of the materials to make them at home or at the store up the street!

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Cute Cards Made From Household Items

I love these homemade cards featured in this month’s Real Simple mag.  Such a great idea to take something you don’t use anymore like a deck of cards, an old match book, or a puzzle and create these unique valentines!

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XOXO Letters

Go to Hobby Lobby and grip up these cardboard letters and your favorite color of spray paint to create this valentine that can be displayed year round. (Note: metallic paint colors always seem to make these pop – but I’m sure you could use any color!)

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Paint Strip Valentines

The perfect simple valentine.  Paint strips are free and I’m sure ya’ll have a marker lying around.  This is great for the coworker, classmate, or extended family member.  You can always write a message on the back too if you so desire.

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Heart Art

Buy a small canvas (art stores have these on sale all the time!), give it a quick paint job, and then glue small items together in the shape of a heart.  Love this one made out of buttons shown above, but you could use anything around the house, like thumbtacks, coins, cut up pieces of fabric…be creative – the sky is the limit!

(These are not my DIY projects, but images link back to their original source)