DIY Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

By Jessica Heitzman
SC Staff Writer

Still looking for a Valentine’s Day gift? Don’t want to get the cliché flowers and chocolate? Well, good news. Here are four do-it-yourself projects that are easy to do, and they’ll make your significant other fall in love with you all over again.

Valentine’s Day Snow Globe

What You’ll Need:
Two pictures of your loved one, laminated
Glass canning jar
Paint of your choice, preferably spray paint
Decorative elements (ribbon, string, buttons, stickers, glitter, etc.)

Instructions:
1.    Clean the jar and lid. Paint the lid with several coats of your desired color. Dry well.
2.    Cut your picture (Add lamination length of about ¼ of an inch). The laminated picture should fit tight within the jar so it cannot move. The lid cannot touch the top of the picture. Glue both pictures back-to-back.
3.    Laminate the photographs and cut it out. Remember to cut outside of the seal line so water doesn’t get into the picture.
4.    Place your picture into the jar. It will bend slightly, that’s okay.
5.    Add your decoration (Mini beads, glitter, etc).
6.    Now, it’s time to fill the jar. Fill the jar with as much water as you can possibly fit before sealing it. The more water, the better.
7.    Decorate the jar with whatever items you want. You can get items from your local craft store.

Valentine’s Day Light Bulb

What You’ll Need:
Red thin gauge wire (Available at craft stores)
Light bulb (Any standard incandescent bulb with a regular size base. No fluorescent or halogen bulbs)
Pliers
Screwdriver
Paper towel
Wire hanger
Safety goggles/gloves
Scrap piece of wood or wood cube
2 pins
Paper and pen (Or type written message)
Wire cutters
Hammer and nail (Optional- If you are using soft wood these are not necessary)
Hot glue gun

Instructions:
1.    With a pair of pliers, grasp the point at the end of the light bulb and give it twist. This will break the brass contact and break one of the wires leading to the filament.
2.    Pull the brass contact out. Very carefully crack the glass insulator. These chips are very sharp, so do use caution!
3.    Use the screwdriver to break the fill tube. You can now shake the filament out of the tube.
4.    Use paper towel and a wire hanger to clean out the light bulb.
5.    Now, cut a ten inch piece of wire to make a heart “filament.” Fold the wire in half to create a sharp crease, then unfold.
6.     About an inch from the crease, take both loose wire ends and loop both wires around to create the heart halves. Then pull both wires back down, overlapping the center of the crease and extending beyond the heart shape. You may want to tweak the heart halves a little to get the heart shape that you like. Your heart should be about a ½ inch wide so it will fit through the base of the bulb pretty easily.
7.    Take your filaments to your bulb and hold them up to see how long the stems need to be to have the heart filaments positioned in roughly the center of the bulb.  If your wood is soft enough, you should be able to poke the wire filaments down into the top of the wood and they will stay in position. If you are using a firmer wood, use a hammer and nail to create a small guide hole, then remove the nail and push the wire down into the hole. You may want to secure these with glue as well.
8.    Fit your glass bulb over the filaments and glue the bulb down to the wood at the base with hot glue.  Use the pins to attach your love note or message to the front of the piece of wood.

52 Reasons Why I Love You

What You’ll Need:
Full deck of playing cards (Red pack)
1/2 Foot of red ribbon or to your liking
Paper hole punch
Glue Stick
Scissors
Typed reasons / 52 Reasons Why I Love You title

Instructions:
1.    Puncture two holes into each left side (face down) of the deck of cards. Make sure the holes are lined up.
2.    Glue the 52 Reasons Why I Love You title onto the first joker card (face down). The other joker card will be your last page (face up with the other cards).
3.    Glue your 52 reasons onto the face cards. These cards will then be turned around in the opposite direction of the title card.
4.    String two pieces of the red ribbon into both of the holes (one ribbon per hole).
5.    Tie ribbons together to create a bow.

Valentine’s Day Card

What You’ll Need:
Thick paper for the card
Pink and/or red birthday candles
Marker/crayon/colored pencils
Hot glue

Instructions:
1.    Fold the paper in half.
2.    Glue the candles onto the folded paper
3.    Draw hearts above the candles where the flame would be
4.    Write: You Light Up My Life
5.    On the inside write whatever else you think your spouse might love.

Email Jessica at:
jmh2643@live.esu.edu