#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA—VALENTINES FOR THE CRAFT-CHALLENGED

Have you noticed how expensive greeting cards have become over the last few years? Valentine’s Day is less than two weeks away. I don’t know about you, but I cringe whenever I turn over a greeting card at the store to see the price. The average store-bought Valentine now costs as much as I once paid for a Valentine’s Day box of candy or cute pair of heart socks or boxers. And really, how special is that special greeting card when thousands and thousands of others will receive the same one on one Valentine's Day?

So why not harness your inner crafter and make a special card for your loved one?

Okay, I see all of you cringing out there. Sure, you say, once again the crafter is telling all of us non-crafters how easy it is to craft when you know you can’t draw a straight line. Well, guess what! To make these Valentines you don’t need any more skill than the average pre-schooler.

You’re not going to let a four-year-old show you up, are you? Of course not! So let’s get started. All you need for these Valentines are a few basic supplies you probably already have around the house.

Rainbow Hearts

Remember back when you were in nursery school and played with finger paints? Channel your inner three-year-old for this Valentine. Dip your finger into some paint. On a piece of paper or cardboard make a slash from upper left to lower right. Then make another slash from upper right to lower left, meeting at the bottom of the first slash. Voila! A heart! You can make rows of different colors as shown in the sample above or create a more freeform design with as many colors as you like.

 

Concentric Crayon Hearts

Color one piece of white paper with a pink crayon and one with a red crayon, scribbling randomly. Fold the paper in half and cut out a large heart. Don’t worry about making it perfect. No drawing is necessary. Just begin cutting at the bottom fold, curving around and down as you make your way to the top fold. Keep cutting out smaller and smaller hearts.

When finished cutting, glue the hearts onto another piece of paper or cardboard. Leave some heart halves unglued for a three-dimensional effect if desired.

An even easier way to make this card is to use colored paper and skip the crayoning.