Love is in the air and it is important to make yourself and those you love feel special. Nothing screams I care about you as much as something made by hand. In a world where convenience is prioritized, challenge yourself this Valentine’s Day to break away from that cycle and spend some time on valentine crafts.
Valentine’s Day is meant to celebrate love, gifts are a central aspect of that for many people. As the day gets closer, consumers are swept up in the wave of “corporate profit-driven” stores, peddling everything from heart shaped chocolates to obnoxious looking teddy bears. They are a convenient buy for the time being, but are rarely kept and cherished.
For a holiday about love, there can be a lot of loveless gifts being handed out that only cause more waste at the end of the day. Instead, let’s use the time that you were going to spend shopping at stores or scrolling on Amazon to break out the paper and scissors!
Valentine’s Day cards are comparably simple to other crafts, but I genuinely believe that they are low risk and high reward because of the customability and emotional value. Making it specific to the loved one, holds more weight than any store bought card.
However, you are giving a part of yourself away through creating these and it can be a difficult brainstorming process. To stop yourself from giving up before you start, look for inspiration; I recommend checking out @byrakna on TikTok to start the process. They showcase simple step by step tutorials on creating a variety of different Valentine cards that can be easily adaptable.
While creating, keep in mind who you are creating for and their interests to decipher what is going to mean the most to them.
Additionally, this is a gift that does not have to be made for someone you are romantically involved with, I do not want you to stop yourself from trying because you feel you have no one to give it to. A valentine could be an expression of platonic love or familial love, there are countless people in my life that I know who could use some appreciation and extra love, who will definitely be getting a card from me this year.
Another staple gift of Valentine’s Day is flowers. Real flowers, as lovely as they are, eventually die. It is an unfortunate reality, but there is a way to replicate that beauty for much longer and that is through crafting paper flowers.
This craft is quite versatile, there are so many different flowers that can be created and diverse materials that can be used when making them, so it can be difficult to make a decision. I recommend starting with the Youtube channel @BeingArtistic, they have multiple videos that give step by step tutorials to make different flowers that are reasonably paced and display the materials needed for each one before starting the project. Pick out a flower, either your favorite or a loved ones’, and start learning. It will be a lengthy process but the end product is a beautiful gift.
To make this process even easier and cheaper, students can and should use the Makerspace, a room that has loads of crafting supplies, free of charge. It is located on the third floor of the Tananimura & Antle Family Memorial Library and is open 12 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Disclaimer: I can not be held responsible for any broken hearts. Putting yourself out there like this can be emotional, especially in a romantic sense, but the time and effort that you put into the ones you love should matter. Do not let yourself fall victim of convenience, create something that will leave a lasting impression on someone – even if that someone is just you.