The theme for our Valentine’s this year is quite obviously newspaper hearts. We have so many of them from our first project that we just keep using them. (I love when that happens.) I hope you are not sick of them!
These Valentines were made by my 10 year-old daughter for her 4th grade class. I bought some tattoos for her friends which seemed just right for her age group. I loved watching her make them. At first, she didn’t want to do it because…you know, boys and all. But then she literally did a who-cares shrug and spent an hour in complete focus. She forgot about gender and gave boys pink and girls blue without thinking. She came up with a system for stamping the names whereby she laid the letters out first to check its length before putting ink on paper. I love assembly line projects like this for that reason…it teaches them to think ahead, implement a multi-step process, and problem solve along the way.
Here’s what you need for this project (but of course you could make these just as cute by doing your own thing on the bags):
Paper bags, washi tape, newspaper hearts (or any hearts made by hand), heart stickers, alphabet rubber stamp set, ink pad, and tattoos (or any other trinket).
I realize there is a line between crafts and art…but I think these are works of art!
{Order those cute heart stickers and use them all year round.}
xo Bar
Lorah
I love the Valentines and the photos above! What beautiful art & design!
Ana
Gorgeous! I love the color and texture of these Valentines! Just found your blog and am entranced 🙂
Barbara Rucci
Thank you, Ana! It’s nice to have a new fan!
JustAmy
holy cow, this is super cute!!! now i’m upset my daughter’s valentine bags are already done…next year for sure!
Barbara Rucci
hi Amy…yes, next year for sure!! thanks for stopping by 🙂 xo Bar
Jeanette k
Love these heart projects! Super cute and adaptable to any age! Thanks!
Katherine
How big are your letter stamps and where do you find them?
Barbara Rucci
hi Katherine, they are about 3/4 inch. I have had them since high school, so like 30 years! I find that the best rubber stamps are on Etsy, so try searching there. best of luck! xx Bar
jackie
how did you make the newspaper hearts? thx
Barbara Rucci
hi Jackie, the kids painted the newspaper, and then we traced hearts onto the paper after it dried. then cut them out. hope this helps! xx Bar
Laroo
I love your crafts! Where did you get these bright colors of watercolor?
Barbara Rucci
They are liquid watercolors from Blick. There is a link in the post!