Valentine's Day treats

Help your child make these delightful Valentine's gifts and make someone happy this February 14th

Forget store-bought cards and expensive presents - a home-made gift can be very special. Your children will enjoy making these simple projects and giving them to the people they love.

Picture frame

A heart-shaped frame to display the people your child loves the best



What you need:

  • Heart-shaped biscuit cutters or templates (approx 140mm x 110mm)
  • 9mm-wide ribbon. Approx 600-700mm long, but the length depends on the size of your heart
  • 2 x 150mm squares of stiff cardboard - if you use felt, the cardboard does not need to be so thick
  • PVA glue
  • 250mm x 300mm piece of felt or other fabric
  • Darning needle
  • Stapler and staples

What to do:

  1. To make frame: Cut out two same-size heart-shapes from cardboard. Use a biscuit cutter or make a template to draw around.
  2. Draw a smaller heart (approx 70mm in diameter) in centre of one and cut out to make frame section.
  3. Cover both heart shapes with red felt or other coloured materials of your choice. If you wish, you need only cover the front and the back, but do ensure you cover the edges.
  4. Leave to dry. If using felt, place under a heavy object to keep flat.
  5. To make ribbon holes: Measure small equidistant spaces (about 10mm apart) around the heart and mark lightly with a pencil.
  6. Place the two hearts together and use a bradawl or other pointed tool to make holes through both layers at the same time.
  7. To thread ribbon: Cut a length of ribbon and thread it through the eye of a darning or tapestry needle, so that there are two equal lengths.
  8. Leaving half the length of ribbon loose, thread the other half through the back of the bottom hole and then through the back of the next one and so on, to the centre hole.
  9. Rethread your needle with the loose end of the ribbon and, beginning in the same hole as before, thread the ribbon through the holes to the top.
  10. Tie the loose ends in a bow.
  11. To make stand (optional): Cut a strip of stiff cardboard about 120mm long by 30mm wide.
  12. Make a fold about 30mm from the top. Score lightly.
  13. Cover the longest part of the strip and attach the folded piece of card to the back of the frame with glue or staples.
  14. Cover the bare cardboard with a square of matching material/paper and your frame will stand up.
NOTE: It may help to place your picture in the frame before threading the ribbons. To change the photo, simply untie the ribbons and rethread.

Chocolate hearts

Home-made chocolates to melt the heart of your Valentine

What you need:

  • 60g dark chocolate
  • 50g milk chocolate
  • 40g white chocolate
  • Four heart-shaped biscuit cutters (130mm x 110mm, 115mm x 90mm, 100mm x 80mm and 60mm x 50mm)
  • Red ribbon
  • Greaseproof paper
  • Tray or chopping board
  • Bowl
  • Saucepan

What to do:

  1. Arrange the heart shaped biscuit cutters on greaseproof paper on a flat tray or chopping board.
  2. Break the dark chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl.
  3. Heat gently over a pan of boiling water.
  4. When melted, pour the chocolate carefully into the largest heart biscuit cutter.
  5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for milk and white chocolate, using the medium and small cutters.
  6. Place in the fridge to set.
  7. When solid, place hearts on top of each other and tie together with a red ribbon

NOTE: To make extra hearts for your chocolate box, simply melt more of your favourite type of chocolate and use a very small heart mould.

Heart-shaped chocolate box

An individual box to present one of your home-made chocolate hearts



What you need:

  • Small cardboard jewellery box (approx 60mm x 80mm)
  • Stiff white cardboard (300mm square)
  • 2 heart-shaped biscuit cutters or templates (130mm x 110mm and 100mm x 80mm)
  • 150mm x 200mm piece of pink felt
  • Photograph or other image
  • PVA glue
  • Scissors
  • 150mm square of textured white paper or wallpaper

What to do:

  1. Cover the sides of a small cardboard jewellery box with strips of coloured paper (the top and bottom will be hidden).
  2. Cut out two heart shapes from stiff white cardboard. They should be big enough to cover the box and one needs to be 3-5mm larger than the other.
  3. Cover one side of each heart shape in pink felt.
  4. Cover one side of the smaller heart with a textured white paper or other material and add a smaller pink felt heart at the centre.
  5. Add a small image (use a Valentine's themed picture or even a photograph of yourself).
  6. Glue the base of the box to the felt-covered side of the smaller heart and leave to dry.
  7. With the lid on the box and using the bottom heart as a guide, glue the second heart to the lid of the box. Leave to dry.

Decoupage tray

The perfect tray on which to deliver mum's breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day


What you need:

  • Small tea tray
  • Tissue paper
  • Magazines
  • Scissors
  • PVA glue
  • Varnish

What to do:
  1. Ask your children to cut out small pictures from magazines - give them a theme (things that mums would love, like shoes, perfume or champagne) or simply choose a colour.
  2. If the tray is not white, cover it with some tissue paper, using PVA glue.
  3. Arrange your images on the tray and stick them down with PVA - make sure the images cover the sides and edges of the tray too.
  4. Add as many pictures as you like until you are happy with the effect.
  5. When dry, add a coat or two of water-based high-gloss varnish and leave to dry.

NOTE: A quicker way to achieve this effect is to cover the tray with a patterned wrapping paper and just add one or two larger images on top.

Painted flower pot

Add your Valentine's favourite plant for a special gift


What you need:

  • Small terracotta plant pot
  • 2 heart-shaped biscuit cutters or template (80mm x 60mm and 60mm x 40mm)
  • Poster or ready-mixed paint
  • Red tissue paper
  • Glass beads
  • PVA glue
  • Varnish

What to do:
  1. Paint a small terracotta plant pot with a white undercoat - poster paint, ready-mixed paint or emulsion will do.
  2. Using the biscuit cutters or templates, cut out two heart shapes of each size from red tissue paper.
  3. Paint the pot, plus the inside rim, in pink or a colour of your choice. To ensure a straight line around the inner rim, use masking tape to create a line.
  4. Place the red hearts straight onto the wet paint - this will act like glue - and leave to dry.
  5. Using PVA glue, stick glass beads at regular intervals around the outside of the rim of the pot and leave to dry.
  6. Add a coat of water-based high-gloss varnish and leave to dry.

NOTE: The paint and varnish will not withstand too much water, so take care when watering your plant.