I am a big fan of those pre-made boxes of valentines sold in the seasonal aisle at our local drug store.  The colorful, popular cartoon characters with their adorable v-day messages bring back memories of my childhood.  While my daughter had no problem picking out her valentines this year, my boys had a completely different experience.  There were few options marketed to a boy.  The options were either very young or they were the same valentines they delivered to their classmates the previous two years.  I went to several stores with no luck.  My boys just weren’t digging the emoji’s, unicorns, and pink woodland creatures. 

DIY, here we come.

I do enjoy a DIY project here and there.  However, the idea of making 48 valentines between the two of them with only 9 days left packed with girl scout meetings and swim meets made me want to puke.

Tonight, however, I roamed the aisles of our local craft store for an hour trying to get inspiration.  The foam hearts were to pink and sparkly.  The doily hearts were too feminine for their tastes.  The heart ornaments looked like they could be cute, but they were too expensive and I was sure many a mom would toss them in the garbage as soon as their kid wasn’t looking.  

Then it hit me, bookmarks!  

My boys are polar opposite when it comes to their personalities and interests.  One is your typical sport fanatic who dreams of playing for an NFL team one day.  The other loves robots and art.  The one thing they both have in common is they both love to read.  

Bookmark valentines to the rescue!

What you will need:

Heavy Weight Paper (I used watercolor paper because I had it on hand)  

Paper Cutter (or ruler and scissors)

Hole Punch

Valentine Inspired Stamps

Red Stamp Pad

Ribbon (I used 1/8” wide ribbon)

A Pen (for addressing and signing the back of the bookmarks)

Step 1:  Cut the paper into 2” X 7” strips.  A paper cutter will make this step go fast, but you can also use a ruler and scissors.

Step 2:  On one end, punch a hole making sure there is at about 3/8” of paper between the edge of the hole and the edge of the bookmark.

Step 3:  Decorate the bookmark on one side with the ink & stamps.  Let ink dry.

Step 4:  Cut Ribbon into 8” lengths.  Thread ribbon through the punched hole.  Joining the two ends of the ribbon together, tie in knot.

Step 5:  On the back side of the bookmark, address your bookmark to your classmate and sign it from yourself.  You can even add a friendly, personal note!

Step 6:  Have a blast at your class Valentine’s party! 

Did you make these Valentines?  Let us know how they turned out!  Share your pics in the comments below!