1. Valentine Wreath

Wreaths gives the home a warm and welcoming feeling. Theme for wreaths are always according too the occasion. A heart shaped wreath would suit Valentines best but a round wreath can be reused for other occasions like Mother's day and even Christmas day just by changing the ornament at the center.

What you need:

•    Board (any kind; even a large pizza box will do)
•    Red shiny sheet or foil
•    Crepe paper (2 red, 1 pink, 1 white, 1 green)
•    2 sheets red Japanese paper
•    1/2 meter red satin ribbon for hanging
•    Glue
•    Scissors
•    Cutter
•    Glitter glue (optional)

Procedure:

1.    Cut the board (make sure just the adults do this) into a big circle with a three-inch thick arc.
2.    Outline this shape onto the red aluminum sheet which will be cut and pasted at the back of the board in order for the back of the wreath not to look bare.

Procedure:

3.    Cut red, pink and white crepe paper to two-and-a-half-inch rolled strips.
4.    Spread out each ribbon and cut in the middle. Only half of the entire length of the ribbon can make one flower.
5.    On one strip, dot one side with thin glue two inches apart.
6.    Crumple one side and roll keeping the other side loose. Keep doing this until the entire strip is rolled. This will now resemble a flower.
7.    Spread the petals open with fingers to make it bloom. Make more with white and pink strips.

Procedure:

8.    For the leaves, cut off three-and-a-half inches from the green rolled crepe paper and cut a big "chocolate kiss" shape on it.
9.    For each piece, crumple the bottom and roll that end with your fingers. Make more leaves.

Procedure:

10. For the bud, fold a small square piece of Japanese paper and crumple another small paper into a ball.

11. Fold the upper and lower right corners of the folded paper and place the ball at the bottom.

12. Roll the paper diagonally from the bottom with the ball inside until it reaches the upper end of the paper.

13. Twist the middle part tightly and roll it with your fingers up to the tip to form a stem. Make more buds.

Procedure:

14.    Start gluing the flowers onto the circle board.
15.    Spread out each color and leave a gap for the ribbon. After the flowers, add in the leaves and buds, tie with satin ribbon and place a hanging ornament at the center.

2. Gift wrapper

Easy to make gift wrappers using vegetables. The cross section of cabbage and pechay (bok choi) can make a rose print while potatoes can be carved into any shape. An adult should carve the potato.

What you need:
•    Plain white and pink sheet of wrapping paper
•    Red poster color or food coloring
•    Paint brush (for poster paint) or flat sponge (as stamp pad for red ink, tint or coloring)
•    Pechay and cabbage cores cut-off (the bottom part)
•    Potato halves with desired shape carved out

Procedure:
1.    Paint the side to be printed with thin poster color and print it on the paper. You may improvise a stamp pad by damping a thin sponge (over a saucer or bottle lid) with ink or dye.
2.    Print in different directions.

3. Banner

Greet everyone with style! This colorful and simple craft is very attractive, easy to do and with easy-to-find materials.

What you will need:

•    Assorted plain, colored paper (art paper) in red, pink, white and black
•    Assorted printed papers (gift wrappers) in valentine colors
•    Scissors
•    Glue
•    Thin ribbon
•    Pencil and ruler

Procedure:

1.    Cut out plain and printed papers to 8 inch squares, these will be the base or frames. The number of frames will correspond to the number of letters you need for your banner.
2.    Cut out the same number of Valentine-themed shapes slightly smaller than the frames. These will be the background.
3.    Cut out letters to spell out your greeting.

Procedure:

4. Paste together frame, background and letter. Be guided by the rule of contrast, which is, light goes with dark (or heavy color) and plain with printed. Example, the frame is printed and light, background should be plain and heavy and the letter, plain and light.

Procedure:

6. With a puncher, make holes on top of the frame for the ribbon. String together all frames accordingly and hang.

4. Stained glass effect window painting

This is where the kids have all the fun, painting windows with Valentine designs. This kind will create a transparent or stained glass effect letting the light shine through without the trouble of cleaning up. It can easily be wiped off with a damp rag.

What you need:
•    Poster paint
•    School glue
•    Brush
•    Water
•    Mixing plate

Procedure:
1.    Mix the poster paint with a little water and glue.
2.    Apply the paint on the glass window with a brush, according to the design they desire. Let dry. Note: not for the walls.

5. Balloon Curtain

Kids love the floating effect and how the balloons sway to the wind The strings of the balloons are very thin that they look almost invisible and the balloons would appear to float by itself like magic. This is very easy to do but adult assistance is needed in hanging up this decor.

What you will need:
•    Red, pink, white and clear balloons of different sizes
•    Balloon hand pump
•    Thin nylon string or grey thread
•    Masking tape

Procedure:
1.    Inflate the balloons using the pump.
2.    Tie the balloons together on one string ten to twelve inches apart. The length of the string will depend on the height of the ceiling.
3.    Tape one end of the string to the ceiling. The more strands, the merrier!

6. Valentine refrigerator magnets

This is basically dried clay dough with a magnet at the back. Kids will surely enjoy molding and modeling Valentine ideas.

What you need:
•    Magnets (available at American Bazaar store)
•    1 cup all-purpose-flour
•    1/2 cup refined salt
•    1/4 cup glue
•    Red food coloring
•    Water

Procedure:
1.    Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
2.    Mix glue with little water.
3.    Pour the water-glue mix in the bowl of flour and keep mixing until you get the right consistency of clay dough.
4.    Add more water (if too dry) or flour (if too wet) if needed.
5.    Divide the clay into parts and mix it with the red coloring, a little for pink and plain for white.
6.    Let the kids form any Valentine figure they want to create.
7.    When done, press the magnet at the back of the figure and take it off. This is to create a sunken space for the magnet later.
8.    Bake the clay as if you're baking cookies.
9.    When dry, you may glue the magnet at the back of the figure.

Note: due to different consistencies and oven temperature, the dough may not get baked enough. Should this happen, allow the dough to continue to dry by air overnight.

Alernative:
Use plain clay, shape and bake. When dry and ready, paint it with acrylic paint. This will give the figures a more lively color.

7. Candy Flowers

This is a sweet treat; the way Valentine's Day should be. Make sure to have the kids brush their teeth after eating!

What you need:
•    Toothbrush
•    Candies
•    Cellophane tape
•    Ribbons

Procedure:
1.    Tape each candy below the head of the toothbrush like petals.
2.    Twine a ribbon around the neck to hide the tape.
3.    Take two pieces of candy with green wrapper and make leaves with them.

8. Valentine glitter globe

This is the valentine version of a snow globe with glitters instead of snow beads. Kids will enjoy shaking and placing the bottle down to see how it all swirl and fall together.

What you need:
•    Small, water-proof toy or figurine
•    Clear jar with cap bigger than the toy
•    Beads, sequins, glitters
•    Glue gun (adult supervision needed)
•    Stickers
•    Ribbon

Procedure:
1.    Attach the figurine at the center of the jar's cap with a glue gun.
2.    Place beads, glitters and sequins inside the jar.
3.    Fill the jar with water.
4.    When the figurine is fixed on the cap, screw the cap on the filled jar with the figurine in an upside-down position.
5.    Turn the jar right side-up and make sure there's no leak.
6.    Glue a ribbon around the lid and stick on stickers around the jar for added touch of art.
7.    Swirl the ornaments around the figure and enjoy the sight.

9. Heart hanging ornament

Inspired by red Chinese lanterns, this decor may look complicated but is actually simple to do.

What you need:
•    Red Japanese paper
•    Scissors
•    Glue
•    String

Procedure:

1.    Cut out same-sized sheets of Japanese paper and fold them like a book.
2.    Cut them into the shape of a half-heart.
3.    Spread them out and staple them at the middle.
4.    Make more "books" for thicker pages. The more pages, the better.
5.    Apply thin lines of glue on one page.
6.    Flip the next page onto the first page and on the second page, apply thin lines of glue, applying it in-between the lines of the 1st page.
7.    Do this alternately for every page. When all pages are glued and have dried, open the book to reveal a diamond patterned body. You may open it 180 degrees to decorate the wall, or 360 degrees and hang it as a lantern.

10. Confetti in a balloon

A clear balloon stuffed with confetti will give the party a blast once it bursts. Adult supervision is needed when popping the balloon as a sharp object will be needed.

What you need:
•    Big clear balloon (size 10 or bigger)
•    Balloon hand pump
•    Confetti cut-outs from Japanese paper (red, pink and white)
•    Funnel
•    Pencil

Procedure:
1.    Insert the tip of the funnel into the balloon's opening.
2.    Stuff in small confetti cut-outs with a pencil.
3.    Pump the balloon according to the size. A size 10 balloon, for example, should be inflated up to 10 inches in diameter.
4.    Hang the filled balloon with a string.
5.    For added touch, tie together four pink balloons on the mother balloon's neck and add curly ribbons. Confetti flies and scatters when the balloon is popped with a pin.