Matchbox Valentines 

Tired of handing out the same old store-bought Valentine's Day cards? My partner, Ann-Elise, found this creative Valentine's Day project on a craft blog a couple years ago. These matchbox Valentines are unique and easy to make. I gave one to everyone in my office that year, and some people still display them on their desks. They're also inexpensive. We're making 40 of them this year, and we spent less than $12 on supplies. The portion size is perfect for kids, too.

instructions

Empty the matches out of all the matchboxes. You don't need them.

Measure a matchbox and figure out how much fabric you'll need to cover one. Our matchboxes were 2 inches by roughly 1 3/8. We cut our fabric into pieces that were 2 inches by 4 1/4 inches.

Spread out your fabric and cut the pieces you need.

Cut as many hearts from the paper as there are people on your list. The hearts should be small enough to fit on top of the matchbox so that the fabric still shows beneath.

Write the names of your Valentines on the hearts.

Place a matchbox facedown in the center of the fabric piece. Fold the sides of the fabric up and over and secure with a thin line of tacky glue.

Turn the matchbox over in your hand. Put a dab of glue on the top of the matchbox and place one of your hearts on the glue.

Squeeze the matchbox lightly between your fingers until the heart and the seam on the bottom have set.

When the glue is dry, slide the matchbox open and fill it with candy or stickers of your choice.

Repeat steps 6 through 9 until you've covered everyone on your list.

materials

Small matchboxes; a pack of 10 is $1.59 at Price Chopper

Fabric; we used remnants

Tacky glue

Scissors

Ruler

Paper or card stock

Extra-fine marker

Candies or stickers small enough to fit in the matchboxes