This Valentine's Day, show your love with sweet and cute crafts! Martha Stewart Living magazine shares unique and easy-to-make ideas to sweeten gifts for friends, family and loved ones:
Family photo cookie packaging
What's sweeter than a box of Valentine's Day cookies? One decorated with a family photograph. Scan and print a black-and-white photo onto vellum (if you have an ink-jet printer, let the printout dry before handling it). Trace the box lid onto the photo, cut it out to be slightly smaller than the lid, and tack it to the lid by dotting with a glue stick. Line the bottom with a circle of pink, red, or gold glassine.
Clear round boxes, 8 15/16" by 1 1/8" (C019), $13.75 for 10, and 5 7/8" by 1 3/16" (C061), $4.25 for 5; glerup.com
Vellum paper, in clear (GN2911), $11.50 for 50 sheets, lcipaper.com
Glassine sheets, 80 cents each, nycentralartsupply.com
Soft focus
Turn a photo into a throw pillow with ingenious paper-backed linen that feeds into home printers.
Materials:
Printable linen
Fusible interfacing
Iron
Fabric protector
Linen
Sewing machine and sewing supplies
Polyester fiberfill
- Size photo (if desired, leave a border for a framelike effect). Print on linen; remove backing.
- To make fabric sturdier, back linen with a piece of fusible interfacing. Cut it to the same size as the linen, and iron it to the back side of printout. Place scrap fabric between iron and printout.
- Cut a piece of linen to the same dimensions as your printout before ironing. With right sides facing, sew around perimeter, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Leave a 3-inch slit at bottom. Turn right side out.
- Stuff with fiberfill, and hand-sew the slit closed.
Jacquard Belgian linen, $35 for 6' by 42", jacquardproducts.com
Heat 'n Bond lightweight iron-on fusible interfacing, 20" by 36", $3 per yd., joann.com
3M Scotchgard fabric protector, $10, amazon.com
A charmed upbringing
Create instant heirlooms for all your loved ones with favorite family photos inside inexpensive lockets (and present them on cards made from snapshots).
Start by making a template for the photo: Press a piece of paper into the locket opening, and score around the edge with a pencil. Cut it out, slide it in, and resize it as needed. Print the desired photo on heavyweight printer paper. Use template to cut photo to size, then slide into locket. Add a jump ring, and thread with cord. For the valentine, choose an image that can incorporate the locket (such as by attaching it to a baby’s hand or placing it on an artist’s easel). Print it on card stock, make a hole with a micro punch, and tie the cord through it.
Small circle locket (#708A), $10 for 12; large photo locket (#758A), $4.50 each; large heart locket (#719A/C), in gold, $20 for 12; gold jump rings, $1.50 for 3 g; all from tohoshoji-ny.com
Ultrasuede tape, in coral, 1/8", $1 per yd., mjtrim.com
The things we carry
Put the person who holds your heart on the bag that holds your keys, phone, and other indispensables. Double-sided fusible webbing lets you attach a photo without sewing.
Materials:
Printable cotton
Double-sided fusible webbing
Iron
Canvas pouch
Fabric protector
- Size photo to fit on pouch, keeping finished images at least 1/4 inch from edge of pouch. Print on cotton, and remove backing.
- Place scrap fabric between iron and your printout before ironing. Iron cotton to webbing. Cut photo to desired size.
- Remove webbing's backing, and iron onto canvas case. Let cool; spray with fabric protector.
Canvas pouch, in various sizes, from $5, brookfarmgeneralstore.com
Jacquard cotton percale, $4 per yd., jacquardproducts.com
Steam-A-Seam 2 Double-Stick Fusible Web 12" by 9" sheets, $4 for 5, joann.com
3M Scotchgard fabric protector, $10, amazon.com
For more great craft ideas, visit Martha Stewart Living magazine online.
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