Valentine's Day... Two Gift Ideas

Hey guys, so today I decided to post a few homemade tutorials for Valentine's Day, since many like to take part in giving gifts to the people you care about. Anyway, the two crafts that I will show you are called Matchbox Valentines and Handmade Conversation Heart Soaps. The first one, Matchbox Valentines are very, very simple, and cute! It is pretty much a covered up matchbox, which is empty, until you fill with something nice, like candy, letters, etc. The second one, on the other hand, takes a bit longer. I hope you guys are excited for today's post, let's begin.

Matchbox Valentine
Materials:
-matchbox (bigger than the mini ones, the bigger, the better)
-any piece of paper (wrapping paper, construction paper, etc.)

Steps
1. Take a decent sized matchbox and empty it. Then, hold it the long way, one end facing you.
2. Take it in your hand and pick up your paper in the other. From one edge, wrap it around the matchbox. If your paper is too small, grab a bigger piece.
3. Open up matchbox and fill it up with desired contents.
4. If desired, wrap ribbon around box. This benefits if you want to tuck in a note under the ribbon. Enjoy!
Here, to the right, are finished results of this craft.



Homemade Conversation Heart Soap
instructions copied from: http://www.marthastewart.com/266875/heart-shaped-soap
Tools and Materials
Nonstick 9-inch square pan
Heart-shape cookie cutter
Glass measuring cup
Glycerin soap
Bench scraper
Soap colorant or food coloring
Spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
Cutting board
Needle nose pliers
1/8-inch metal letter stamps
Masking tape
Heart-Shaped Soap How-To We used a 2-inch cookie cutter (1 inch high) and 2 1/2 pounds of glycerin soap-sold at crafts stores-to make 16 hearts.

Steps
1. Depending on your equipment, yields may vary. To determine how much glycerin you'll need, fill pan with water to 1/4 inch below height of cookie cutter; pour water into measuring cup. Record amount; discard water.
2. Cut soap into small pieces with bench scraper; fill measuring cup. Microwave on medium heat until melted; stir. Add soap and heat until you've reached the water amount. Add colorant; stir. Pour liquid into pan. Spray with alcohol to eliminate bubbles.
3. Let harden at room temperature, 2 hours. Freeze 10 minutes.

4. Turn upside down onto cutting board. Create soaps with cookie cutter; pull cutter out with pliers if it sticks. Tape stamps together to form words, and imprint on soap, applying light, even pressure.To the right are pictures of the finished results.





I hope you all enjoyed this post and these tutorials as much as I do. Please comment on your thoughts of this post, and suggestions on future ones!