Lovebirds for Your Lovebird: Easy Cardboard Valentines!

After my last post, where I used recycled cardboard (a FAVORITE material) to make animals, I wanted to keep going! (And, I still had quite a few boxes leftover from the holiday packages waiting to be transformed!) Years ago, I’d made a few cardboard bird ornaments for a magazine story that never materialized and I thought I would make a few more and transform them into Valentines. Why bird Valentines? I dunno…because I like birds….because…lovebirds? (I know, I know, these don’t look like actual lovebirds!) You can cut any animal (or any shape) you want and give your sweetheart a little art from the heart! Also, don’t you love the way painted cardboard looks?

Besides the cardboard, all you need is some paint and a few pipe cleaners (for feet). There are almost no instructions here: just cut out some simple bird shapes, paint them (or hand over a pile to your kids to paint!), and cut a few pieces of pipe cleaner for the feet. I snipped off some of the pipe cleaner fuzz to taper the end, bent one end (as above), and poked it up into a channel in the corrugated cardboard. If it seems like it might fall off, you can always glue it in place.

If you’d like, tie the bird to a paper heart. You can even attach a lollipop or small candy to make it even sweeter!

And, just because: 14 fun facts about lovebirds ….including that they “(sort of) inspired Valentine's Day”!

Happy Valentine Day to you and your lovebirds!