Leave Your Sweetheart a Handmade Valentine Message
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In our house, we have a tradition of leaving surprise messages for each other. They're usually in the form of garlands or banners, strung across doorways or along the edge of the mantel. These recycled toilet paper tube letters, from our book, Paper Goods Projects, are a fun way to display a message, no tape or string required! And they marry type and cardboard tubes, two of my favorite things! (See a “happy birthday” tube message here!) ps- I have a new e-book, dedicated to tube crafts, Toilet Tube Treasury!
There are letter templates for these in our book but you can eyeball them pretty easily too! ***A tip for drawing your own letters: For one-sided, asymmetrical letters (as in the letter P or B or D), more than half the tube must remain uncut at the base or the letter will tip over....this is why the P has such a chubby base!***
SUPPLIES:
scissors
toilet paper tubes (paper towel tubes work too, cut down to size)
double-sided tape
craft knife
craft paint in various colors
paintbrush
primer (optional but the paint colors will look more vibrant if you prime the cardboard first)
If you have them, trim the letter templates and tape the them to the tube. If not, pencil your letter outline onto the tube, drawing the letter onto the front half of the tube and a mirror image on the back side (see tip, above).
Trim the letters along the template's dotted line or your pencil line. (If you have the book, there are tips for using the template on page 93).
Prime the tubes (optional) and let them dry. Paint.
Spell out a name or even a whole alphabet as an educational craft. You can swap in other items for some of the letters, like this balloon ‘O’!
Have fun…and Happy Valentines Day!