January 16, 2020

Lovebirds for Your Lovebird: Easy Cardboard Valentines!

January 16, 2020/ jodi levine

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?

January 26, 2019

A Roundup of My Favorite DIY Valentines Cards and Gifts

January 26, 2019/ jodi levine

Valentines Day has always been a favorite crafting holiday. I’m just a sucker for pink, red, and hearts! I’ve gathered a few of my favorite projects from over the years, like these freezer paper stenciled muslin bags I made for Martha Stewart Living magazine a few years ago. Slip a love note, some candy, or even a gift of jewelry inside for your sweetheart. Click here for full instructions!
*By the way, freezer paper stenciling is one of my favorite techniques! You can find freezer paper at most supermarkets (or here). It is paper with a plastic coating on one side. After cutting a shape out (ie. a heart) you iron the paper onto your bag (shiny plastic side down) and you have an almost foolproof one-use stencil. If you use a craft punch to make your stencil shapes, as I did with the small hearts here, it is a breeze!

February 03, 2018

Yummy (and Gluten-Free) Petit Four Treats for your Valentine

February 03, 2018/ jodi levine

Rice Krispie Treats are not only yummy but a good option for a dessert to serve to gluten-free friends. Making them into mini "cakes" is such a fun crafty food project! You can use square and round cookie cutters or hand-cut them. They work well if you cut into with a pretty thin layer, around 1", so spread them a little thinner than you usually do. (You might need to spread it into two baking dishes.) I use the classic recipe right off the box.

January 28, 2018

Easy Cupcake Paper Valentines to Make with Your Kids

January 28, 2018/ jodi levine

Cupcake papers, which come in fun colors and patterns, make for a fun collage material. These little Valentines, party invites, and tags take advantage of their ruffled texture. After baking, I always seem to have a few stray cupcake papers left over from various packs, and this is a nice use for them!

February 07, 2017

Valentine Portrait Pops!

February 07, 2017/ jodi levine

These portrait lollipops I made for my husband are inspired by the Funny Face Pops in our book, Candy Aisle Crafts. Making them was some of the most fun that I had working on the book! I was creating all different shapes of lollipops for our hard candy chapter and Amy and I talked about including a page of people portrait lollipops. When she suggested that I try making Bert and Ernie–like faces, I was inspired! Make some for your Valentine...or your favorite couple!

January 27, 2017

Assembly-Line Felt Valentines and a Video

January 27, 2017/ jodi levine

Many many years ago, my friend Page and I liked to make homemade Valentines for our coworkers at Martha Stewart Living magazine. We came up with ideas for little gifts, like these felt tissue dispensers (instructions here), that we could produce assembly-line style. The beautiful wool felt we used was special ordered from Holland. This was before the internet (!) so we would call the sweet owner over the phone to place our overseas orders! We sat together and measured, cut, and sewed until the wee hours of the night...and we loved it! This went on for many years until our recipient list grew to well over 100, we had our babies, and got too busy. Now, Page co-owns Purl Soho with Joelle Hoverson where, coincidentally, you can buy this beautiful felt!

January 17, 2017

Easy DIY Heart Lollipops Made From Supermarket Candies

January 17, 2017/ jodi levine

These pops, made by melting supermarket candies, are perfect party favors or school Valentines! You can even use up any leftover peppermints swirl candies you may have from Christmas!

June 17, 2016

Quickest DIY Cards for Father's Day and More!

June 17, 2016/ jodi levine

This group of cards was made using leftover cupcake papers. With their ruffled texture and fun colors, they make a cool (and cheap) craft material. Also, after baking I'm often left with a few from each pack and I've started collecting them for just these kinds of projects.

February 05, 2016

Easy No-Candy Valentines for Family Fun Magazine

February 05, 2016/ jodi levine

If you're looking for some candy-free Valentines to send to your child's school, check out this DIY Valentines story that I did for Family Fun Magazine's current (February) issue! Each includes a little inexpensive gift found in the party favor section at Party City or US Toy (perfect for a class because they are sold in bulk)!
I made the tags for the Valentine pictured above by splat painting card stock and running it through the printer (after it had fully dried). I attached the tags to these little paint sets from Party City.

February 01, 2016

Watercolor Valentines That Anyone Can Make!

February 01, 2016/ jodi levine

As a painting major in art school I never quite felt like I got a handle on watercolors, working instead in oil or acrylic. Recently I was testing ideas for a handmade Valentines story and made some super simple watercolor cards and had a tiny breakthrough. Anyone could make these cards, simple painted hearts or stripes, but I finally practiced something that I remember a teacher telling me (and didn't listen to at the time). Let the watercolor do what it wants to do: pool up in some parts and remain dry brush-y (as the paint runs out off your brush) in others.

January 15, 2016

Pretty and Easy-to-Make Valentines Treats (using leftover Christmas candy!)

January 15, 2016/ jodi levine

Have any extra candy canes or peppermint candies leftover from Christmas? Use them to make homemade Valentine treats! Here in New York I find that I am permanently cold so any excuse to huddle around the oven is a good one! These DIY treats are from our book, Candy Aisle Crafts.
Give these candy cane hearts (above) to your Valentine in a little cellophane baggy or use them to top cupcakes.

July 17, 2015

DIY Lollipop Ideas...for Celebrating National Lollipop Day!

July 17, 2015/ jodi levine

This Monday, July 20th, is National Lollipop Day! Yeah! To celebrate, we are sharing a roundup of our easy-to-make lollipops. They all involve melting store-bought candy which means they are easier than "from-scratch" candy-making.

February 10, 2015

Valentines Cookie Cottages on Martha Stewart

February 10, 2015/ jodi levine

Our little Valentines Cookie Cottages are on Martha Stewart. They make a sweet decoration or fun kid activity. Made from graham crackers, they allow you to skip baking gingerbread and jump quickly to the decorating! Click here for the full tutorial.

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