This post was first shared in February 2011.
If you like to make your own Valentines but you’re pressed for time (or have a small and impatient child), all-in-one Envelope Valentines could be the way to go. Turning a heart-shape into both a Valentine and an envelope is a delightful way to surprise the card’s recipient.
Since we started making Valentines in January, we’ve had plenty of time to iterate on the Valentine theme and recently whipped up these easy all-in-one cards that would be perfect to make for a group of classmates.
Because 2-year old N couldn’t wait to give all of these out for Valentines Day, they became Chinese New Year/Valentine Cards. My child lives quite happily in a post-modern world.
What you’ll need:
- Paper
- Stickers
- Scissors
Step 1
Cut out a heart, turn it upside down, and fold. If you’d like a tutorial on cutting hearts, Make and Takes has a nice one here.
Step 2
Fold the “top” (or bottom!) of the heart up so that the folded edges line up. Crease.
Step 3
Fold the “bottom” (top!) down, so that it looks like an envelope. I had to make a few of these before getting the location of the creases just right.
Step 4
Open it up and flip it over.
Write a message.
And seal it up!
While my daughter is thrilled to cut paper and build sculptures, she hasn’t been the least bit interested in writing or drawing lately. So you can imagine my surprise when she actually had the stamina to make more than one of these!
When we sat down, I cut and folded a bunch of hearts and we got to work! Well, she folded, too…
We plowed through and made about ten of these before she had enough.
And when we were done, I recycled the cut-out Valentine scraps into window decor.
More Valentine’s Day Inspiration
30 Valentine Activities for Kids
How to set up a self-serve card-making station
6 Valentine’s Day Activities for Preschoolers
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Very cute! I cut out little cardstock hearts for our class valentines, and let the kids go nuts with stickers and crayons. For family, I repurposed the marble paintings of November! Yay for reusing … and for getting a stash of masterpieces out of the house
Thanks for the update. I’m so glad to hear you were successful with the huge Valentine’s project! I’m also thrilled when we can purge, ahem, share our finest work with family and friends!
What?! You can turn a heart into an envelope?! I love this. Such a cute idea. Thanks for the link love to
Thank You! My kids are going to love this! Just what we were looking for since we decided to make our own cards this year. Thanks again!
Awesome! Have fun, Christina
What a great idea, love the pics!
thanks!
Kudos to you! I hadn’t toughth of that!
I made these (cut freehand) for my co-workers. They are not just for kids
Because I cut them freehand though, they didn’t fold as beautifully as the ones in your photos.
Hey Lori
This makes me happy.
we got this same idea/template in the latest issue of Ladybug!
How cool. I didn’t know about the magazine, so thank you for the tip, too.It looks like it’s for ages 3 and up, so N might be just about ready for it.
I love everything about this!
Thank you Katherine!! Wishing you a lovely Valentine’s Day.
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