3 Inexpensive and Easy Valentine Decorating Ideas.

In the past we've never really decorated for Valentines Day, except for the day of when we hide hearts. This year, though, I had a couple ideas I wanted to try and we've also decided Little Lady's birthday party theme is going to be hearts.  It's still almost two weeks before the party but this way I figured we'll get a lot of bang for our buck. 

All these decorations are really inexpensive - maybe $6 dollars a piece, at the most. They are also all pretty simple - the kids helped a lot. Another thing I like about these ideas is that with a couple color or shape changes, they work for pretty much any holiday. For example, if you substitute green for red/pink and shamrocks for hearts you'd be all set for Saint Patricks day. 

Tissue Paper Tassels - My sister-in-law had some fun metallic tissue paper tassels as part of her Christmas decorations and I liked how they looked so much I knew I was going to have copy. 

Supplies: tissue paper, scissors, and embroidery floss. 

Step 1: for each tassel take one piece of tissue paper and fold once lengthwise and once widthwise. 

Step 2: then cut strips towards the fold, leaving about 1 inch uncut. I cut my strips about 1/2 inches wide. 

Step 3: unfold tissue paper lengthwise and then tightly roll-up along the middle crease. 

Step 4: gently twist rolled up portion of tissue paper. 

Step 5: then fold together to create a loop. 

Step 6: tie a embroidery string around loop to secure it. 

Step 7: repeat steps 1 - 6 until you have all the tassels you need. 

Step 8: string tassels on embroidery thread. Secure to wall/doorway with thumbtacks or tape. 

Crayon Hearts - Melting old crayons on wax paper was a fun way I used to decorate my old classrooms. The children obviously can't use the iron but sharpening the crayons is a great fine motor activity and cutting the shapes is great for scissor practice. My kids also thought watching the iron melt the crayons was fascinating. 

Supplies: embroidery floss, old crayons, pencil sharpener, wax paper, iron, cookie cutter, washable marker, scissors, and butcher paper or heat protector.

Step 1: lay down butcher paper/heat protector to protect surfaces. Then lay a piece of wax paper on top of it. 

Step 2: sharpen crayons over wax paper. Crayon shavings should be in a thin, even disbursement. A quick note on pencil sharpeners - I personally think crayon sharpeners are useless and pencil sharpeners don't always work on crayons; the best tool I have found is a make-up sharpener. 

Step 3: lay another piece of wax paper over your crayon pieces. 

Step 4: turn iron on low and iron until crayons are melted. 

Step 5: draw shapes on crayon wax paper

Step 6: cut out shapes. 

Step 7: Use needle and thread to secure string to each heart. We used embroidery floss and a tapestry needle so the kids could help but you can use a regular needle/thread. 

Step 8: tape strings/hearts to window. 

Yarn Hearts - I was expecting my children to really like this activity but they all hated touching the liquid starch. 

Supplies: cookie sheet, parchment paper, cookie cutters, bowl, yarn, liquid starch, and scissors. 

Step 1: cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place cookie cutters on top. 

Step 2: cut sting in to strips - our's were about 9-12 inches long.

Step 3: Pour liquid starch into the bowl. Then drop yarn pieces in; make sure they get covered in starch. 

Step 4: Pull strings out of the bowl, use your fingers to get rid of any excess starch. Then randomly place strings inside the cookie cutter. Make sure the shape of your cookie cutter is filled up but you want to keep your hearts fairly thin or it will take forever for them to dry. 

Step 5: Once you've filled in your cookie cutter and let it sit for a minute or two you can then carefully remove the cookie cutter from the yarn and start a new heart. Once all your hearts are finished you'll need to let them dry out. If you want to speed up the process you can put them in a warm oven (less than 200°) for a half-an-hour or so. 

Step 6: Once all your hearts are dry, string them on yarn or embroidery thread. Hang on wall/doorway with thumbtack or tape. 

And those are our Valentine/heart decorations so far. I'll be sure to post pictures of the party and any  other additional decorations too. If you looking for more heart ideas, especially for kids, be sure to check our paint chip, nature-friendly, and toilet roll tube heart crafts. 

Looking for more creative home ideas? Check out these great link parities: Transformation Thursday, Inspiration Exchange, Show & Tell Saturday, Share Your Creativity, Sunday Best, & Sunday Life Party,.