But now that our days of class valentines are finally behind us, it turns out that there’s a whole new world of cute Valentine’s Day paper crafting out there. There are still plenty of cards, yes–and it’s still so fun to mail a Valentine’s Day card!–but check out my list, below, of all my favorite other Valentine’s Day crafts that you can also make out of paper. Hopefully writing your name 20 times won’t be part of the challenge this year!
3D Hearts
The tutorial for these 3D hanging heart ornaments calls for scrapbook paper, but you could substitute cardstock or thin cardboard like cereal boxes. If you have some scrapbook paper that you really like but you want your 3D hearts to be sturdier, just Mod Podge or spray mount them to cardstock or cardboard. And if you don’t already have cute Valentine-themed scrapbook paper, paint or rubber stamp or embellish plain printer paper with markers. Handmade scrapbook paper is the cutest!
Heart Ornaments
Old greeting cards are the perfect weight to upcycle into these sweet Valentine’s Day ornaments. Cardstock is also a good option, and it’s especially cute if it’s embellished with markers or paint. If you saved last year’s class valentines, you probably have plenty of themed paper in the perfect weight to work with.
Kite Paper Heart
If you make this heart out of kite paper or another translucent paper, you can put it on your windows and watch the sun shine through. Or, use origami paper or upcycled papers and string together for a garland or add to a greeting card. If you use kite paper, create multiple hearts in several colors, then overlap them on your window and they’ll look extra lovely when the sun shines through them on Valentine’s Day.
Origami Hearts
Add these easy-to-make origami hearts to any of your homemade paper valentine projects, or just fold up a ton and pop them into a bowl on your coffee table–they’re delightful to play with!
Scrapbook Paper Fortune Cookies
Okay, let’s say that maybe you do still need to figure out class valentines. Paper fortune cookies make adorable class valentines, and if you write cute and funny fortunes that could apply to anyone, you can even sometimes get away with not having to write the recipient’s name on every one!
Paper Hearts Garland
This tutorial includes a neat trick to hide the way that the hearts are connected. To everyone who gazes at it in admiration, it will be a mystery!
Paper Heart Puzzle
The secret trick to this puzzle is that the pieces are all equilateral triangles, so you can cut them by hand or use a punch to make it go really fast. For a super fancy puzzle, use thick watercolor paper, embellish it with watercolor paints and black pen, and then cut the puzzle from it when it’s dry.
Plantable Seed Paper Valentines
Upcycle any paper, from used worksheets to newspapers to junk mail, and add flower seeds to make these plantable valentines.
Printable Paper Heart Wreath
My favorite part of this project is that you can print the heart wreath template at any size. The curves that you glue into place add stability to the wreath, so you can print it at quite a large scale without worrying about it losing shape.
Stitched Paper Valentines
This is a paper scrapbusting project! Use up all your littlest bits of paper scraps, then machine-stitch one simple line to make the cutest greeting card front.
String Art Valentines
Use an awl to punch a template through thick cardstock, then stitch with embroidery floss or yarn. My favorite method is to create a mathematical pattern for my stitching–the result looks like it was made by a Spirograph!
Swedish Paper Hearts
This heart project is a LOT easier than it looks, because the tutorial includes a free downloadable template! I love the idea of using unusual color combinations to make these woven paper hearts. P.S. Do YOU have a favorite Valentine’s Day paper craft? Tell us about it in the Comments!
