All of Our Best Valentine's Day Crafts to Make from the Heart

While big teddy bears holding boxes of chocolates and store-bought bouquets can be beautiful and thoughtful gifts, there isn't a better way to spread a little love this Valentine's Day than to give a handmade token from the heart. Whether you're surprising a significant other or gathering your closest friends to celebrate one another, we've got the best ideas to inspire you to create gifts that'll have everyone feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Have a classroom full of little ones to delight? The stuffed paper hearts, which are pictured here and packed with a sweet surprise, are sure to do the trick. You could also fill up an array of stenciled treat bags with a selection of trinkets and goodies for a basket of little gifts that can easily be shared in any school or office setting. 

If you're inviting the girls over for a fun Galentine's Day fête, why not set the mood with a flurry of hearts on a string—or a gorgeously organized row of bud vases with pink blossoms to invite all your gal pals inside. Get ready to enjoy an epic cheese board—complete with a fabulous bottle of wine—while enjoying a festive atmosphere elevated by these ideas.

However you decide to get crafty this February 14, these projects are not only fun and simple to make, but they're guaranteed to make all your loved one's hearts swell with joy. All you'll need are a few basic supplies (in every shade of pink and red!), a sprinkle of creativity, and a whole lot of love. 

What makes these hearts so awesome? They have two chambers of surprise treats inside! Fill a pair of reusable Easter eggs with mini toys or candy. Stick them together with a dot of hot glue, wrap crepe paper around them a few times, and tuck a V of rolled-up crepe paper into the bottom for the point. Then keep wrapping, adding flat goodies like stickers as you go. Secure the tail with tape, and it's ready to rock and (un)roll.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Crafts Decorative Egg Boxes, $10 for 3, amazon.com. Birthday in a Box Solid Crepe Streamers, in Red and Pink, $1 for 81', birthdayinabox.com. Mrs. Grossman's Micro Heart Stickers, $2.20 for 2 sheets, mrsgrossmans.com. Mrs. Grossman's Chubby Ladybug Stickers, $2.20 for 3 sheets, mrsgrossmans.com. Mrs. Grossman's Just Desserts Reflections Stickers, $2.20 for 2 sheets, mrsgrossmans.com. Safari Ltd. Lucky Fun Pack of Good Luck Minis, $7 for 8 pieces, safariltd.com.

Give that "someone sent me flowers!" thrill to ladies and gents of all ages with blooms that never wilt. These fabric boutonnières come together in three steps, so you can give someone a whole bouquet or pin one on everybody at brunch. Cut the shapes out of cotton-shirting material, and sew them onto felt backing.

Use the flower template to trace and cut 16 petals out of fabric. Layer them in a stack in an asterisk or flower shape. Stitch floss through center of petals—front to back, then back through. Repeat with a new strand of floss to make a cross. Knot the ends of the two strands together. Cut out a circle of felt. Sew a pin onto it, then use the ends of floss to stitch the flower onto the circle. Fluff and twist petals in opposite directions to shape the flower.

Shop Now: Fashion Fabrics Club White Multi-Stripe Oxford Cotton Shirting Fabric, $10 per yd., amazon.com. Creatology Basic Felt, in Baby Pink, 9" by 12", 39¢ each, michaels.com. DMC Embroidery Floss, #963, $1.25 each, purlsoho.com. Gingher 8" Dressmaker's Shears, $19.26, amazon.com.

Spread the love on February 14 or any special occasion: Tuck a few of these wooden hearts into unsuspecting lunch boxes or coat pockets, or dangling one from a doorknob or rearview mirror.

Wrapped in pretty paper, these folded envelopes (sealed with a heart sticker) are sure to send a romantic message to your valentine.

Stamped soaps, inspired by candy conversation hearts, are great gifts for friends. Put in cellophane bags tied with tags; adorn with glitter.

We used a 2-inch cookie cutter (1 inch high) and 2 1/2 pounds of glycerin soap—sold at crafts stores—to make 16 hearts. Depending on your equipment, yields may vary. To determine how much glycerin you'll need, fill the pan with water to 1/4 inch below the height of the cookie cutter; pour water into a measuring cup. Record the amount; discard the water. Cut soap into small pieces with a bench scraper; fill the measuring cup. Microwave on medium heat until melted; stir. Add soap and heat until you've reached the water amount. Add colorant; stir. Pour the liquid into the pan. Spray with alcohol to eliminate bubbles. Let harden at room temperature, two hours; freeze 10 minutes. Turn it upside down onto a cutting board. Create soaps with the cookie cutter (pull the cutter out with pliers if it sticks). Tape stamps together to form words, and imprint on soap, applying light, even pressure.

Shop Now: ArtMinds Clear Glycerin Soap, $12, michaels.com. R&M Heart 2" Cookie Cutter, $5.73, amazon.com.

It's a tall order to make kids' winter accessories entirely from scratch, but it's a snap to add a little sweetener. Warm their hearts (and hands) by sewing a trio of buttons onto each mitten. Stitch pom-poms along the edge of a scarf. Or follow the weave of a knit hat to overstitch a heart, initial, or any other shape.

Shop Now: M&J Trimming Heart Buttons, 60¢ each, mjtrim.com. Creatology Pom-Poms, in Red, $3.49 for 80, michaels.com.

Greet someone "Good morning!" with a heart on this cup sleeve. It will protect fingers from piping-hot coffee or tea.

If the sun seems to peer right into your window, give it something pretty to look at—and through. These translucent hanging hearts are easy to make from waxed paper and crayons.

Show your affection with every pleat of these hearts. The trick to our ruffled valentines is to cut the paper into a capsule shape first. Then fold them accordion-style, pinch them in half, and secure with tape. We made this blushing array from vellum, crepe paper, and pages from a drawing pad. Add a few strokes and splatters of paint, and seal each one with a kiss. Then, set your love notes aflutter.

Shop Now: JAM Paper Vellum Bristol Cardstock, in Pink, 8 1/2" by 11", $13, amazon.com. Lineco Bone Folder, $11, papersource.com. Scotch Double-Sided Tape with Dispenser, $3, amazon.com.

You give flowers and bouquets to show the depth of your love, but then they wither within a week of Valentine's Day. Is there a better way to show your everlasting love? Offer the fun and colorful project here, and the blossoms—and your sweet gesture—could last a lifetime. These blooms, were inspired by vintage craft supplies (including "pips," the stand-ins for stamens). They can be used to decorate the top of a heart-shaped box for Valentine's Day.

With scissors, cut a 2-inch square from plum colored single-ply crepe paper. Tear or cut a cotton ball into four pieces. Using wire cutters, cut a 16-inch length of stem wire. To make the center, pinch plum crepe paper around one piece of cotton ball and tape to wire. Tape 30 pips around the center. (If pips are double-sided, trim an end from each.) Cut a 2 1/2-by-7 1/2-inch strip from both pink and plum crepe paper. Trim one long side each with seagull-edge scissors. With scissors, cut three quarters of the way down between scallops to form a strip of continuous petals. Scrape a scissor blade along back of fringed strips to curl them slightly. With curls facing in, scrunch the base of the pink strip together, then gather and wrap around the center by pinching paper as you slowly rotate center. Hold firmly in place, and wrap with floral tape to secure to stem; repeat with plum strip, but with curls facing out. Print the leaf templates on card stock and cut out. Trace on bisque double-ply crepe paper, and cut out using deckle-edge scissors. With a 1/16-inch hole punch, make a row of holes down center of leaf. Attach a leaf to the base of the flower. Finish the stem by wrapping with floral tape, then with fabric tape, securing end with glue. url end on itself.

Shop Now: Lia Griffith Fine Crepe Paper, $13, amazon.com. Fiskars Seagull Edge Scissors, $4.39, directlyyours.com. Darice Cloth-Wrapped Stem Wires, in White, $4.59 for 15, amazon.com. Blumchen Mother-of-Pearl Pips, $7 for 144, blumchen.com.

These chic cuffs are so easy and inexpensive to make, you can give someone you adore a whole arm's worth. And because they're hand-painted in non-saccharine sunset colors—salmon, blush pink, coral—she'll pile them on all year. Using a flat paintbrush, cover lightweight wooden bangles of different widths and shapes in a thin coat of satin acrylic craft paint; working slowly and evenly, brush each in one direction vertically, not horizontally, then set it down on a surface covered in plastic wrap to dry. (To ensure a foolproof application, put your fingers through the cuff to support it and paint the outside first; then, after it's dry, hold the outer rim to do the inside.) For contrast, paint the interior a lighter color, as we did with the wide cuff at right. Give them all a shiny finish by topping the paint with clear high-gloss varnish.

Shop Now: Fire Mountain Gems Wood Bangles, starting from $3.50 each, firemountaingems.com. DIYBangles Dome Wood Bangles, 1.75" wide, $13.25 for 4, amazon.com. Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paint, $2.49 for 2 oz., michaels.com. Liquitex Professional High-Gloss Varnish, $7.50 for 8 oz., amazon.com.

This practical valentine befits your favorite bookworm.

All it takes to spread the love on Valentine's Day is felt, pinking shears, and a quick seam. A reusable coffee-cup sleeve will protect fingers from piping-hot joe—and the environment from yet another discarded cardboard java jacket. Plus, the little heart gives new meaning to "wearing your heart on your sleeve."

Cut felt with fabric scissors, wrap it around a coffee cup, pin in place, and slide the cup out. Machine-sew the sleeve closed; trim its seam with pinking shears, leaving 1/4-inch excess. Cut out hearts with scissors; glue to the sleeve.

Shop Now: Woolfillz Wool Felt, in Bright Pink, Dark Orange, Fuchsia, and Ecru, 18" by 18", $9.50, purlsoho.com.

Creating heart-shaped pot holders is a charming way to add whimsy and color to your kitchen's decor.

There isn't a kitten that wouldn't purr over a catnip-filled knitted pillow. The toys are also packed with wool stuffing and a jingle bell.