St. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we are still busy making Valentines at our house. My daughter and I came up with these cute mustache straw Valentines for her to give out to her classmates. This is a great craft for Second and Third graders to make on their own! Read on to get this FREE printable to use to make your own mustache straw Valentines!

Supplies:

• Stache Straws by GamaGo – link below
• Washi Tape by Darice
• Yummy, Yummy Scented Glitter Pens by International Arrivals – link below
• Paper Punch
• Decorative Edged Scissors

How To:

1. Print out the free printable Valentine Printable – I Mustache You.
2. Cut out Valentine Card pieces.
3. Add washi tape to the around edges on the front and back of the Valentine Card piece. (Tape will be stuck back to back with the edge of the paper in between.)
4. Cut edges of washi tape with decorative edge scissors.
5. Paper punch a hole in the top center and bottom center of the card.
6. Use Yummy, Yummy Scented Glitter Pen in silver (watermelon) to add names and sign your Valentine card.
7. Slide Valentine Card onto straw.

Free Download: Valentine Printable – I Mustache You

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

The post How To | Valentine Mustache Straws appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

You’ve seen those chunky bead necklaces that cutie-patootie little girls are wearing in sweet photos? Well this post is not so much of a how to as a where to buy these necklace kits and assemble them yourself! I can no longer keep this awesome source to myself!

You saw last week when I showed those fun hair clips and accessories I made using supplies from my friends at the Sunshine Shoppe, right? Well, they also carry these beaded necklaces in kit form! Oh my gosh, I know, right! They have TONS to choose from. Assembly is really easy. Basically put them on the include fishing line and use a pliers to flatten the included crimp beads. It is so simple that trying to photograph the how to steps didn’t even make sense. So head here to see all the fun chunky necklace bead kits you can purchase: Sunshine Shoppe – DIY Chunky Necklace Kit. Get out your daughter’s favorite Matilda Jane outfit and then go and purchase a necklace kit to match. Your daughter will look more than cute in her next photo!

Make sure you visit the Sunshine Shoppe for purchasing all of your hair accessory and beading craft supplies! Tell them Alanna George | The Craft Nest sent you!

The post How To | Chunky Bead Necklace for Girls appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Do you make your own Valentines? Do you let your kids help? This year my kids are really putting the pressure on, they each have something different they want to make. The bubble Valentines are for my preschooler. He is very excited to be able to take Valentines to school for his friends. These Valentine Bubbles were very simple and cheap and I have a FREE PRINTABLE for you to use!

* As always this free printable valentine art is for your personal use only.

Supplies:

• Bubbles in a tube – I found mine at Meijer for $3 a bag!
• Washi Tape or Printed Masking Tape
• FREE Valentine Printable
• Scissors

How To:

1. Print out FREE Valentine Printable. Sign your name in the open space next to the heart.
2. Cut out each paper strip.
3. Use a strip of Washi Tape along the top and bottom of the paper and stick to bubble tube.

Download Free Printable here: FREE Valentine Printable

The post How To | Valentine Bubbles appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Okay, I know I am getting carried away with this Angry Bird stuff. But these are actually from Valentine’s Day. Remember those warm fuzzy friend Valentines my daughter made? Well, my son wanted nothing to do with them and instead came up with these Angry Bird pom-pom ball friends himself. They are quite easy to make and boys get a kick out of tossing them around!

He literally had it all planned out in his head how he was going to use the pipe cleaners to make the beaks, eyebrows and tails. The only problem was he couldn’t actually cut the pipe cleaners without my help. So we worked together to create these pom-pom ball Angry Birds that sit on top of three Cadbury mini-eggs that are nestled instead mini-cupcake liners.

The finished treats were wrapped in a small cello bag and closed with a twist tie and a note was attached. The attached note read, “Love is for the birds.” They were a big hit.

I think these could be great for a birthday treat, Easter treat, spring party treat. It would also be a fun activity for kids to make at a birthday party!

Supplies:

• 1.5″ Pom-pom Balls
• Googly Eyes
• Black Pipe Cleaners
• Yellow Pipe Cleaners
• Craft Glue
• Wire Cutter
• Mini-Cupcake Liners
• Cadbury Mini-eggs
• Cello Bag and Twist Ties
• Cute note to attach

How To:

1. Use a wire cutter and cut the black pipe cleaner into 3/4″ to 1″ long pieces. Bend the cut piece in the center to form a V shape. These will be the eyebrows and can also be used as the tails.
2. Use a wire cutter and cut the yellow pipe cleaner into assorted lengths, these will be the beaks. As my son informed me, some birds, like the green bird have long beaks and some have short beaks. Most beaks can be cut to measure 1″ in length, then fold the cut length of pipe cleaner in half so the end is rounded.
3. Use craft glue to glue on the beaks first, then glue on the eyes and next the eyebrows. Let dry.
4. Next glue on the tails. Let dry.
5. Place 3 candy eggs inside the mini-cupcake liners. Sit the finished birds on top.
6. Wrap each bird in a cello bag and twist tie closed.
7. Add a cute note that can be attached with the twist tie.

The post How To | Angry Bird Craft and Treat appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Wanted to hop on the blog (still in the middle of our big move) and show you what the kids are making for their class Valentines. If you are looking for something your kids can make themselves this is it. My 7 year old did these pretty much on her own.

I did have to type up the text and print it out for her and use a wire-cutter to cut the pipe cleaner into smaller pieces. My daughter loved mixing and matching all the pom-pom ball colors and pipe cleaners to make different color combos and different looking warm fuzzies!

Supplies:

• 1.5″ Pom-pom balls in assorted colors
• Googly eyes
• Pipe cleaners in assorted colors
• Foam hearts (for feet)
• Wire cutters
• Craft glue
• Miniatures candy bars
• Pencil
• Printer and paper
• Ribbon (can be added to make warm fuzzy have a bow in her hair)

How To:

1. Glue the pom-pom ball to the foam heart (feet), let dry.
2. Glue googly eyes to pom-pom ball, let dry.
3. Cut a pipe cleaner into 4 pieces using a wire cutter. Use a pencil to curl each end of the pipe cleaner. Bend curled section in center to form V-shape. Glue antenna to top of pom-pom ball. Let dry.
4. Print text out on paper and trim to desired size and shape. Glue end of note between feet and pom-pom ball.
5. Glue entire warm fuzzy to miniature candy bar.
6. Pass out to friends on Valentine’s Day!

The post How To | Warm Fuzzy Friend Valentine appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

You can recycle old scraps of felted sweaters and fleece to create your own unique felt heart pin for Valentine’s Day. (Do you recognize the Lava Girl hot pink felt on the back?) Over the weekend I started sewing the pin on the left, once my daughter saw what I was making she wanted to make one too. I tried to insist that she had to sew her heart using a different stitch because the blanket stitch would be too hard for her. She begged until I gave in and taught her the stitch, then she stitched her heart on pretty much perfect all by herself. Guess mom isn’t so smart. Tomorrow we will be wearing these all day to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Make one of these for your daughter, teacher or babysitter. They will look lovely on your shirt tomorrow!

How To | Felt Heart Pin

Supplies:

• Felt Scraps
• Fleece Scraps
• Embroidery Thread
• Sewing Needle
• Straight Pin
• Poly-fil or Wool Stuffing
• Bar Pin
• Fabric Scissors
• Stick-on Gems

How To:

1. Cut out a square shape from your felt.  (I have some Fiskars scalloped edge fabric scissors I used to cut the edges of my squares.)
2. Cut out a heart shape from felt or fleece. Pin in place onto the felt square.
3. Using a blanket stitch (click here for a how to) sew almost all the way around the heart. Leave a small opening for stuffing.
4. Stuff the heart with a small amount of stuffing, then continue sewing the heart onto the felt square.
5. Stitch words or a design in the center of your heart or add gemstones.
6. Sew the pin bar to the back of the felt square.

Back side of felt pin.

The post How To | Valentine Felt Heart Pin appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Beautiful aren’t they? So easy to make too! You only need three supplies to make these stunning bobby pins. My daughter wore some in her hair today to school and they looked really cute. Girls of all ages will love keeping their hair in place with these! These would make great handmade gifts for  bridesmaids, birthday party favors or a gift for your sister.

I previously posted these instructions in with my Valentine Printable, so this is a little redundant. I thought these pretty pictures might inspire some of you to make just the bobby pins even if you don’t need to create Valentine cards.

How To | Cabochon Bobby Pins

Supplies:

• Bobby Pins with Pad (mine are from here)
• Cabochon Flowers (mine are Martha Stewart from Jo-Anns)
• E6000 Glue

How To:

1. Put glue (E6000) on the bobby pin pad.
2. Add flower or cabochon. (The Martha Stewart ones I used have a foam sticker on the back. I peeled the foam off and then had a flat surface left for gluing.)
3. Let dry.

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Shhh, I don’t want to give away the surprise, but we made this Valentine gift for my husband. I am pretty sure he will find the perfect spot on his desk at work to display this little piece of artwork. What could be cuter than hearts made from tiny fingerprints? This was such an easy project to make. You should get some supplies and whip one up too!

How To | Fingerprint Heart Canvas

Supplies:

• 3.5″ x 2.5″  Canvas (I found mine at Jo-Ann’s for $1.99)
• Mini Art Easel (Jo-Ann’s)
• Acrylic Paint or Stamp Pad
• Rub-on Letters (Mine are Heidi Swapp from Making Memories and may not be available anymore.)
• Paint Brush
• Krylon Clear Acrylic Coating Spray
• Diaper Wipes
• Wax Paper

How To:

1. Choose the colors of acrylic paint you are going to use and squirt a small amount of each color onto your wax paper. (Or have your stamp pads ready.)
2. Use a paintbrush to paint the tip of your child’s pointer finger. Have them hold their finger straight and lift the canvas to their finger. Press their finger onto the canvas at a slight angle. That is the first half of the heart.
3. Paint the tip of your child’s finger again and repeat the above step but angle their finger the other way to create the second half of the heart. Use a diaper wipe to quickly and easily clean off your child’s finger.
4. Repeat above steps to create multiple fingerprint hearts. Let dry.
5. Use rub-on letters or a marker to write a message under the heart fingerprints.
6. Spray your canvas with an Acrylic Sealer to protect the artwork and the writing.
7. On the back of the canvas write the date and name of each child and the placement of their fingerprint.

The post How To | Valentine Hearts Fingerprint Canvas appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

I drew up these fun cartoon-ish looking faces to use on our Valentine’s cards this year. I have the free download below if you want to use them for your cards too. Super cute, but there is a little assembly required! The recipients are gonna love them though. (Please remember this art is available for personal use only.)

How To | Silly Face Valentine’s Day Cards

Supplies:

Silly Boy Version –

• Silly Mustache Boy Valentine Art
• Mustache Art
• A2 Size Envelopes (fits 4.25″ x 5.5″ size card)
• Smooch Spritz in Cherry Ice by Hampton Arts
• 20mm (or so) Googly Eyes
• Popsicle Sticks
• Black Paper
• Tape
• Glue Dots
• Glue

Boy Version How To:

1. Print out Silly Mustache Boy Valentine Card art. Trim to size. (I printed the words directly on the back side of the card. I did not make mine a folding card.)
2. Print out Mustache Art. Cut mustaches out of black paper. (I used my Silhouette (in Illustrator) to cut out the mustaches.)
3. Glue googly eyes in the correct spot on the cards.
4. Put a small piece of tape on the boy face under the nose. Then adhere the mustache on top of the tape using a glue dot. This will allow the mustache to be removed later without tearing the card.
5. Insert Boy Valentine’s Card into envelope and add a Popsicle stick inside the envelope too.
6. To create a design on your envelope, cut out a heart shape and lay it on your envelope. Use Smooch Spritz and spray your envelope. Lift off the heart and you have a cool heart void left!
7. Seal and deliver.

Text on the backside of the Boy Valentine reads: “Valentine, Let’s make silly faces together.” Along the bottom in small print it says, “Use crayons or markers to color the picture on the front. Carefully unstick the mustache from the front and attach it to the enclosed popsicle stick. Hold the mustache in front of your face and make your own silly faces.”

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Supplies:

Beautiful Girl Version –

• Beautiful Girl Valentine Art
• A2 Size Envelopes (fits 4.25″ x 5.5″ size card)
• Smooch Spritz in Cherry Ice by Hampton Arts
• 18mm (or so) Googly Eyes
• Paper Punch
• Glue
• Bobby Pins with Pad (mine are from here)
• Cabochon Flowers (mine are Martha Stewart from Jo-Anns)
• E6000 Glue
• Wax Paper

Girl Version How To:

1. Print out Beautiful Girl Valentine Card art. Trim to size. (I printed the words directly on the back side of the card. I did not make mine a folding card.)
2. Glue googly eyes in the correct spot on the cards.
3. Using your Bobby Pins with pad, glue a cabochon flower onto each pin using E6000. Do all your gluing over wax paper or other disposable surface. E6000 has a tendency to run out of the tube quickly. Set aside and let dry.
4. Use a paper puncher to punch a hole in the hair of the girl card. (See pic above for placement.) Insert a bobby pin into the hole.
5. Insert Girl Valentine’s Card into envelope.
6. To create a design on your envelope, cut out a heart shape and lay it on your envelope. Use Smooch Spritz and spray your envelope. Lift off the heart and you have a cool heart void left!
7. Seal and deliver.

Text on the backside of the Girl Valentine reads: “Valentine, Let’s be beautiful together.” Along the bottom in small print it says, “Use crayons or markers to color the picture on the front. Afterward carefully remove the bobby pins from the front and put them in your hair. You look marvelous darling!”

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Free Downloadable Art:

Click Here – Silly Mustache Boy Valentine Card

Click Here – Mustache Art

Click Here – Beautiful Girl Valentine Card

The post Printable | My Silly and Beautiful Valentine Cards appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Here is something you can make your little sweetheart for Valentine’s Day, a hand-crank music box placed inside a cute hand-painted wooden box. When my daughter (now 6) was a baby I always sang her “You Are My Sunshine” while I rocked her to sleep. My daughter and I still love to sing this song together. (Have you heard this version by Elizabeth Mitchell?) Below are the instructions for creating your own wooden music box.

(I also wanted to mention that this would be a beautiful way to present an engagement ring.)

How To | My Sunshine Music Box

Supplies:

• Hand Crank Music Box (I found mine here.)
• Wooden Box ($1 at Michaels Craft Stores)
• Paint Stirrer Stick
• Acrylic Paint in White, Light Blue and Yellow
• Acrylic Paint Gloss Sealer (comes in same size bottle as the acrylic paint)
• Paint Brush
• Small Craft Sponge
• Black Stamping Ink Pad
• Small Alphabet Letter Stamps
• 4 Small Screws
• Wood Glue
• Dremel Tool
• Saw
• Sand Paper

How To:

1. My music box needed to be attached to a piece of wood and glued into the bottom of the wooden box. I found a paint stick was the perfect width. I had my husband cut the paint stick to the correct length. Then he screwed the music box to the paint stick.
2. Next my husband marked where he needed to cut a notch and hole for the music box crank arm to slide down into. He used a dremel tool to cut the opening.
3. You will want to paint and embellish your box next and wait until last to glue your music box inside.
4. Before painting your box, sand lightly with sand paper. (I didn’t do this and should have in hindsight…)
5. Paint the outside of the box with blue acrylic paint. Let dry.
6. To create the clouds, lightly dip the corner of a sponge in white paint. Dab in a circular motion creating cloud shapes all around the box. Let dry.
7. Paint the heart on the top yellow. Let dry.
8. Use your alphabet stamps to add “my sunshine” on top of the yellow heart. Let dry.
9. Paint over entire box with the acrylic sealer. Let dry.
10. Adhere your paint stick with attached music box to the bottom of your painted box using wood glue.

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