Spread the Love with Simple, Cute Valentines' Ideas

It's almost Valentine's day!  And we all know what that means:  chocolate.  ;)  Just kidding.  It also means a nice excuse to make fun cards and little gifts for friends or family.  Here are just a few simple ideas of some cheap valentines' gifts that I made for some friends.  

Use your Silhouette and some extra/scrap double-sided adhesive vinyl from a previous project to make a cute Valentines box!

First, I tried making a new cute box that I found in the Silhouette online store.  I liked this one because the flower petals on the top also looked liked hearts, so it seemed fitting for the season.  After cutting the paper, I cut a strip from some excess double sided adhesive that I had from a previous project (see Winter Branch Hanging post) and wrapped it around the box for an extra cute touch.  A little bit of silver glitter, and this lil' box sparkled. :)  Super simple, super cheap, and let's not forget...filled with chocolate, so super pleasurable for my friend.

                    

Because there are all sorts of cute boxes and bags and such that you can make with either your Cricut or Silhouette, I decided to make some out of both.  My second box came from the FABulous Cricut cartridge: Tags, Bags, Boxes & More 2, which we've got on our website (along with most of this other stuff, in case you were wondering :) ).  This thing has LOADS of cute boxes and bags and just cute cute cute little gift boxes and tags and cards.  I am so sad I hadn't looked at this cartridge sooner.  It is now officially a staple of mine.  Anyways.  I wanted to start simple, so I picked an adorable little box that used a heart with a keyhole in it as its means of closure.  

The great thing about Tags, Bags, Boxes and More 2, is that is comes with a book that tells you just how to assemble, glue, or fold each box or item so that you aren't left guessing (as I was with my first box from the Silhouette).  This one had easy flaps to tuck in and you only had to glue a tab on one side.  This cartridge also comes with functions so that you can cut the whole piece out in one fell swoop, or you can do it in two parts to be glued together, in case you can't fit it all on one sheet of paper.  It also tells you suggested dial sizes and how big it will be once folded if you follow those recommended sizes.  I love how helpful it is. This thing even comes with a digital handbook, if you want it. Wow.  Check it out. They think of everything.  

Only thing you want to be sure of if you get this cartridge, is that you also will want to have the Cricut Scoring Blade, which helps score the card (gives partial little dotted cuts) where you will need to fold, making it easier to fold the shapes where needed and helping you get cleaner lines.  This is especially important for curved or intricate boxes that you might be making.  (They have some really fun ones--check them out!) (Can you tell I like this cartridge? haha)

Thanks to the handy book, I was able to see clearly beforehand how this box would fold once cut, so I knew that I would have to put my paper in with the back-side up, so that the patterned side would show once folded.  You won't have to do this for every box (I didn't for my first), so you'll just have to look at how the thing is going to fold up to decide if it's necessary.  

Be sure you can see all your registration marks before cutting.

I also saw a cute idea online about making a little treat bag with the gummy Swedish Fish candy.  I designed and made some stickers with my cute "catch" phrase (pun intended) on them, using some White Sticker Paper and the print and cut function on my Silhouette.  (Print on the sheet from your home printer, and then put it through your Silhouette to cut out the image.)  

Tip: Be sure that you click "show registration marks" in Silhouette Studio.  If any part of your image is overlapping the gray area, it will not print and cut correctly.  Also, it is wise to always test print your image on a regular sheet of paper first to be sure that the registation marks print correctly, and to test cut.  This is just a smart thing to do until you become familiar with the medium and print and cut functions.  Be sure that you can see ALL of the registration marks on your printed sheet (aka: the black square in the top left corner, and the black corner outlines in the top right and bottom left hand corners.)

After printing and cutting my stickers, I simply had to finish my bags....

                            

Use a little blue and white construction paper for your background, then fill the bag with either combination of Swedish Fish and Goldfish crackers, depending on which one makes more sense for your Valentine or friend.  I alternated and did both:  "Of all the fish in the sea, you're the cheesiest." (one cheese flavored goldfish cracker, the rest Swedish Fish); or "Of all the fish in the sea, you're the sweetest."  (One sweet cherry Swedish Fish, the rest Goldfish Crackers.)  For my religious friends out there, my other bag's sticker said: "God's promises are sweet, and they last!"  Fill those bags with Dove Promises chocolates, or with other sweet candies.  

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with chocolate... :) but mostly just full of love!  Thanks for reading!