When your children come home from school with their handmade mailbox, filled to the rim with valentines from their classmates, don’t just throw them all away! Instead, use this opportunity to reuse them and create some practical things for around the house.
Coasters
We love this idea from RachelRay.com because it’s not only fun, but it will save your tables from getting white rings left behind by your drinks! Gather your valentines, a foam core or mat board, fancy paper, and glossy decoupage glue and keep the love of those cute cards around your home long after February. Click here for full instructions.
Paper Bowl
Need a whimsical place to keep your keys, change or other small and often lost items? PinkandGreenMama.com has the perfect solution: Stitch your valentines together into a functional bowl. Following the template on her website, you will turn valentines, glue and yarn into a practical–and pretty–place for all your knick knacks. Click here for the full instructions.
Photo Mat
This idea from howtoreuseit.com is for reusing wedding cards, but we loved the idea of making a photo mat from the colorful images of valentines. What a fun way to display photos of your kids all year long (hint: this would also be a fun project for birthday cards–putting a picture of the birthday boy or girl in the finished mat!).
Magnets
Create cute picture magnets by looking for smaller images (or letters!) that you simply “Mod Podge” onto clear accent gems. Click here for the complete directions from PopSugar. Magnets made with letters or words are a great way to work with your children on reading and writing skills–your refrigerator could become a daily spelling board!
With these tips, you can reclaim Valentine’s Day and put your child’s valentines to good and practical use–enjoy!
Talk to us: Do you have a favorite DIY project using old cards? We’d love to hear your ideas!
image courtesy of flickr CC/Suzanne LaGasa