Valentine’s Day Love Gift Tubes

Valentine’s Day Gift Giving Ideas to Make 

I have to admit, I LOVE when the end of January rolls around… even when the skies are grey and the temps outside are freezing! I have one thing on my mind…

Valentine-gifts-for-girls

…lots of pink, red, and white.   Valentine crafting fever hits me hard this time every year.

It starts when I begin to see all the kiddie Valentines in the stores. You know the cute boxed little cards for them to give to their classmates and teacher. I want to buy a pack since they bring back such fond memories of my childhood.

Why I Love Making Valentine’s Day Crafts to Give

I wasn’t very book smart in grade school, but I shined when it came to the creative side of things in the classroom. I can still smell the glue which was actually a big glob of paste that the art teacher would plop on a small piece of paper on our desks to use to make Valentines to give our family and friends.

Crafts supplies have come a long way since then, making the art of Valentine creating even more fun – like double-sided tape and glue sticks.

Valentine's-Paper-Crafts

I also am reminded of the days when I would volunteer at my daughter’s school on Valentine’s Day to help out as a class mom. I always got the paper crafting job.

Forget bringing the cupcakes, Mrs. Henkler always was the mom who was in charge of the craft for the class Valentine’s Day party for 10 years. It makes me smile when one of my daughter’s classmates from elementary school, who are now moms of their own, comes up to me when I am out and about and says… “I remember you – you were the class mom who made the…”  I helped make many simple little crafts for the kids to take home.

I no longer have the opportunity to be a class mom anymore, but I do like to create something Valentine-y for my daughters to get in the mail as a Valentine’s Day surprise in their mailbox.

I started doing it while they were in college. I have posted a few of the simple little gifts I have made them over the years. (I attached links to each one at the end of this post.)

The gift is more about getting some mailbox love then the actual gift itself. It is usually something inexpensive, but always red or pink with a few Valentine’s HK’s (Hershey Kisses) thrown in like I did when I sent my younger daughter this Valentine gift.

This year, I decided not to make a novelty item that would end up in a drawer unused since they would not want to throw out a gift I gave to them. I wanted to send them something that said Valentine, but that they would use and could reuse year after year. I don’t want to be the cause for future clutter issues for them :-)

Valentine's-Day-gifts-for-women

When shopping at HomeGoods last week, I came across a display of Valentine dish towels.  Two to a pack.  Perfect – one for each daughter and something that they will use since they each have a kitchen in their apartments.

I had to come up with a way to wrap them for sending via the mail.

When I make Valentine crafts, I don’t start with a plan. Instead, I raid my paper and ribbon stash to see what I have. I gather it all and then find a few papers that suit my fancy and start creating.  It was no different this year.

How to Wrap A Valentine Gift by Repurposing a Used Gift Wrap Tube

Valentine's-Day-Crafting-supplies

supplies needed:

  • Gift wrap
  • Gift wrap tube
  • Paper doily placemat (dollar store)
  • Scrap of pink card stock and construction paper
  • 10″ piece of ribbon
  • Hole punch
  • Double-sided tape
  • Paper and metal tags with a ring (found at Ace Hardware in the bargain bins)

Paper-towel-tube-repurposing-ideas

I needed something that I could send in the mail and found a gift wrap tube in my basement.

How-to-wrap-a-gift-without-a-box

1. I cut the tube in half to use as a box for each dishtowel.  I rolled the towels into a tight roll and pushed each one into a tube.

The-best-way-to-wrap-a-gift

2. I wrapped red and white houndstooth gift wrap that I bought at the dollar store around each tube. I cut a paper doily placemat in half – one for each tube. I then wrapped each half around each tube. I used a nifty double-sided tape roller that I bought at the craft store in the scrapbooking aisle to attach the paper to the tubes. I like using this better than Scotch tape since it goes under the paper and can’t be seen.

Gift-wrap-idea-for-Valentine's-Day

3. I cut the excess gift wrap on the ends of the tube about 2″ from each end. To close the ends, I simply folded the excess gift wrap to the inside end of the tube.

4. I cut a piece of pink card stock 2″ wide and long enough to wrap and overlap slightly around the center of the tube.

How to Attach Ribbon Through Two Holes in Paper to Make a Box

How-to-add-ribbon-to-an-invitation

1. Punch two holes in center of paper strip about 1 ” apart.  Thread round metal-rimmed tag on a 10″ length of ribbon. Working from the front of the paper. Push the ends of the ribbon into each hole. Pull ends to back.

2. Cross ribbons in back of paper and then bring ends through the opposite holes they just came through, pull ends to the front.

3. Pull ends so the center section of ribbon between the two holes lays flat.  Notch ends of ribbon with scissors.

Valentine-paper-crafts

4. I drew the letters M and K on pink construction paper and cut them out with a pair of tiny nail scissors.  I used a glue stick to attach them to the round metal-rimmed tags.

Valentine's-Day-gift-and-wrapping-idea.

I do like to create pretty packages so that the gifts I give, no matter how small or large, have “present presence”.

To send them in the mail, I had 2 large padded plastic mailing bags that each tube fit into.

Off I now go to the US Postal Service to get them on their way to my daughters so they have time to display and use them to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

More Valentine paper crafting ideas:

Valentine-Banner-mad-using-paper-doilies Valentine-heart-initial-gift-tags-free-printable

Valentine Banner and Initial Heart Free Printables

Repurposed Victoria's Secret box

How to Make a Tissue Paper Flower for A Gift

Valentine-Party-Ideas

Paper Pouches for Candy

Valentine Heart-Napkin-Folding-step-by-step

Valentine’s Napkin Fold

Valentine-Gift-box made from a paper towel tube

How to Make a Gift Tube Box That Opens and Closes

Two cardboard tubes creatively wrapped for Valentine's Day giving.

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13 Comments

  1. Silk Flower Arrangements says:

    LOVE that you focus on “your style” of decorating.
    I’m a huge fan of gifting kitchen towels and often buy them as gifts when we’re travelling. Like you said, usable and not contributing to clutter problems. SOOOOOO THANK YOU for this lovely and creative way to gift them. I’m definitely going to use this idea. Happy Valentine’s Day, Diane! Oh, and PS, at 65 I still send out the kiddie valentines–love ’em.

  2. Yvonne Pratt says:

    So creative and cute. I would love to get that darling package. Your creativity is a GIFT!

  3. Diane | An Extraordinary Day says:

    Diane… this is just too cute and I love the wrapping even more than the gift. If I were one of your girls, I might have a hard time opening that gift.

    All the best for a week of extraordinary creativity in red and pink!

  4. Michelle James says:

    I love the whole thing but my favorite is the hounds tooth paper. I can never find great stuff like that. I would really like receiving this gift. Your daughters must love every package they get. Not just for the gift but for the creative wrap as well. They are lucky!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Michele –

      If you are not going to distress the areas where the spots are showing up, I would use a primer over those areas. 2 thin coats. Glidden Gripper is a good one and inexpensive. You can buy it at Home Depot. Once that is dry, try painting over it and then wait overnight or a few days to see if it happens again.

      As for the texture on the painted surface, it is definitely the roller. I only use the foam ones with rounded edges. All others will add orange peel texture and roller lines. When rolling don’t press too hard, just use enough pressure to make the roller roll. :-)

  5. You really never cease to amaze me Diane. You are blessed with such talent and an array of papers tapes etc to choose from, I must try to find alternatives (get creative) with the limitations of where I live.

  6. I must be destined to make these because two weeks ago I bought the paper. Love all your ideas so thank you.

  7. Ah, Diane, we are kindred spirits! I was good at the academic stuff, but I LIVED for craft time…8-) I loved that nasty glue, although I did not/could not, eat it like some of the other kids, chiefly boys…lol. I think my 3rd grade teacher was a crafter at heart. I remember doing crafts in her class more than any other. In Kindergarten, I swooned over finger-painting! I loved the squishy feel of the paint, and even the smell. When I started 1st grade and even 2nd and 3rd, I kept waiting for the finger-paints to come out and they never did. I was soooo disappointed, and ANGRY! Where was the finger-paints??? I’m 68 now, and I still think it would be fun to finger-paint. I wish kids could do it longer than in Kindergarten. I know that it’s probably just for increasing “small motor skills”, but it was funnnnnn!

    I love your ideas, and especially those lovely towels. I’m not able to get out much, but I’m going to look for Valentine towels online.

    Keep up the good work. I’m so glad that the blog has let you continue to work at making all of your followers happy with your ideas, and not have to go back to dressing those windows, etc, that you used to do.

    xo LInda

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Linda I am LOL! The boys always ate the paste. So funny that you mentioned that :-) I, too loved finger painting, have not done that it a long time. It would make very modern art for a wall. I love blogging and even though I enjoyed working in display, I LOVE being my own boss and doing things in my own style. XO

  8. I love Valentines Day! Not only is it my anniversary but I love pink so thank you for sharing several adorable crafts.

  9. Kathy Barte says:

    Hi,

    Never mind, I went back and read where you bought them in your post. Whoops (blonde moment)!

  10. Kathy Barte says:

    Dianne,

    Where did you buy the hanging tags with the “metal” around the outside?

  11. Diane,
    You always have the pretties craft projects. I love when you share your Valentine’s Day projects because I get inspired! Happy Valentine’s Day and keep warm.