Heart Bracelet Valentines

If you read this blog regularly, you will know that we have a number of people with food sensitivities, myself included, within in our group.  As someone who understands what it is like to not be able to eat a lot of things, I try to avoid giving gifts of treats and candy when I can.  I also like to reuse materials, be crafty, and be conscious of the environment.

That lead me to Valentine's Day this year.  I needed approximately 15 Valentine's Day cards for a group of preschoolers, and I wanted to give them something a little more than just a card.  As I was searching through my craft closet for inspiration, I came across my bags of ribbon and felt scraps, and it occurred to me that maybe I could use them to make some kind of bracelet.  I looked into the next drawer, and found a bag of miscellaneous buttons.  I put the three items together, and came up with these heart bracelets:

I started by cutting out a number of heart shapes out of red and pink felt scraps (each heart measured approximately 2.5 cm across).  I then selected scraps of red, pink, white, and purple ribbon that were long enough to tie into a bow around a child's wrist, and found purple, red, white, and pink buttons.

From there, assembling the bracelets was easy.  I simply placed a button on the centre of a felt heart, and  threaded a length of ribbon through a wide needle.  I poked the needle through the back side of the felt heart, and up through a hole in the button.  I then passed the needle through the opposite button hole, and pulled the ribbon through.  I did the project myself this time, but it would be an excellent craft to do with a five or six year old who is just learning to sew, as each bracelet only required one "up and down" type stitch and a blunt needle. In less than an hour, I had 15 bracelets completed:

I then cut out blue cardstock rectangles, and tied a bracelet around each one:

A "Happy Valentine's Day" message on the front, and a "You are Cute as a Button, Valentine" message on the back completed the cards:

The two boys in the group each received a glow bracelet Valentine with "You Light Up My Life, Valentine" written on the back.  With just a few minutes, and a few scraps you probably have around your house, you can make your own heart bracelet and wear your heart on your sleeve this Valentine's Day too.