Handcrafted Valentine's Day Decor

These cute craft projects make great shelf decorations for Valentine's Day. To craft the collage, cut out repeating shapes from fabric (we used birds and hearts in various sizes) and use spray adhesive to mount on white cardstock; frame. For more advanced crafters, pencil a design on a store-bought canvas, and then sew over your drawing using a thick needle (we used a backstitch technique).

Bright colors make this Valentine's Day mantel pop -- traditional pink hearts mix with bright orange, yellow, green, and blue patterned fabric on the banner. To make, trace 16 hearts onto pink houndstooth fabric and cut them out. Use a stencil to paint letters onto the hearts to spell out a sweet phrase (like "Be Mine Valentine" shown). Sew the hearts onto colored fabric squares with fun patterns, attach the squares to red ribbon, and hang across a fireplace.

Dress up a plain throw pillow for Valentine's Day by adding the word "love" with stencils and fabric paint. Cut out your own letters or buy a set of stencils, available at crafts stores, for a quick design.

Editor's Tip: Alternate colors for each letter or use a different word on the pillow to make the design your own.

Decorate a side table or shelf for Valentine's Day with an inspiring love quote in a frame. Using a die-cutting tool, cut a quote (like "Love comforteth like the sunshine after the rain," shown, or one of our other quotes, below) and glue the letters to black cardstock. Tape the finished piece to a mirror with an intricate frame to finish the Valentine's Day-ready decoration.

Send your valentine a sweet love note with a special surprise inside: pretty handcrafted votive candle sleeves that spell out a romantic message.

Make a garland of hearts cut from fabric scraps layered and attached with iron-on adhesive. Punch small holes in the sides of the hearts and tie them together with ribbon.

Dozens of colorful hearts flutter on cardstock cut into the shape of a wreath. Use paper punches (about $5-$20 at scrapbook supply and crafts stores) or scissors to cut hearts from colored vellum and lightweight decorative paper. Curl the cutout hearts by scraping them between your thumb and a butter knife just as you would with curling ribbon. Then layer them on the round cardstock base and attach each with a dab of clear-drying glue, either in the center or near one edge. Hang the wreath with ribbon.

Highlight those you love with snapshots and valentines in a three-dimensional display. Gather favorite photos and make black-and-white or sepia copies. Paste some of the copies onto decorative papers and cut into fun shapes. Tuck them in a photo tree from an import or stationery store.

Let Cupid strike your chandelier this Valentine's Day. Simply cut and fold paper hearts to hang from any light fixture whose structure accommodates knotted thread or wire. We've shown multiple hearts stitched together at the center fold, then fanned to create a 3D effect. Beads are added at the end of the thread for sparkle.

Note that this particular chandelier is designed to use candles. We recommend that you keep the candles unlit when paper products are hanging below.

Fill plain glass votive candleholders with candy nonpareils for seasonal color. Small glass beads from the crafts store offer a similar look.

Get everyone involved! Set your Valentine's Day table with these place mats and coasters featuring your family's original artwork.

Hanging heart pouches can hold any type of treats, from a cluster of posies to a handful of candy. Here's how to make them.

Skirt a footed cake plate with a sash of colorful paper and a ribbon belt. Just cut a 3-inch strip of cardstock and attach it to the rim of the plate with double-stick tape. (A cake plate with a flat, wide rim works best.)