Handmade: Valentine’s Craft Project and Pink Popcorn Recipe

by Rtia Cangialosi on February 6th, 2019 | 2 Comments »

This time of year you can find ready-made Valentine's Treats your child can hand out to classmates at just about every store. Although Valentine's Day cards are convenient and great in a pinch, it's so much more fun to make your own! However, even a simple craft can get costly. A package of ribbon goes into the cart, a roll of stickers, add some card stock, and before you know it you're saying "ouch" at the register.

Here's a fun craft and sweet treat that won't break the bank! In fact, you're likely to have the ingredients for the pink popcorn on hand!

Valentine Pencil Toppers Craft Project

Supplies:

Pipe cleaners in various colors
Pencils
Foam hearts with adhesive backs
Permanent markers

Directions:

Coil the pipe cleaner evenly around the pencil. Leave a little at the top
Write Valentine sayings on the foam hearts with a permanent marker. Let dry.
Adhere foam heart to pipe cleaner at top of pencil. That's it — cute, fun, quick, and frugal!

Pink Valentines Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients:

2 bags popped popcorn (make sure and remove loose kernels)
2 cups sugar
1/2 small box red Jell-O gelatin powder
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 250.
Line 2 baking sheets with tin-foil or parchment paper.
Use a large saucepan to bring the sugar, Jell-O, water, and butter to a boil. Let boil for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda (will foam).
Add popcorn to pan and stir to evenly coat.
Spoon onto baking sheets and place in oven for 30 minutes or until popcorn is no longer sticky.
Store in air tight container once cooled.

We took Valentines treat bags filled with pink popcorn and added a Valentine conversation heart pencil. This entire project costed less than $20 and it was a lot of fun for both my daughter and myself!

Please note: You'll want to check with your school before handing these out as many will not allow homemade treats.

What are you doing to save money this Valentine's Day? What kinds of valentines do you like to hand out?

Rita is a wife and a stay-at-home mom to an amazing 8-year-old daughter. She enjoys stretching her family's budget and sharing with others how to do the same. She shares tips for living frugally on her blog, Chi-Town Cheapskate. She believes that living well while spending less is possible! You may follow her on her blog but on Facebook and Twitter as well.