Valentine's day keepsake

Don't you wish sometimes you could get your loved one something more lasting for Valentine's day ( apart from your undying love ) than just a pretty card ?
So I thought to come up with a project to make something for Valentine's day that is more than a card, and can be kept as a keepsake, standing on a sideboard or table, or that can be hung on a wall as a pretty decoration.

You will need the following for this project:
An old empty picture frame.
Some paint to paint the frame.

A flat piece of sturdy cardboard to fit into the picture frame.
An old flat cardboard box ( smaller than the picture frame ) and
some plain unpatterned fabric in a pastel colour to fold around it .

Some pretty simple fabric, like gingham for instance, to fit around the cardboard  in the frame.

 Some dried roses ( either dried by yourself - the sheapest option- or bought from a florist) .

Further you will need:
pretty ribbon, an old Valentine's day card or old greeting card , sellotape,thick brown tape, paint, thin metal wire and cutters, scissors, screwdriver.


Fit the piece of sturdy cardboard in the picture frame.

Take the cardboard out and put it on the gingham fabric, and cut around the cardboard, with an extra seam.

Then secure the fabric around the cardboard with brown tape.

The front will look like this..

Paint the frame in a colour that will go with your fabric-keep it light so think pastels.I went for a simple pale blue as I had loads of that left over.

Now for the box that is supposed to fit in the frame, on top of the cardboard.
Choose a fabric that will go well with both your frame colour and your gingham .Again, put the box on the fabric and cut around it, with a seam,

 Then secure the fabric around the box with brown tape.
You will end up with this( see above) .
Now it's time to decorate.Get a heart, either cut from a new or old card .

Then print off a Valentine's day greeting, something like " Be my Valentine".

Cut this out, glue it on the heart, and glue the heart on the box covered with fabric.

Take one of the dried roses, and cut the stem quite short, then wind thin metal wire around this.

Now, using a sharp thing like a small ice pick to make a hole though the fabric and the cardboard..

..and put the wire on the rose through it.

Twirl the wire into a few big horizontal loops paralel to the surface , once it's at the back, a couple of times so it prevents the rose from falling out.
Just make some big loops.Attach more roses this way in a pattern you like, you just need to play around with it a bit.Put the roses here and there till you like your composition.

Once you are done, you will need to assemble your parts.
Put the cardboard backing, now wrapped in gingham, in the painted frame.

Attach the cardboard to the frame with brown tape ( your keepsake is not going to be very heavy so that should be OK.).
Attach a wire at the back so you can hang your display up.
You will now have this once you turn the frame around:

Attach a pretty ribbon under the heart on the smaller cardboard box and tie it in a bow...

Then using a glue-gun, glue the cardboard box wrapped in fabric with the roses attached, on the cardboard you have wrapped in gingham, in the middle of the frame.
You can either hang your Valentine's day keepsake on the wall...

.. or put it on a table or dresser for a table display..

Whatever you do, I hope you will enjoy your craft project and have a fabulous Valentine's day!

Have a great week!!
XOXO
Bea