Last-minute Valentine’s ideas from Craft Club

A crafty valentine. Art by Basil Allen.

Love is in the air, but are you crafty enough to capture it? 

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, figuring out last-minute gifts can be tricky. Instead of going with the classic flowers and teddy bear, think of doing a quick and easy craft to show your family, friends or partner some love this holiday. 

For those who are looking for a heartfelt craft to give this season but don’t exactly have the skill to get too creative, Willamette’s Craft Club has their back. Here are a few crafts that members of the club came up with that can be made on a budget, time crunch and lack of crafting experience. 

3D card

The first craft suggestion, a three-dimensional card, was proposed by Kai Otten (’28). Otten has been a member of the club since their first year, and their favorite form of crafting usually involves yarn. They also enjoy origami, specifically creating paper cranes. 

Otten’s quick Valentine's Day craft of choice takes their favorite media and combines them into one cute personalized card. This creative but easy gift took about 30 minutes for them to make. 

A tutorial by “Craft Art” on YouTube demonstrates, in a quick 4-minute video, how to make this craft. It just takes some paper, yarn, tape, glue and scissors. 

The Craft will end up looking like a card with a hole in the center of the front page. In this hole there is a paper heart attached by a string. The heart will move on its own as the card is open or it can be spun around by hand. 

A 3D valentine. Photo courtesy of Kai Otten ('28).

Collage

The next suggestion was given by the club's treasurer, Ellie Scott (’27). Scott has been in the craft club since her first year, and her crafts of choice are crochet and scrapbooking. 

Scott’s Valentine’s idea takes a little longer than Otten’s. The gift idea is a handmade collage highlighting favorite photos and happy memories, which can allow for much more personalization. Scott recommends drawings, stories or even notes to accompany the pictures.

“I feel it’s really special to do handwritten notes and pictures,” Scott said. “It shows whoever you’re giving it to on Valentine's Day that you really care.” 

A successful collage does involve some care to be put in. It can take as long or as short as one wants. Added effort might be required for it to be received as something other than the last-minute craft it is. The goal here could be to make them cry happy tears as the pleasant past of the relationship floods their mind. It isn’t just some photos and notes but a story. 

Honorable mentions

Scott provided two more craft suggestions, each quick and easy to produce: origami hearts and baked goods. Folding an origami heart is an only slightly more involved process than folding a paper airplane.For those with little faith in their origami skills, baking some cookies or brownies is easy enough for most people — assuming they have access to a place to bake — and can be given to a decent number of people, depending on how many are baked. There is also the saying to keep in mind: “The quickest way to a person's heart is through their stomach.”

The origami hearts can be added to a collage or passed out to loved ones. It might take some trial and error, but it is an option for a night-before type of gift. 

The general suggestion is to not plan your gifts at the last moment, but just because it’s last-minute doesn’t mean it has to be bought and basic. A handmade gift can go a long way, depending on the person it is being given to. Happy crafting, and as Scott said, “Happy Valentine's Day!”