If you love love as much as we love love, then Valentine’s Day is a pretty darn special occasion. It’s a time of chocolates and flowers, of engagements and adorably embarrassing public displays of affection. It’s the only time of year when Americans set aside their better judgment and encourage their friends and family to fall recklessly in love with a kindred spirit – and we think that’s wonderful. But what makes this holiday truly remarkable, at least to our particular group of hopeless romantics, are the valentines themselves.

You see, the humble valentine has evolved quite a bit from the perforated sheet of cards that we used to hand out in elementary school. These days the traditional holiday valentine can take on all sorts of forms, from gift bags to hand-stitched pillows to a personalized array of cupcakes. To show you just how cool some of these DIY valentines can be, we’ve compiled our favorite tokens of affection from the farthest corners of the Internet into one ultimate blog post. If you’re hoping to get some sugar from your sweetie this holiday then forget about the store-bought cards and try your hand at one of these clever creations.

1. The Great Wall of Love Notes

Some people say love is a back rub after a long day at the office. Some say that love is a diamond ring. Personally, we think that love is giant wall of romantic notes written on origami paper and folded into hearts. Conveniently, Melanie Blodgett thinks the same thing. She came up with an awesome tutorial on how to make one of these colossal valentines for your sweetheart on her blog You Are My Fav. All you need to pull it off is a pair of scissors, some decorative paper and a lot of spare time.

Check out the full tutorial HERE to get started.

2. Valentine’s Day Gumdrops

Valentine’s Day just isn’t Valentine’s Day without candy. So give your sweetheart something… well…sweet this holiday by whipping him or her up a batch of these delectable homemade gumdrops from Trish at Mom on Timeout. Not only are they better than anything you’ll find at a store, the fact that you made them yourself will definitely score you some extra brownie points.

Get the recipe HERE.

3. The Stud Muffin

Let your man know how much he means to you this V-Day by presenting him with an actual stud muffin. This witty and tasty homemade muffin valentine from Jessica at Tutto Bella isn’t actually filled with studs – its poppy seed – but we’re pretty sure he’ll understand. If he doesn’t, then it might be time to re-evaluate your relationship.

Grab the recipe and a free printable label HERE.

4. Romantic Mini Cereal Boxes

If your loved one has a thing for breakfast food then they’re going to go nuts for these clever homemade valentines by Meredith, owner of the awesome stationary blog Lily Jane. All you need to do to build your own is grab some mini cereal boxes, print out Meredith’s custom labels and attach a spoon and you’ve got an awesome DIY valentine that both kids and adults are sure to love. Because Meredith is awesome, she created labels for each type of General Mills cereal – so don’t be afraid to go crazy with those variety packs.

View the full tutorial and print your labels HERE.

5. DIY Valentine’s Mirror

Let your sweetheart know they’re always on your mind with this awesome DIY Valentine’s Mirror by Desiree from The 36th Avenue. Adorned with crafty decorations and inscribed with the phrase “My favorite thing to look at is YOU,” this valentine is a heart melter for sure. The fact that it should cost less than $15 in supplies to build is just sugar on top.

Get the full tutorial HERE.

6. Yarn-Covered “LOVE” Letters

What can we say about these yarn-covered “Love” letters by Holly from My Sister’s Suitcase other than that they are freaking awesome? Trendy, fashionable and surprisingly easy to make, these decorative letters will look great on display in your loved one’s living room long after Valentine’s Day has come and gone. If you enjoy getting the most mileage out of your dollar, then this is one project you definitely need to add to your to-do list.

Check out the fancy illustrated tutorial HERE.

7. Printable Valentine’s Pictures

A valentine doesn’t have to be complicated to be heartfelt and wonderful. With a colorful, minimalist design in a simple white frame, these decorative Valentine’s Day pictures from I Heart Nap Time are a great way to tell that special someone “I love you but I also love making our house beautiful.” They also make a great project for you craft-challenged readers. All you need to do is print the images out, cut them out, frame them and you’re done!

Get the instructions and links to the printable images HERE.

8. Valentine’s Specimen Art

Words cannot express how much we love this specimen art valentine by Reenie Jae Creations. It’s like the most adorable science project ever. All you need to do to make your own is grab an old picture frame, a few types of decorative paper and some glue or pins and start cutting. For the record, this project is a lot easier to do if you have a Silhouette or similar automatic cutting machine on hand. If you don’t have one, then find someone who does. You’ll thank us when all the hearts come out looking pretty and evenly proportioned.

Check out the full tutorial HERE.

9. “I Dig You” Shovels

The only thing we like more than candy valentines are candy valentines that feature a fun play on words. Take these DIY valentines by Lindy at the Itsy Bitsy Paper Blog for example. They’re toy shovels in a bag of candy “pebbles” with labels that say “I Really Dig You.” Get it? Of course you do – but that doesn’t make them any less awesome.

Grab the tutorial with a free printable label HERE.

10. Key to My Heart Shadow Box

Let your loved one know they have the key to your heart this Valentine’s Day by presenting them with a framed wrought-iron key made of little trinkets that you’ve collected on your journey together. Just gather some knick-knacks, spray paint “˜em rusty black and then mount them in a frame and you’re good to go. Credit for this awesome idea for a valentine goes to Katie at Design Sponge.

Get the full set of instructions HERE.

11. Let’s Stick Together Gum Wrappers

Okay, by this point it should be clear that we have a small obsession with witty valentines. Case in point, these “Let’s Stick Together” gum wrappers by Maureen of Anders Ruff (via the craft blog Skip to My Lou). This is a super simple project that uses a pre-made designed label to repurpose a package of gum into a mini-token of affection. The finished products make excellent giveaways for your co-workers and a cool primer present for your special somebody.

Grab the free printable and a set of instructions HERE.

12. Corny Little Valentines Gift

There’s nothing wrong with giving your valentine a “corny” gift this holiday – provided that the corn is made of candy. For example, if you fill a mason jar with pink candy corn and attach a custom label by Keri from Shaken Together, you’ve got an adorable little valentine that takes a bad pun and literally makes it sweet.

Get the label and instructions HERE.

13. Raspberry Ripple Valentine’s Cupcakes

Cupcakes might not be the most traditional Valentine’s Day gift but we don’t care because cupcakes are awesome. These Raspberry Ripple cupcakes by Ren Behan make as perfect a valentine as any for dessert aficionados. Loaded with raspberry buttercream frosting with a little kick of basil, they’re the perfect way to derail your loved one from that pesky New Year’s diet.

Get the recipe from Ren’s official blog HERE.

14. DIY Valentine’s Beer Labels

Think your man is impossible to shop for on Valentine’s Day? Think again. These custom beer bottles thought up by Athena from Fitness and Feta are sure to win over even the manliest of men this holiday. All you need to do is grab a variety pack of bottles from his favorite brewery, whip up your own custom labels using construction paper and scrapbooking materials and decorate them with a few stickers and you’ve got a gift any guy is sure to love.

Check out the full tutorial HERE.

Got a Clever Valentine Idea? Share It!

Think we overlooked an awesome valentine idea or do you have your own idea you’d like to share with us? Then let us know in the comments below. If we like it we’ll share it with our fans, and if we really like it we might even ask you to turn it into a blog post!

Otherwise, we hoped you enjoyed reading this list of Awesome DIY Valentine projects as much as we enjoyed writing it. We’d like to wish you the best of luck making your own valentines for your loved ones and we hope you all have a truly special Valentine’s Day.

Until Next Time,

The ACS Team