Thrifty Scissors: Love Letters And Valentines

Showing posts with label Love Letters And Valentines. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Over 100 Quality Valentine Links!

Crafting Handmade Valentine Cards:

Valentine Clip Art:

Calligraphy for Valentines:

Calligraphy Flourish Friday - Valentine Cards and more cards here and cookie!
Happy Valentine's Day Calligraphy - demonstration by Caitlin Dundon
Valentine's Day Lettering - the "flourishing Script"
Valentine Calligraphy by Xandra Zamora
Happy Valentine's Day Calligraphy by Jennifer
calligraphy valentine's notes for friends
Romantic Handmade Valentines
Letters by Martina Flor
calligraphy spool valentine
Happy Valentine's Day 2013 from Tawny Tsang Calligraphy
Calligraphy Valentine by Carol M. Scott
Valentine by Teakster

The Heart Matters:

Learn more about vinegar Valentines here.

Scrappin' Your Valentines:

Milagro Valentines:

Craft Your Own Valentine Gift Boxes and Wraps:

Matchbox Valentines
How to make a petite gift box for your Valentine
DIY: Cereal Valentines
love notes jar
Valentine Treat Boxes
Fabric valentine candy cones by Thimbleanna
gobelet box
"see through" Valentines
Piano Valentine Craft (printable & tutorial) from Joy Morin
A foam Valentine box craft for little ones
DIY Candy Filled Heart Box for 18 Inch Dolls

Valentine Collections:

Decorating For Valentine's Day:

Learn more about manufactured Valentines here.

Valentine Crafts and Gifts: Textiles, Beads, Needlepoint

Valentine Tree & Apron 101
Crochet: Valentine Envelope
Victorian Fan ala Flourishes
Craft Papier Mâché Heart Shaped Ornaments: step-by-step photos for shaping the heart!
Beaded hearts by Zinaida
Valentine's needlepoint: For your special love
Excellent examples of Victorian ribbon work and stumpwork
hanky dress valentines
Silk'n Roses by Mánya
Fresh Start, Full Heart by Lisa
Folk art "Home From The Sea" needlepoint canvas
a heart for all
Mini Upcycled Paper Crowns
100 Valentines for Quilters! wow.
Vintage Envelope Tag Book
Stand Up and Cheer!
Cute little redwork hearts
Primitive Valentine Needlepoint
Free vintage redwork patterns from me for your Valentine crafts
Valentine Redwork
A felt valentine garland
heart hand warmers

A Valentine for The Teacher:

Valentine Candy:

Valentine Cookies:

Valentine Deserts:

"When Cincinnati Children's asked kids to send in Valentine cards to spread a little love at the hospital for Valentine's Day, we thought we would get a few hundred responses. Instead, we received more than a few thousand. Packages arrived from schools, churches, scout troops and former patients. And the boxes just kept coming. We are sharing them here so you can get a glimpse at the smiles Valentines brought to patients and employees. It might just lift your spirits and remind you what this day is all about."

Visit my "Sweet On You Valentine Directory"
at Pinterest!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Vulgar Vinegar for Valentines Day?

Pin this image only please.

Vinegar valentines are greeting cards, or rather insult cards. They are decorated with a caricature, and below an insulting poem. Ostensibly given on Valentine's Day, the caricature and poem is about the "type" that the recipient belongs to--spinster, floozy, dude, scholar, etc.

These cynical, sarcastic, often mean-spirited greeting cards were first produced in America as early as the 1840s by a variety of printing companies, including Elton, Fisher, Strong and Turner. By the 1870s, other entrepreneurs such as New York printer, John McLoughlin, and his cartoonist, Charles Howard were creating their own lines of cards. While different European companies also produced the humorous cards in the early 19th century, one of the most prestigious firms to create them around 1900 was Raphael Tuck & Sons, "Publishers to Their Majesties the King and Queen of England."

Cheaply made, vinegar valentines were usually printed on one side of a single sheet of paper and cost only a penny. Novice collectors mistakenly call them penny dreadfuls, although that term in fact refers to a form of potboiler fiction. They often featured garish caricatures of men like the "Dude" or women like the "Floozy." One reason they rapidly became popular throughout America and Europe was because literacy rates were increasing at that time among the poor and working classes who rarely had much more than a penny to spend on such luxuries. But, according to noted valentine authority Nancy Rosin, vice-president of the National Valentine Collectors Association, their use wasn't restricted to the lower economic classes.

The unflattering cards reportedly created a stir throughout all social levels, sometimes provoking fistfights and arguments. Ironically, the receiver, not the sender, was responsible for the cost of postage up until the 1840s. A person in those days paid for the privilege of being insulted by an often anonymous "admirer." Millions of vinegar valentines, with verses that insulted a person's looks, intelligence, or occupation, were sold between the 19th and 20th centuries.

The cards are usually simply a sheet of thin, colored paper, about the size of a modern greeting card. They were later also produced in the form of postcards. They were usually sent anonymously. Postmasters sometimes confiscated these cards as unfit to be mailed and at the end of the 1940s and 50s, the cost of the Vinegar Valentines was five cents.

The cards were first produced in the late Victorian era and enjoyed their greatest popularity in that period and in the first quarter of the 20th century.

Vulgar Vinegar Valentines from 1910

Bow Legs: "You couldn't catch a pig, and it seems to me your legs were
warped during hot weather. But one thing, Mr. Wishbone, you need not fear
your knees will never knock together."

Henpecked Husband: "The way you brag in the saloons you'd think
you were boss in the house, but at home you wash the dishes and
keep just as quiet as a mouse.

Miser: "You slave and save and starve yourself and I can't see
the reason why you've hoarded all those piles of money.
You can't take it with you when you die."

Saleslady: "As you wait upon the women with disgust upon your face,
the way you snap and bark at them, one would think you owned the place."

Singer Male: "Your voice has sufficient volume if mere noise is to be your goal.
I think you'd make a roaring hit on a wagon hollering "Coal"!"

The Manufactured Valentine

Manufactured Valentines. Pin this image only please.

In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man's Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called "mechanical valentines," and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.

Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century. The reinvention of Saint Valentine's Day in the 1840s has been traced by Leigh Eric Schmidt. As a writer in Graham's American Monthly observed in 1849, "Saint Valentine's Day... is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday." Laura Seddon Greeting Card Collection from the Manchester Metropolitan University gathers 450 Valentine's Day cards dating from the early nineteenth century, printed by the major publishers of the day. The collection is cataloged in Laura Seddon's bookVictorian Valentines (1996)

In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828–1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts. Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English Valentine she had received from a business associate of her father. Intrigued with the idea of making similar Valentines, Howland began her business by importing paper lace and floral decorations from England. The English practice of sending Valentine's cards was established enough to feature as a plot device in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mr. Harrison's Confessions (1851): "I burst in with my explanations: '"The valentine I know nothing about." '"It is in your handwriting", said he coldly. Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary."

Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. In the UK, just under half of the population spend money on their Valentines and around 1.3 billion pounds are spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. The mid-19th century Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.

In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines.

The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting messages such as e-card, love coupons or printable greeting cards. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.
I've included below a few excellent examples of manufactured, Victorian Valentine postcards from the very early 1900s. Students may print them out to paste together their own collaged versions of Valentines to gift to their family, friends and sweethearts.

"Let Hearts and thoughts entwine," while this
Victorian cupid plays a romantic verse.

This Victorian postcard reads, "All that's fair, by Love's decree, has been made resembling thee!"

A stylized Victorian postcard of a paeonia and pink ribbon.

A Victorian postcard illustrating a marriage proposal.

A Victorian postcard illustrating a lovely lady, heart, and pansies.

An early embossed Victorian Valentine postcard depicting
a cupid or cherub seated on top of a large red heart.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Craft Valentine's Day Journals

Valentine's Day journals afford for teachers the perfect project opportunity to teach students about anthologies. Challenge your students to collect a variety of romantic poems and photographs, along with pinning a letter to their special someone within a few handwritten and illustrated journal pages.
The first set of Valentine journals were made by simply folding heavy, decorative papers measuring 8 1/2 by 11 in half. The inside pages were cut slightly smaller and then sewn into the cover. (see video)

Two simple Valentine journals made by my daughter to give as gifts. She left these blank so that others
could add sentiments of their own.

"This tutorial will show you how to use stitching/sewing to bind together paper and create a journal. I am creating a watercolor journal to carry with me, so the paper I am using is heavy/thick. This method can be used on regular weight paper." by Stampin' Dymonz

These journals, also made by one of my daughters, were assembled by stringing a lace ribbon through corresponding
holes punched into a small collection of pages. She layered decorative papers and tiny decorative embellishments
on top of her journal covers to create unique designs.

An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts. In genre fiction anthology is used to categorize collections of shorter works such as short stories and short novels, usually collected into a single volume for publication.

In the twentieth century, anthologies became an important part of poetry publishing for a number of reasons. For English poetry, the Georgian poetry series was trend-setting; it showed the potential success of publishing an identifiable group of younger poets marked out as a 'generation'. It was followed by numerous collections from the 'stable' of some literary editor, or collated from a given publication, or labelled in some fashion as 'poems of the year'. Academic publishing also followed suit, with the success of the Quiller-Couch Oxford Book of English Verse encouraging other collections not limited to modern poetry. In fact the concept of 'modern verse' was fostered by the appearance of the phrase in titles such as the Faber & Faber anthology by Michael Roberts, and the very different William Butler Yeats Oxford Book of Modern Verse.

Since publishers generally found anthology publication a more flexible medium than the collection of a single poet's work, and indeed rang innumerable changes on the idea as a way of marketing poetry, publication in an anthology (in the right company) became at times a sought-after form of recognition for poets. The self-definition of movements, dating back at least to Ezra Pound's efforts on behalf of Imagism, could be linked on one front to the production of an anthology of the like-minded. Also, whilst not connected with poetry, publishers have produced collective works of fiction from a number of authors and used the term anthology to describe the collective nature of the text.
Teachers can direct students to the Poetry Bookshelf of Romantic Collections at Gutenberg. If they find something here that they like, they may use it inside their journal.

More Romantic Valentine Journals:

Friday, December 20, 2013

A Mother's Valentines

By George Cooper, 1906

Little ones met round the table

When the February snow,

With a silence all unbroken,

Glistened in the starry glow.

There were Bessie, Madge and Percy,

And the youngest, Baby Lou;

Glossy heads were bending over

Some hard task they had to do.

Busy pens were nimbly scratching;

Tiny finger-tips, once pink,

Had achieved a lavish coating

Of papa's forbidden ink.

Every sunny brow looked puzzled,

Each was quiet as could be;

There was something secret brew-

ing

That was very plain to see.

Smilingly their mother watched them

Till the clock ticked on to nine;

But their bright eyes ne'er grew

weary,

And of sleep they gave no sign.

"Come, my darlings," whispered

mother,

"Time for all to be in bed!"

And her gentle voice, like music,

Roused each pretty, drooping head.

When four snowy sheets of paper

Dimpled hand had folded tight,

Mother kissed her laughing darlings,

And they bade her sweet "good

night."

But she heard their whispered plot-

ting,

Till they sank to pleasant sleep;

And she prayed the Heavenly Father

All her little ones to keep.

When the morning's gold is glittering

On the ice-gems of the trees,

Four wee letters, neatly folded,

On the door-sill mother sees;

And she opens, and she reads them,

With a mother's pure delight;

Now she understands the meaning

Of the mystery last night.

Monday, December 9, 2013

"The Queen of Hearts" by Randolph Caldecott

The internet archive has a lovely little book, "The Queen of Hearts" by Randolph Caldecott. I thought that some of my readers might take a peek and upcycle some of these lovely old illustrations into Valentines this year.

Randolph Caldecott (22 March 1846 – 12 February 1886) was a British artist and illustrator, born in Chester. The Caldecott Medal was named in his honor. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were promptly and generously recognized by the Royal Academy. Caldecott greatly influenced illustration of children's books during the nineteenth century. Two books illustrated by him, priced at a shilling each, were published every Christmas for eight years.

Caldecott's output, however, ranged wider than this: he illustrated novels and accounts of foreign travel, made humorous drawings depicting hunting and fashionable life, drew cartoons and he made sketches of the Houses of Parliament inside and out, and exhibited sculptures and paintings in oil and watercolour in the Royal Academy and galleries. Read more . . .

Online collections

Works by Randolph Caldecott at Internet Archive (color illustrated scanned books).
Works by Randolph Caldecott at Project Gutenberg (plain text and HTML illustrated)
Works by Randolph Caldecott at the University of Florida's "Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature" (color illustrated scanned books).

Miscellaneous

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Cut-Out, Paste and Paint a Jim Dine Valentine

This first grader cut and pasted, painted and drew a Valentine collage based upon what she learned about Jim Dine and Pop Art.

Jim Dine (born June 16, 1935) is an American pop artist. He is sometimes considered to be a part of the Neo-Dada movement. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended Walnut Hills High School, the University of Cincinnati, and received a BFA from Ohio University in 1957. He first earned respect in the art world with his Happenings. Pioneered with artists Claes Oldenburg and Allan Kaprow, in conjunction with musician John Cage, the "Happenings" were chaotic performance art that was a stark contrast with the more somber mood of the expressionists popular in the New York art world. The first of these was the 30 second The Smiling Worker performed in 1959.

Above, "Hearts were created by the art students at Barrett Elementary School. They were inspired by the work of artist Jim Dine." Although known for controversial work by adults, young school children are usually introduced to Dine's simple heart 'icon' type prints.

In 1962 Dine's work was included, along with Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Dowd, Phillip Hefferton, Joe Goode, Edward Ruscha, and Wayne Thiebaud, in the historically important and ground-breaking New Painting of Common Objects, curated by Walter Hopps at the Norton Simon Museum. This exhibition is historically considered one of the first "Pop Art" exhibitions in America. These painters started a movement, in a time of social unrest, which shocked America and the Art world and changed modern Art forever, "Pop Art".

Although Pop Art began in the late 1950s, Pop Art in America was given its greatest impetus during the 1960s. The term "Pop Art" was officially introduced in December 1962; the Occasion was a "Symposium on Pop Art" organized by the Museum of Modern Art. By this time, American advertising had adopted many elements and inflections of modern art and functioned at a very sophisticated level. Consequently, American artists had to search deeper for dramatic styles that would distance art from the well-designed and clever commercial materials. As the British viewed American popular culture imagery from a somewhat removed perspective, their views were often instilled with romantic, sentimental and humorous overtones. By contrast, American artists being bombarded daily with the diversity of mass-produced imagery, produced work that was generally more bold and aggressive.

More Related Art Projects:

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Patterns For Home-Made Valentines

Here are patterns for hearts in two sizes, darts, cupid, butterfly, wreath and blue-bird. Lay the patterns on top of colored construction papers or white water-color paper. Let the kids cut them out and paint with watercolors, crayons, or pastels. Then paste their creations on red, pink or white hearts. Trim with lace dollies and give these Valentines to a lucky friend.

Click on the Valentine pattern to download the largest possible file size.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Sociologists Say Kissing is an Expression of Advanced Civilization

Love has made men and women out of brutes, and the kiss is love's truest expression. According to the world's greatest sociologists, the kiss has brought souls together. It has made mothers prize their infants more then anything in the world, and it has taught fathers to understand that self-sacrifice made for one's family is a privilege. A worthy kiss means forgetfulness of self; it is born of love. It is that and more. It is a melodious song which love sings to a burning heart. It is the symbol of noblest things, great love, great sacrifice, great triumph. A kiss is a wonderful dynamic force, compelling and commanding. The number of souls it has ruined are few compared with those it has elevated and uplifted.

The Kiss, Francesco Hayez, 1859

The origin of this word is significant. The Gothic kustus mean test; the Latin gustus means taste; and the Anglo-Saxon ceosan signifies choice. The kiss had its origin in selection and adoration. Poets in all climes and ages have recognized its significance. A Latin epigram says that the dew of heaven is sweeter than mead, honey from Hybia is sweeter, nectar is sweeter than honey, but the kiss is the sweetest of all. The early French poets recognized its value, and in their pastorals always spoke of this expression of affection as a sweet kiss.

There are many kinds of kisses; some students of social customs say there are so many it is hard to recognize them all. The more conservative thinkers limit the number to five--recognizing love kisses, kiss of affection, peace, respect, and friendship. While the Romans classified all kisses into those of friendship and love.

However, much they disagree on the kinds of kisses, they all believe it is through kisses that a knowledge of life and happiness first comes to us. A mirror may help us to know our physical selves, but it is only by the aid of another soul we are made acquainted with our higher selves, while the kiss teaches us the delight and value of this companionship. One poet expressed this truth happily when he said, " the angels rejoice over the first kiss exchanged by lovers." All folk poetry declares the kiss of lovers surpasses all others. The kiss of friends is expressive of sympathy, but it is in a lover's kiss we find the perfect blending of souls.

Man is the slave of the kiss. This expression of affection has purified and ennobled thousands who were once cruel and selfish. Although the lover's kiss must be given in a frank, joyous way, to be worthy, it cannot be promiscuous. A lover should reserve them for his sweetheart, a girl should bestow her kisses on him she holds most dear.

Mother's Kiss Symbol of Purity.

Mary Cassatt, " A Mother's Goodnight Kiss."

Not all the love of the world is found in the lover's kiss. The kiss of parents to children may be less fascinating, but they are no less worthy. How tender is the kiss bestowed by a mother holding a tiny infant in her arms. More tender is the kiss bestowed by a mother when she forgives some wrongdoing of the child. Likewise man earns the title to noblest fatherhood when he kisses his wife and children before starting off to face some danger for them or his country. Just as splendid as was the Trojan war is the leave taking of the great warrior Hector when he lifts his little son up in his arms, but the child is afraid of his father's helmet, of the gleam of copper, and the nodding crest of horsehair--until

"From his brow

Hector the casque removed and set it down

All glittering on the ground, then kissed his child

And danced him in his arms."

The old Norse sagas attributed irresistible power to parental kisses. One story tells of a mother who kisses her son and he forgets everything, even his betrothed, who is waiting for him in the forest.

Kiss of Friendship Subtle.

Kissing of friends is more common with women than with men. The handshake is regarded as a worthy expression of friendship with men, but women feel that the kiss is a subtler expression of true joy and sorrow. The kiss of friendship is becoming less common, being reserved for special occasions. The kiss of respect, of ancient origin, although allied closely with the kiss of friendship, almost has passed into disuse. In all countries at one time it was used by men as friendly greeting. The survival of this custom is found in the Austrian expression, "Kuss die hand, gnadige Frau and Sarat Mana." In Romania the promise was given, but the performance was rare. In France is was the custom for women to salute any visitor with a kiss whether he was an ambassador or a stranger.

Later survivals of this well known practice were the kiss dance, common in Belgium, and the kissing feast known to the Magyar. In Belgium at the weddings of the peasantry, if the bridal couple were willing, a male guest kissed a girl every time he danced with her. More interesting still was the Magyar kissing feast, and it was just what it claimed to be. The young people would seal their vows with one, two or three kisses. This might be the first time young people may have even been guilty of kissing, even though the young girls may have kissed their romantic choice many time prior with their eyes only. The kissing during this dance was done in public accompanied by happy music, laughing and dancing.

The Kiss, by Klimt,
oil and gold leaf on canvas,
1907–1908.

Individuals of princely rank once expected the kiss of respect from their inferiors, but this custom is almost obsolete. A kiss was conferred as a formal mark of favor by crowned heads of jousts and tournaments. Princess Margaret, daughter of James I of Scotland, kissed the poet Alain Chartier for saying so many nice things about her, although he was said to be one of the ugliest men in the kingdom.

To Show Their Fealty.

In the days of chivalry vassals paid homage to their lords by kissing them on their thigh; if the lord was away they kissed the door, the lock, or the bolt.

The kiss of peace was popular in bygone days. This kiss made friends of enemies, though it is seldom practiced in our prosaic age. This kiss often brought men together who had not spoken in years. The kiss of peace, respect, and salutation has passed away, but the lover's kiss, the kiss of parents and friends still remain. All peoples value kissing as an expression of affection, and it is only in savagery where kissing is unknown. Paolo Mantegazza, the great Italian psychologist, says: "Fear, religion, interest and space may separate lovers, but the kiss they have exchanged will hold them together."

Some Nations Were Ignorant of Kissing.

For all this, kissing was unknown among the Malays, the dwellers of the Friendly isles, the Andamans, the Fuegians, the Papuans, Australians, and Somals. The Malays expressed their feelings of endearment by touching noses. They said that much tenderness was expressed by bringing noses into contact. It was with the nose they breathed, and therefore the bringing of noses together had great influence on the soul.

African husbands never kissed their wives. They would consider this too familiar an expression of endearment. A Mandingo wife, meeting her husband who had just returned home, threw herself on the ground as a token of greeting. In Loango the women knelt and as they rose they clapped their hands.

The only thing that could rob kissing if its charm, is the assertion made by physicians that kissing is dangerous and ought to be tabooed. Some say it is so dangerous that osculators ought to stop and think --- that almost every infectious disease is brought in through the mouth. Doctors have sometimes suggested lovers not kiss each other, and even that mothers must not kiss their babies on their mouths but preferably on the cheek or on the head.

Craft Kisses for Valentine's Day:

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Valentines Manufactured by Esther Howland

Portrait of Esther Howland.

It was a girl who started the business of manufacturing valentines for sale in the United States -- a most enterprising girl named Esther Howland, who had just been graduated from Mount Holyoke seminary and resided with her father in Worcester, Mass. In 1849 she received from England a manufactured valentine, the first she had ever seen. It interested her so much that she decided to see whether she could make some of these valentines and find a sale for them. With lace paper cut-out pictures and printed verses the manufactured several samples and gave them to her brother to take out on the road to show customers when he went on his trip for their father's stationary business. To her amazement, her brother returned with orders for $5,000 worth of valentines. Miss Howland, of course, was quite unable to carry out the orders herself, but she called her young women friends to her assistance, and they immediately started what later developed into a very large and prosperous valentine manufacturing plant. In a few years they were sending out $100,000 worth of valentines each season.

More Related Content:

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Valentine Mailbox Links

In the United States, crafting Valentine mailboxes to collect letters and candy from classmates is an old, popular tradition. Although, most classroom teachers now ask their students to craft their mailboxes at home instead of making these at school. When I was young it was one of my favorite holidays to participate in at school.

I have also discovered that children from many different heritages and cultures love to exchange Valentines on February 14 during a classroom party; it makes little difference to them who first thought of the idea. A clever teacher can integrate both the study of history and literacy into a lesson about Valentines Day. It is also a perfect opportunity to teach students of all ages about the lost art of letter writing.

I will continue to collect all of the wonderful ideas that teachers, parents and students have come up with concerning the construction of Valentine mailboxes and link to them here.

The traditional Valentine mailbox is crafted from a shoe box or any other discarded box that you may have on hand.
Cereal boxes are often recycled for this mail box craft by school children.

Collect Your Valentines in A Traditional Valentine Mailbox:

Actual Mailbox Shapes:

Collect Valentines in Decorated Paper Bags:

Big Collections:

20 Awesome Valentine Box Creations

These students have made folders and pasted hearts on top of them.
Folded Valentine mail carriers come in handy when boxes and bags are not readily available.

Teachers often help their students craft Valentine bags for collecting their mail at parties.
These are inexpensive and quick to decorate.

Collect Your Valentines in A Decorated Folder or Paper Basket:

Chair Back Mail Boxes:

Students can transform their home made Valentine mailboxes into all sorts of unique critters!

Collect Your Valentines in A Unique Valentine Critter:

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