Valentines Day Creative Ideas
by Sue Smith
(Albion Park Rail, NSW, Australia)
The finished gift...
A different view....
The photo starts to emerge....
The keepsake frame without chocolate...
If you're looking for Valentines Day creative ideas, here's a chocolate Valentine frame with a difference.
As I am currently single and have no-one to make a Valentine gift for, I decided to make a gift that my daughter could give to her long-time boyfriend (and soon to be fiance).
I found an old wooden frame from a cheaply purchased print, and painted it with silver acrylic paint, then applied a crackle medium, and finally sponged over an antique stain to emphasise the cracks in the crackle medium.
I picked out a lovely photo of my daughter and her boyfriend and mounted it on some chocolate coloured cardstock, added the diecut 'XOXO' and assembled the photo within the frame.
I then decorated the frame with little rolls of scrapbooking paper which I stained slightly with some distress ink and the chipboard diecut word 'forever' also stained with distress ink.
Next, I bought a HUGE pack of Maltesers (malt-centred chocolate-coverd balls of yumminess) and covered each one with purple coloured foil (yes, you can buy coloured foil in the supermarket) and a few of them with the reverse side silver foil.
I then arranged all these balls to sit on the glass within the frame and secured them with a gum that leaves no residue on the glass.
I arranged the balls to make a silver heart in the middle which can be seen in the attached photos.
I then finished off with a simple white organza ribbon finished with a big bow.
As my daughter's boyfriend eats the Maltesers, the picture of them both becomes visible. How cool is that?
I thought this was a perfect Valentines day creative ideas as this gift combines beautiful chocolate that can be eaten straight away with a gorgeous framed photo that can be a keepsake to be treasured forever.
By the way, he absolutely ADORED it, and thought it was the best Valentine's gift he had ever gotten.....mission accomplished!