Crafty Mom: A sweet, candy free Valentine's Day craft

Valentine's Day crafts for kids are such a fun way to share the love in February. I wanted to make something that would last longer than a candy Valentine and really have messages from the heart.

This craft, a bouquet of paper flowers where kids write what they enjoy most about a loved one, is so simple and inexpensive.

Construction paper

Pipe cleaners

Green or pink adhesive felt

A mini flower pot. I found mine at the Dollar Tree.

I cut the adhesive felt to fit over the top of the flower pot. I did this by tracing the upside down flower pot on top of the felt before cutting. Before you place the felt on the flower pot, cut small holes through it. This is where you will place the pipe cleaners. So make sure they are not too big. I actually used a fork to make mine, it gave me four holes at once and they were all the perfect size.

If you can't find adhesive felt, which is sold at Michaels and other craft stores, use regular felt and fit it around the top with a piece of yarn or even a rubber band. Just make sure it is tight.

After you put the felt on top of the flower pot, it’s time to make your flowers - several hearts that are connected at their bases to form the shape of a flower.

For the flowers, fold up pieces of construction paper and cut out hearts. I folded the paper in halves and sometimes fourths. I did many different sizes. If you fold the hearts in half it will give a tulip effect.

I then asked my kids what messages they would want to write on them. We made them for their grandmas. So they had me write what they loved about spending time with them.

I loved listening to them list off what they loved about their grandmothers. These messages from the heart were beautiful and a great reminder of what Valentine's Day is really about: those you love.

Next, simply poke a hole through the bottom of the heart flower with a pipe cleaner and fold the tip of the pipe cleaner down through the other side. This will make the flower stand up straight. Place the flower hearts into the holes you made on the felt and there you have it: a beautiful Valentine's Day bouquet for someone you love. I have a feeling that these bouquets will last a lot longer than real flowers.