Create Eco-Valentines for Your Whole Family

See your love bloom again with these colorful eco-valentines made from watercolor paintings and my new favorite eco-craft, "plantable paper." This is a project for any age child who can paint (with a bit of help) and uses green materials with a twist.

The crux is the "plantable paper," which can be made at home in a process similar to other paper-making crafts. But we bought ours from a wonderful seller on Etsy.com, which makes everything with recycled materials and expedited our order. These colorful paper hearts embedded with wildflower seeds were so fun to get in the mail!

The idea is to do one giant watercolor painting using Valentines colors, then cut it down into little cards. When a plantable paper heart is tied on, it can later be removed and planted to remind loved ones how much you care long after Valentine's Day has been forgotten.

SUPPLIES:

• Watercolor paints in red, pink and purple
• Brushes
• 1 giant piece of watercolor paper (16 x 20 makes 20 cards)
• Exacto knife, cork-backed ruler, cutting mat
• Garden twine in natural color
• Scissors
• Hole punch (ideally heart shaped)
• Plantable paper hearts, one for each card
• Ink pen

 Follow these steps and check out the photo gallery for how-to images:

1. Cover your giant watercolor paper with paint—try an abstract design or even do one large picture.

2. Once the painting is dry, divide it into cards by making tick marks along the edges with pen or pencil at regular intervals (I did 3.5 by 4 inches).

3. Use the Exacto knife and a cork-backed ruler to cut out the cards on a cutting mat.

4. Lay a heart on top of each card. Punch two evenly spaced holes at the top of the heart and go through both layers.

5. Take a piece of twine (roughly 6 inches long) and tie a knot through the holes. Trim the edges of the twine and play with the knot until it lies flat.

6. Add a message of love below the heart and, perhaps, one behind it for after it's been removed.