Home » Holidays » Valentine's Day » DIY Valentine’s Day Card Box: All Aboard the Love Train!
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See how to make a DIY Valentine’s Day card box out of basic household items and a few fun embellishments!
Hop aboard the Love Train this February!
DIY Valentine’s Day Card Box: All Aboard the Love Train!
My oldest son, Rowan, is in kindergarten this year, and his teacher requested that all the kiddos make or purchase their own festive Valentine’s Day card box for their class party.
Since Rowan has been obsessed with trains for most of his young life (I even turned one of his toy trains into the cuuuutest DIY Christmas ornament), he of course chose a choo-choo for his desired theme…and it had to be ALL ABOUT LOVE.
Here’s what we came up with for his box!
Other DIY Valentine Box Ideas
Over the years since this post was originally published, I’ve ended up creating several more DIY Valentine card boxes for both of my boys.
We’ve covered Baby Yoda, a Creeper from Minecraft, as well as an upcycled animal cookie!
I’ve also shared LOTS of FREE printables, including a bunch of fun Valentine’s Day card ideas that your kiddo can pass out to all of their classmates and friends, so be sure and check out those too!
Train Valentine’s Day Card Box Supplies
One of the best things about this upcycled Love Train Valentine’s Day card box is that I only purchased a few inexpensive items specifically for this project (mostly from Dollar Tree), so it was about $5 of new stuff.
That’s it!
- Red gift wrap
- Red glitter heart picks
- Red and pink felt heart stickers
- Metallic pipe cleaners
The rest of the items I either already had in my craft stash or I found while rummaging through closets or the kitchen.
Sometimes it pays to be a hoarder. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Empty cardboard boxes and tubes
- Gift wrap tape & double-sided tape
- Glittery pink washi tape
- Styrofoam discs
- Aluminum foil
- Stuffing from a stuffed animal with a ripped seam (yep, sure did)
- Hot glue
- Jewelry wire
- Scissors
- Silhouette Cameo
- White vinyl
- White & silver polka dot gift wrap
Here are the main components of our DIY Valentine’s Day card box that I scavenged from around the house:
Valentine’s Day Card Box: Prepping the Train Parts
After cutting out a hole in the large box, I then wrapped both it and the smaller box in some red gift wrap, then covered all the edges with some glittery pink washi tape.
Next up came the cardboard tubes.
They were cut to size (and the larger one had a hole cut in it for the smaller one to fit inside), then both were also wrapped in gift wrap and embellished with washi tape.
After covering the six styrofoam discs in aluminum foil, all the main train components were ready for assembly!
I fired up my hot glue gun and then attached all the pieces together.
Now it was time to add some flair and accessorize this choo-choo.
Metallic pipe cleaners were added to cover rugged seams on the tubes, and some stuffing was added to give a fun steam effect to this steamie.
A little structure was provided with some jewelry wire, and the heart picks that would come later also kept it in place.
Some final lovey dovey touches were also added, such as:
- Vinyl decals that I whipped up with my Silhouette Cameo
- So everyone would know this was *Rowan’s* train
- Felt heart stickers
- A cattle catcher up front
- Just an aluminum foil-covered Bagel Bites box piece
- Two smaller front wheels
- Plastic caps from one of the cardboard shipping tubes
Rowan’s Final Train Valentine’s Day Card Box!
And here’s how Rowan’s Love Train Valentine’s Day card box looks after being fully assembled and accessorized!
Needless to say, he was pretty excited to take it to school for his class party and to also pass out his for all of his friends. :)
An Upcycled Before-And-After Valentine Box
Not bad for a $5 upcycled school project!
If You Enjoyed This…
Make sure you check out my other fun school ideas and Valentine’s Day projects!
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Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert and enthusiast, I have personal experiences or the ability to create physical objects like DIY Valentine's Day card boxes. However, I can provide you with information related to the concepts mentioned in this article.
DIY Valentine's Day Card Box
A DIY Valentine's Day card box is a handmade container used to collect Valentine's Day cards. It's usually made from basic household items and embellished with creative decorations. These boxes are often used by children in schools for class parties.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14th each year. It is a day dedicated to expressing love and affection to romantic partners, family members, and friends. People often exchange Valentine's Day cards, gifts, and flowers as a symbol of their love and appreciation for one another.
Household Items and Embellishments
The DIY Valentine's Day card box in the article was made using a variety of household items and embellishments. These included:
- Red gift wrap: Used to cover the boxes and give them a festive look.
- Glitter heart picks: Decorative heart-shaped embellishments with glitter used to add a touch of sparkle.
- Felt heart stickers: Adhesive heart-shaped decorations made from felt material.
- Metallic pipe cleaners: Flexible wire-like strands with a metallic finish used to cover seams and add decorative accents.
- Cardboard boxes and tubes: Used as the base structure for the card box.
- Gift wrap tape & double-sided tape: Adhesive tapes used to secure the wrapping paper and other components.
- Glittery pink washi tape: Decorative tape with a glittery pink design.
- Styrofoam discs: Circular foam pieces used for various parts of the train.
- Aluminum foil: Used to wrap the styrofoam discs and add a shiny metallic look.
- Stuffing from a stuffed animal: Used to create a steam effect for the train.
- Hot glue: An adhesive used to attach various components together.
- Jewelry wire: Used for structural support and stability.
- Scissors: Used for cutting materials.
- Silhouette Cameo: A cutting machine used to create custom vinyl decals.
- White vinyl: A type of self-adhesive material used for creating custom designs.
- White & silver polka dot gift wrap: Additional gift wrap used for the project.
These items were used creatively to transform simple cardboard boxes and tubes into a train-themed Valentine's Day card box.
Other DIY Valentine Box Ideas
The article also mentions other DIY Valentine card boxes created by the author for their children. These included designs inspired by Baby Yoda, a Creeper from Minecraft, and an upcycled animal cookie. The author also shared free printables and Valentine's Day card ideas for children to distribute to their classmates and friends.
I hope this information helps you understand the concepts and ideas presented in the article! Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with.
