So, I don’t know about you, but at our house with young children the candy and sweets start rolling in during October for Halloween. We manage to pry the excess out of their sweet little hands long enough to wash them and then it’s Thanksgiving. Pumpkin Pie, apple tarts, cinnamon rolls… Just as we are getting that cleared out, we start baking! Bring on the Christmas cookies… and candy… and Christmas Cupcakes… (as much as I love a cupcake, it does go on the list).
I have to tell you I have finally purged our house of it all. It’s fun while it’s here, but enough is enough. We’ve got a few weeks, and then we are looking a heart shaped lollipops and luscious truffles. Not that I’m complaining about luscious truffles, but I decided not to add to the candy stash at our little friends’ houses.
We have a couple of terribly cute, easy Valentine’s Day gifts that will replace the usual boxed Valentine with another piece of candy taped to it! Besides, we are cupcake fanatics, and we need to save some room for our adorable cupcakes we know we will be baking!
Dessert Skirtz cupcake wrappers are the perfect tiny gift wrapper. Just place a 9 ounce SOLO cup in each Dessert Skirtz cupcake wrapper and use some double stick tape or a glue dot to secure it. We tucked shredded tissue inside the cup for added wow-factor. Choose one of our craft ideas (below) to fill the baggie and nestle your little gift inside the cup. Tie the baggie closed with some ribbons that coordinate with your Dessert Skirtz cupcake wrappers. Tie a tag on with the ribbon or double stick tape them right to the Dessert Skirtz cupcake wrappers.


Cupcake Wrappers Valentine’s Day Class Gift- Build a Bug
We used Little Black Dress cupcake wrappers for this “Build a Bug” gift. Quite honestly, it could be “Make a Monster”, or “Create a Creature”… great for young kids, both girls and boys. They use their imagination to create a bug out of pom poms and pipe cleaners and attach it to a magnetic clip.

Examples of finished Build a Bug Valentine's Craft
Here’s the how to:
After you have placed cups in your favorite Dessert Skirtz cupcake wrappers and filled the cups with shredded tissue, fill each small cellophane bag (or plastic zip bag with the zipper cut off) with this…
5 pom poms of different sizes and colors
A pipe cleaner
2 google eyes
A clothes pin with a magnet glued to one side
Instruction sheet (free download here)

Cupcake Wrapper Valentine’s Day Class Gift- Backpack Charm Clip
For older kids, a backpack charm clip is ever so cool and just as easy to do. Fill the bags with this…
Key ring with a clip- these can be found in the craft aisle
6 inches of cord
A small handful of colorful pony beads
A small charm
Instruction sheet (free download here)

Example of finished Backpack Charm Clip Valentine's Craft
The kids will love it even more than the lollipop, your mommy friends will be thrilled and besides…
Hippity, hoppity, Easter’s on its way!

Isabel Sem
posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 9:45:34 AM America/Denver