Easy Valentine’s Crafts That Will Make Anyone Feel Loved

Last Updated on April 12, 2022 by lydiaf1963

It’s an artform to make someone feel loved and appreciated. For some people it comes very easily. Others have to work at it. It’s really not that difficult, as you can see in this collection of easy Valentine’s crafts and recipes. All it takes is a little effort.

Before we get to creative endeavors, let’s learn a little bit about the history of St Valentine’s Day. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to find links to easy Valentine’s crafts and recipes.

The interesting history of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day has it’s origins in the pagan festival of Lupercalia. The festival took place in the early spring and involved fertility rituals. According to Brittanica.com, the festival became a feast day to honor St Valentine in the 5th Century.

This article from Smithsonian mag disputes the idea that St Valentine’s Day had anything to do with replacing a pagan festival, however. In it we learn about a group of Belgian monks who spent three centuries chronicling the Lives of the Saints. They discovered several early Christian martyrs named Valentine, all documented by Early Christian writers.

The monks detailed several stories from the 3rd century of men named Valentine, Valentinus or some other variant. One died in Africa; the other two were beheaded after losing the favor of the Roman Emperor. The two who lost their heads were involved in healings, one a girl and the other a boy. It’s easy to see how the legends might merge together and be embellished.

By the middle ages, Valentine’s legend reputed him to be a bishop who performed illegal marriages. Another legend claims he was an imprisoned priest who signed his letters, “from your Valentine.” However, apparently none of the 3rd Century sources mention this.

When Did Valentine’s Day Become Associated With Love?

It’s surprising to learn Valentine’s Day has been associated with love for a really long time! There’s a line in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (14th Century) which mention birds looking for mates on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps this was the beginning of the term love birds?

By the 15th Century there’s evidence of people sending February verses and letters to their lovers and signing them “Valentine.” And Ophelia refers to herself as Hamlet’s Valentine in Shakespeare’s play, first performed in 1602.

Literacy rates improved after the invention of the printing press. Eventually this led to the development of printed cards and notes for the masses. These greetings used familiar motifs: birds, cupids, hearts and pithy verses. Naturally, the bakers, florists and chocolate makers all created products. Anyone could celebrate Valentine’s Day, as long as they could afford it.

A new evolution to Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovers anymore. Nowadays, it’s for celebrating any relationship worth nurturing. Even though the romantic aspect still exists, unpartnered people can still get in on the fun (and the chocolate).

Of course you’ll want to celebrate with your significant other, but it’s also OK to exchange Valentine’s with your BFF, an elderly relative or even your neighbor.

Let me encourage you to recognize the various relationships in your life with a Valentine’s Day celebration. It doesn’t have to take a lot of effort to make someone feel special. It can be as simple as a card or letter. Or you may want to take on something more complicated.

Here’s a collection of easy Valentine’s crafts and recipes to try

My favorites are the EE Cummings printables. He wrote some of the most romantic lines EVer. Put them into frames or turn them into cards. (Select the images in the post to visit two websites with Victorian cards)

For those who create in the kitchen you’ll find a couple easy desserts from Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen. Choose from Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Bars or Strawberry Nutella Crepes.

Select the image to open the link to the post.