Are you looking for a fun alternative gift you can craft for someone you’re sweet on? Last Valentine’s day I used plastic storage tubes to make one of a kind Valentines for my kids. They were a big hit! I put my metal stamps to use on chipboard to make personalized message strips that are fun and easy to create. Here’s how I did it.
Supplies:
- Plastic Test Tubes
- TEKTON 6610 5/32-Inch Letter and Number Stamp Set, 36-Piece
- Speedball Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Kit
- Chipboard
- Stick It Adhesive Sheets (5 Pack), 8 x 12.25″
- Twine
- Jewelry charms
Step one: Place the adhesive sheet on the back of the chipboard and cut the chipboard into strips that will fit on the front of the test tube.
Step two: Use the stamping block and metal stamps to press a message and or/design into the chipboard.
Step three: Use the adhesive pen to apply glue to the stamped chipboard piece. Let it set for a few minutes before applying the gold leaf paper to the piece. Brush off excess gold leaf with a soft brush.
Step four: Apply the gold leafed chipboard strip to the plastic tube using the adhesive that was applied in step one. Embellish the tube with twine, charms, and/or ribbon.
I filled my tubes up with red sugar sprinkles for photo purposes, but when I gave them to my kids they were filled with mini M&Ms. It would be fun to tie this tube full of sprinkles onto a box with an iced cupcake inside, to create a DIY cupcake decorating kit! Or you could fill various tubes with different toppings and make a gift set for someone who likes to bake! Alternately, you could add pink Nerds, or any other small candy treat to these sweet talking test tubes. Have fun crafting and creating custom test tube Valentine gifts!
This post first appeared at Blitsy, when I was a design team member.
