Great present
for moms!
Aunt Annie's Crafts
Valentine's Day Pins
What you will make:
Create plaster of Paris pins using simple candy molds, pin backs and paint. Choose a candy mold with heart shapes to create beautiful Valentine's Day pins to give as presents to your loved ones. This craft is great for any holiday. There are many plastic candy molds available with designs for almost any special day.
This project requires few materials and is great for family, classroom or group craft time. Teachers or group leaders can mold the pins in advance to make this a quick and simple craft project.
Related craft: Make a set of heart Refrigerator Magnets to give as a Valentine's Day gift.
Here's what you need -
- Plaster of Paris
- Plastic candy molds
- Plastic cups and spoons for mixing plaster of Paris
- Pin backs
- Paints and paintbrushes
- Clear glaze or clear spray paint
- Wax paper or newspaper
This project is rated EASY to do.
How to Make Valentine's Day Pins
Read all of the steps before starting.
- Step 1: Project Preparation
-
Read through the project then gather the materials needed for making the pins. When purchasing candy molds, select ones with fairly simple heart shapes that are about 1½" to 2" in size. If doing this craft with a group, mold the pins and set the pin backs in advance. It takes up to 48 hours for the plaster of Paris to be dry enough to paint. Cover the work area with wax paper or newspaper to catch drips and splatters.
- Step 2: Mold Pin Shapes
-
Mix up a small quantity of plaster of Paris according to the package instructions, making a slightly thicker mixture.
Pour the plaster mixture into the candy mold, filling each well to the top. Do not over fill.
Insert the pin back in the wet plaster of Paris after it is partially set—wait about 5 minutes (see your package instructions for the exact time).
Let the plaster of Paris set for a few hours then pop the pins from the molds. To avoid pealing paint, let the pins dry 48 to 72 hours before painting them.
- Step 3: Paint
-
Paint the heart pins any colors you like—use your imagination. You could paint stripes or dots, write a message like on a conversation heart, or make a broken heart.
-
Tip: When the paint is dry, an adult can spray a glossy clear paint on the pins to give them a shiny finish.
Before you start:
- Make a place to work.
- Read all of the directions.
- Gather everything you need to do the project.
- Think about the project. Imagine how it will look and what you will do with it.
Are you ready?
Okay, get started!!!
Enlarge
Tip: Use two colors of paint and simple designs to make
bold pins. Paint the base color and let it dry before adding stripes or
dots in another color.
Enlarge
Tip: Pins can be made from simple heart molds or ones
with details like flowers or words. It will take more time and skill to
paint the details.
Thanks to...
Thanks to Dawna B. for sharing this classroom craft idea in Aunt Annie's Craft Exchange back in 1997.
Dawna said, "I am the room mother for my son's class at school. I pre-made 30 of these pins in advance and scraped each child's initial on the back. During the Valentine's Day party the children painted them and I varnished them. Each student had a wonderful Valentine's Day present for their mother! To add an extra touch I used a clear sparkling acrylic paint to seal the pins. "
Related Project
Enlarge
Tip: Make a set of heart
Refrigerator Magnets to give as a Valentine's Day gift. These magnets were
painted with a glitter glaze.