DIY Growing Valentines!

Growing valentines are the cutest handmade valentines idea! You can make a big batch in one go, perfect for all your friends and loved ones.

You can use any seeds for the valentines, but it’s more fun to make a mix—like fast-growing cress and garden flower seeds, for example. I’ll be using last year’s leftover seeds—arugula, cress, and balcony lettuce. By the way, seeds are already available for sale, so everything you need for DIY valentines is easy to get. The paper should be soft and easy to soak, not glossy. Regular paper napkins are perfect. You can play with color using food coloring, beet juice, or even a drop of green dye. I think water-based acrylic or children’s watercolors won’t harm the future plants if you decide to add some color.

Materials:

Napkins, paper
Hot water
Blender
Seeds of your choice
Dried mint, flower petals, lavender (for decoration and fragrance, optional)
Cardboard, ribbons, small pots, scissors, cookie cutters, glitter, etc. (your creativity shouldn’t be limited to the suggested decoration ideas).

How to Make Valentines:

Pour boiling water over the paper. You can remove any excess water later. The paper should soak for about an hour, but this depends on its quality—you can leave it to soak overnight if needed.
Without wringing out the mixture, put it in the blender and blend it until it has a uniform consistency.
If there is excess liquid, drain it. Now is the time to add coloring and decorations (save the glitter and delicate petals for when you shape the valentines).
Add the seeds and gently mix by hand.
Shape the valentines from the paper mixture. You can use cookie cutters to either cut shapes or press the mixture into the molds.
Let the valentines dry completely. You may want to place them near a heater on an absorbent cloth to speed up the drying process. Some seeds may try to sprout while the valentines are drying, but don’t let that happen. Avoid using an iron for drying :).
The valentine can be placed in a pot with soil, watered (just like regular seeds without the paper packaging), and it will sprout! The final result will depend on the seeds you chose.