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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Olympic Rings Valentine

February 5, 2014 2 Comments

Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft at Hands Occupied

The opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics is Friday, so I’ve got both the Olympics and Valentine’s Day on the brain. Using Apple Barrel Craft Paint, I whipped up this easy Valentine’s Day card with teachers in mind.

I became a Teen Librarian at a public library really close to a high school this year. I know my quasi-class of teens by name and have good days and bad days with them, just like a teacher. When I designed this Valentine, I wanted to make something I think my fellow librarians and teacher friends would appreciate. And as a crafter, I wanted to share something cute and fun too!

Supplies

white cardstock, 12×12 inches
sponge spouncer
scissors
tweezers (optional)
2 inch tall heart stencils, like Plaid’s Plain Jane 2″ letter stencils
Apple Barrel craft paint in Olympic colors*
waxed paper or silicone mat (optional)

*red, black, blue, yellow and green – I used the gloss finish because I knew it would make the card really pop!

Directions

Start your project by cutting a 12×12 inch piece of cardstock in half, and then fold that in half. If you’re using the same stencils as me, the hearts punch right out of the stencil. I think these heart punch outs are intended to be recycled, but I wanted to use them as reverse stencils. After all, they’re for making rings!

Olympic Rings Valentine at Hands Occupied

Squeeze about a teaspoon of paint onto your work surface. I love my silicon mat, but waxed paper or a recycled jar lid work great for this too!

Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft

Dab your spouncer into the paint and press out some of the excess paint onto the mat/waxed paper as shown. Hold down the heart stencil with one hand and paint all along the edges of your heart, reloading your paint as needed.

Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft

One of the great things about the Apple Barrel Craft Paint I used is how quickly it dries. Make sure to let your painted heart sit for a second before removing the cardboard stencil. I found using a tweezer to remove the stencil super helpful!

You don’t even need to worry about using more than one paint spouncer on this project by the way. The paint cleans up so easily, switching colors is as simple as rinsing out the first color, squeezing out excess water, and grabbing the next color. And speaking of color, please note that the arrangement of the Olympic rings and their color is important. Each color symbolizes something special.

So one more time, here’s the step-by-step process for painting the rings:

1. Place stencil
Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft 2. Paint around the stencil with your spouncer. 

3. Carefully remove the stencil (using a tweezer if you like). 
Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft

4. Place your next stencil and repeat steps 1-3 again. Remember: when you reuse an already-painted stencil, make sure it’s dry before using it for another color. 
Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft

Add your message

When the outside of your card is dry, you can take a pen or a thin paint brush and write your Valentine an Olympic-y message in it. I designed this card with educators in mind, but I’ve got a message for you to use for a general sweetheart as well…

Thank you for being my champion. 

Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft

You’re the champion of my heart.

Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft

As a librarian, I can tell you that if one of my kids brought me a Valentine like this, I’d be in the back room bawling for like an hour from joy. It’s a really, truly amazing thing when the kids you work with or their parents take the time to let you know your work matters. It doesn’t happen all that often and means so much!

Olympic Rings Valentine - Easy Valentine's Day Card DIY Craft at Hands Occupied Anybody out there have a tear-worthy story about getting a Valentine from a student, library patron, or kid you mentor? I’d love to hear it! 

Visit the Plaid Crafts blog for more DIY ideas, sign up for their weekly newsletter for tutorials and special deals, and follow Plaid on Pinterest to find some great project inspiration. And if you want even more ideas for Valentine’s crafts in a school setting, you should check out ideas from other bloggers crafting with Apple Barrel paint this week. Very inspiring!

This post was written as part of a campaign with The Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored, How-to, Olympics, Valentine's Day Tagged With: apple barrel craft paint, apple barrel paint, champion valentine, craft, diy, olympics valentine, paint craft, school, teachers, valentine, valentine for librarians, valentine for teachers, valentine's day

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

Previous Post: « DIY Color Blocked Glitter Bangle Bracelet
Next Post: 15 Olympic Crafts (that aren’t just for kids!) »

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Comments

  1. Ann Martin

    February 6, 2014 at 9:36 am

    Clever idea! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 3 Kids Valentine Craft Projects says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:38 am

    […] With the Opening Ceremonies occurring tomorrow, now is a great time to get kids in the Olympic spirit with the Olympic Rings Valentine from Hands Occupied. […]

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop the latest patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️ If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the 🔗 is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2” of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! 🎃💀 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the 🔗 I think. 😉
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. ✂️ The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? 😅
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies ✂️
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. 🤙🏻 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9” (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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