• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

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

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
    • Punch Needle
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • TikTok
    • YouTube

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!) »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • How-to: Easy Vintage Style PennantHow-to: Easy Vintage Style Pennant
  • Needle Felted Conversation HeartNeedle Felted Conversation Heart
  • Twinkle in Your Eye Sunglasses Twinkle in Your Eye Sunglasses
  • Easy No Slip HangersEasy No Slip Hangers

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

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.

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Never miss a tutorial with these short & sweet monthly updates.

Find Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi GustadDiscover Unique Items

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
❤️ Email preferred

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
.
Have a good weekend, everyone! 
.
Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
.
#handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #wip #knitting
Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
.
Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
.
For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
.
#handsoccupied #learntoknit #continentalknitting #howtoknit #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #knit #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #knittinghack  #handknitting #handknit #norwegianpurling
Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
.
All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
. 
Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
.
#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
. 
TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
.
#handsoccupied #fridayintroduction #heidigustad #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #yarncrafts #latchhookbook
Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
.
There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
.
#handsoccupied #learntoknit #knittingstyles #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitter
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy