Valentine's Day Love Notes Tutorial

Did you run out and get that mailbox? I hope so! :) When I saw them at Target for just $1.00 I couldn't resist putting this project into action. I've been seeing these images floating around the web:

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And I've been wanting to do something similar for my son for Valentine's Day, but in reality these little love notes can be made for any occasion throughout the year.

If you're like me and you made a rather big boo boo with calculations then you should have a ton of leftover white felt. If not you can find 9x12 inch pieces of felt in any craft store, and even in the craft section of Walmart. They are really cheap (I think it cost me $0.39 a piece at Joann's) and they come in a rainbow of colors, so pick your favorites and let's get to work. :)

What you'll need:

• felt, any color
• fabric paint
  
• scissors and/or pinking shears
• needle, thread and/or sewing machine
• embroidery thread and needle (optional)
  
• glitter, ribbon, any other decorating elements
• fabric glue (optional, if you don't want to stitch)
  
• lots and lots of love ♥♥

I'll show you a couple different ways to make these little love notes. Keep in mind, I'll be keeping it simple for the tutorial but feel free to jazz up your love notes with glitter, ribbon, etc.

Note: If you're not using the same $1 Target mailbox as me, measure the interior of your mailbox to figure out the size your love notes need to be. For the Target mailbox a 3.5x5 inch love note is the perfect size, but you can always go smaller. For the sake of this tutorial I'll be using the 3.5x5 inch size, but substitute your preferred size if necessary.

The Postcard:
Measure and cut out two 3.5x5 inch rectangles in the felt color of choice.
On one of the rectangles put your postcard design, it can be whatever you want.
On the other rectangle draw a line down the middle (or glue a ribbon or whatever). On the left side write your message and on the right side put the mailing information along with a 'stamp' on the upper right corner.
Sew or glue the two rectangles wrong sides together.
And voila! Felt postcard :) I didn't give myself a good seam allowance on the postcard but if you do, then use pinking shears to decorate the edges.

The Letter
Cut out your two rectangles again. On one of the rectangles write your message. My embroidery is not the greatest but I think it looks like a child wrote it. At least that's one way of saying I can't write straight, haha! :) On the other rectangle write your address info and put a stamp. I used some fabric scraps, wrote the To/From with a Sharpie and then used fabric paint to draw the heart.
Sew/glue your two rectangles wrong sides together, trim with pinking shears (optional) and you got yourself a letter! I love the look of the fabric scrap for the address info, doesn't it look like a little label you'd put on a real letter? :)

The Envelope
I also wanted to include an envelope so you can put whatever you wanted in it. Just double your length to get one long rectangle (so now it's a 7x5 inch instead of 3.5x5 inch). I simply drew my template right next to each other twice on my felt, see the line down the middle?
On one side of the rectangle add a stamp and some address info. Then fold wrong side together and sew/glue each side. Trim with pinking shears if you want for a fun detail.
Now you can add a letter or a treat to the envelope for any occasion. I put the green fabric scrap in so you can get a visual. Just a reminder, if you choose to add a letter to the envelope make sure it's smaller than the original dimensions so it will fit.

And there you have it. A cute, easy and quick craft to use for Valentine's Day or any other day of the year. I plan on adding a few non-valentine notes throughout the year so keep a watch. :)


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