Sweet and Simple Valentines Bunting 11 February 2014  |  Nicola

With Valentines Day just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to get crafty; instead of opting for the usual flowers-and-chocolates combination, why not make things a little less commercial and have a go at a little DIY? Whether you’re surprising a partner, or just wanting to brighten up the house, our sweet and simple Valentines bunting will add a cracking floral touch to any room. Candles optional.

To make the bunting you will need:

Contrasting sheets of patterned card – scrapbooking card is ideal, such as Tie the knot die cut and Flower bed 

Plain card

A large heart-shaped hole punch

Bakers twine

Small letter stamps

Ink Pad

Ruler

Scissors

Glue stick

1. Start by deciding how big you want your bunting to be, and then make a template from the plain card. It needs to be a little wider than the hole punch, and long enough to fold in half and still be a good size. We made ours 10cm wide and 25cm long.

2.  Place your template on the underside of your patterned card, and draw round it. Repeat as many times as you like, and then cut them out.

3. Fold each piece of card in half, and then punch a heart-shaped hole in the bottom – this is the main part of your bunting.

4. Take your bunting and place it on top of your contrasting card. Draw around and cut out, just inside the lines, then repeat until you have as many inserts as you do pieces of bunting.

5. Measure about 1.5cm from the top of each insert, and cut straight across – this is to leave a nice wide gap to poke the twine through when it comes to stringing the bunting up, otherwise you’ll find it catches when you try to thread it.

6. Take one of your main pieces of bunting, and open it out, wrong side facing upwards. Glue both the top and bottom, and then sandwich your insert inside. Be sure not to glue too close to the top, or you’ll never manage to get the twine threaded through! Repeat until you find yourself with a cheery pile of bunting.

7. To make the message for the top, cut out some small pieces of plain card, and then using letter stamps (or a fancy pen) write your chosen phrase or word on top.

8. Wait for the glue and ink to dry. Make a cup of tea, eat a biscuit and smile at your handiwork.

9. Using washi tape, stick each note onto the top of each piece of bunting. Thread onto the bakers twine, hang up and fill your house with flowers. Happy Valentines Day!