Chocolate and Valentine’s Day seem to go together, so why not make a Paper Loop Valentine Wreath using candy bar wrappers? It’s double the fun! Look closely and check out a few more details, too, like paper hearts on wire springs and foil-wrapped chocolate kisses. I don’t know about you, but I’m all for making a wreath that requires me to eat chocolate first! So, grab a chocolate bar, or 20, and make a Sweet Surprises Paper Loop Valentine Wreath.

Sweet Surprises Paper Loop Valentine Wreath by Kathleen George.

To make a Sweet Surprises Paper Loop Valentine Wreath, you’ll need:

• STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam: 12” wreath
• Acrylic craft paint in red
• Candy wrappers from 20 chocolate bars
• Chocolate kisses, about 20
• Cardstock, 12” x 12”: two red, one bright pink, and one glittered pink
• Thin craft wire
• Toothpicks
• Paper glue
• Low-temp glue gun
• Tools needed: Scissors; paintbrush; ruler; Xacto® knife or rotary cutter; wire cutters; pencil; optional: 2” and 1-1/4” heart punches

To make a Sweet Surprises Paper Loop Valentine Wreath:

1. Paint the wreath red, and let dry.

2. Cut 48, 1” x 6” strips from red cardstock and 12, 1” x 6” strips from pink glitter cardstock.

3. Cut candy wrappers into 32 – 36, 1” strips.

4. Using paper glue, glue the candy wrapper strips onto the red cardstock strips. Don’t worry if the candy strip is shorter than the red paper strip. If the candy wrapper strip is longer than the red paper, trim away the extra candy wrapper.

5. Glue all of the paper strips into loops, overlapping the ends by about ¾”.

6. Glue paper loops to the wreath, making sure there are no bare spots.

Can you see the springs on the 2″ paper hearts?

7. Punch nine – ten, 2” hearts and six – eight, 1-1/4” hearts from the bright pink cardstock. Or, use scissors to cut out the hearts.

8. Add “springs” to the 2” hearts. Wrap a 5” length of wire around a pencil, forming a coil. Glue one end to the back of a heart, and push the other end into the wreath. Gently pull on the coiled wire so that the heart pops up above the paper loops. Repeat for the remaining 2” hearts.

9. Glue toothpicks to the backs of smaller hearts, and insert toothpicks into the wreath.

10. Gently and firmly, twist a toothpick into the bottom of each chocolate kiss. Insert the toothpicks into the wreath.

So, who’s going to do some Valentine crafting this weekend? Tell me about your crafty plans!

Happy crafting.

Sharon