Top Trends for Valentine's Day

Giving someone a handmade card or papercraft project is not only a creatively fulfilling way to spend and hour or so – but also shows the recipient just how much they mean to you! Here are a few brand new projects to get your creative cogs whirring.

Valentine's Day doesn't need to involve love hearts and roses – take a look at this fantastic space themed card project for example, which features a revolving rocket!

These gorgeous embroidered hoops make the perfect gift and look fantastic hung up on a wall. Our haberdashery expert, Kathi, has written an in-depth tutorial for each of the designs above, including templates and different stitch techniques. If you're looking to get started with embroidery then this is the perfect post to have stumbled upon!

Pyrography is another hot trend this year – and if you're looking to learn a new skill that will help you when it comes to gifting, then this really is the craft for you. Take a look at the above tutorial to see how easy it is to transfer any design onto wood and burn it in for a personalised, yet professional finish

Quilting is a meditative pass time, and one that is experiencing a resurgence thanks to modern quilt designers such as Maura Ambrose of Folk Fibers. This above tutorial will show you how to create three different mini quilt designs, which is the perfect starting point for anybody new to the process. These mini quilts work well as decoration on a wall, as well as plant pot holders.

These Mache Heart Boxes not only protect the enclosed gifts but are also a gift themselves as a storage box that can be reused over and over again. Ditch the wrapping paper this year and paint your box in any way that you fancy. Take the above boxes as an example, inspired by the classic love heart sweets of our childhoods. Read the tutorial to find out how they were made

These confetti trays are a super fun way to present your gifts to your loved ones – and again, can be reused over and over to hold cups of tea or crafting supplies. Take a look at the above tutorial to find out how they've been made using only a few crafting supplies and a Wooden Tray!

These gloriously rustic favour bags are so simple to make at home using fabric dyes, and make the perfect reusable gift bag. Why not bulk dye a pack of Ivory Favour Bags and use them throughout the year for smaller gifts? Have a read of the above tutorial to find out how they're made.

Show your friends some love this Valentine's Day with this adorable best friends trinket box – complete with a personalised photograph in the lid. This project uses the Wooden Photo Box, available at Hobbycraft online and in store. What secret treasures do you think your best friend would keep inside?

Here's another perfect make for you and your best friend to share. This necklace is super simple to make and will allow you and your friend to be connected wherever you may go.

If you've recently become engaged, we have loads of fantastic new blog posts and crafty projects to help you on your way with planning your dream wedding! Take a look below for a small selection of posts to start you off. There's so many things to think about when it comes to weddings – so let us do some of it for you.

This is a handy holy grail post to serve as a starting point after the enormity of your project ahead dawns on you! There's no need to panic – we've got everything covered from table settings to corsages. Take a few deep breaths and have a read.

The first in our series of wedding theme guides, rustic weddings are hot this year and we have so many products, tips, and tricks to help you curate a perfectly quaint wedding. Keep your eyes peeled for further posts in this series – we'll be discussing botanical, traditional, bright, and metallic wedding themes!