Matchbox Valentine

You set my heart ablaze Valentine! ;)

If you've been looking for a unique and punny-(that's pun and funny put together, as if you couldn't figure that out)-Valentine to make for your sweetheart look no further! I think this is pretty neato, but then again it was my idea, so call me biased. Not only is this matchbox Valentine fairly simple, but it's using something almost everyone has laying around in that "stuff" drawer, and if not a box of matches I'm sure is not that expensive at the drug store. Okay, I'll admit, the whole writing on the matches thing looks intimidating and it might not be for everyone, it does take a steady hand and a bit of patience. **Disclaimer**-this project is not for children, children and matches do not mix!

I would like to point out that while photographing this project I ran across some difficulty. Most of the steps needed two hands, but photographing with one hand and trying to perform the step with the other proved very hard indeed. I wondered for awhile how other craft bloggers have both hands in shot while photographing. Third hand? Camera gnomes? Then I realized that they are probably using a tripod, duh. Sorry, I don't have one of those yet, maybe next Christmas! :)

For this Valentine project you'll need:

• A matchbox
• Matches
• Water
• Clear nail-polish
• Fine tip Sharpie markers or paint pens
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue or tape
• A steady hand!
  

1. Begin by doing something very important, take as many matches as you think you might want to write a message on and soak them in water for at least 3 hours, I soaked mine overnight to be on the safe side. Then take them out of the water and let dry.
2. After each match is dry coat the tip with a little clear nail-polish to seal it and let it dry.

3. I know this picture is a little out of focus, but have you ever tried photographing a match? It's harder than one would think...anyway, this is the match after I penned a sweet message on it, using all four sides of the match to write the message out with a fine tip Sharpie in black and red. It's not as hard as it seems. The key is to hold the pen and the match very steady, and have good lighting. The message on this match is "You light my fire Valentine", corny yes, but you can write whatever you'd like. Have a whole match box full of important dates to you, or stick with corny and sweet match and fire jokes :D

4. After you have your clever messages, as many or as few as you'd like written on your matches, take a small sized match box, empty it of extra matches of course, and...
....lay it out on your blank piece of paper, you can mark the paper with pencil for the dimensions of the box, then cut out a strip of paper long enough to wrap around the match box, like a sleeve.
5. After you have your paper sleeve cut out you can draw whatever you want on it, match related or not, it's alllll up to you and how artsy you want to get. I thought a picture of a match along with the saying "I've met my match" would be perfect, and again very punny.


6. Using glue, I used a glue stick, you could also use tape, secure the sleeve tight around the box, making sure that the box can still slide in and out without trouble.

6. Put your message matches inside and close it up! Whoever you choose to give this to on Valentine's Day will definitely be surprised, just make sure they don't try and light the darn things! :)