If you are thinking of something a little different to give a loved one for Valentine's Day, I have a suggestion...this Valentine Gift Banner. It happens to be offered at my Etsy Shop :). As you will see the banner is made of individual hand stenciled muslin bags attached to dual ribbons for extra support. These bags can be filled with all sorts of little gifts and/or candies, while the banner can be hung as a Valentine decoration before and during Valentine's Day. It could also be wrapped up as a boxed gift. It is very multi-functional!
I decided to fill my muslin bags with candies. I started with mini dark chocolate (my husband's favorite) candy squares, along with Valentine conversation hearts and some Russell Stover candies.
Here you can see I filled each muslin bag with the various candies. I put a different kind of candy in each bag. I suppose you could make an assortment in each bag if you like that choice better.
If you wanted, you certainly could fill the bags with little presents or trinkets. The options are as great as your imagination! I decided to go with the obvious and chose candy :).
As you may guess, the banner spells out L O V E but, other sentiments like I LOVE YOU or a person's name, of course, would be nice, as well :).
Here you can see the dual ribbons that create the strength for the base for the banner. I sewed red buttons to the ribbon, giving the stringed muslin bags a point at which to be tied. This allows for easy filling and refilling. It's a good little system, I think!
And, here we go with the end product. I thinks it is cute and offers a unique gift idea for Valentine's Day. I'm thinking of making a few banners for different members of my family...if I have time!
You could also use the banners tied to the back of dining chairs and used as party favors or seating designators, if you'd like. As I said, "multi-functional".
I also wondered if the banner would be neat used as somewhat of an advent decoration leading up to Valentine's Day. The bags could be opened one day at a time a few days before Valentine's Day or the other way around, depending on your preference. Just a thought!
