Not even half way through January and I was working on Valentine's Day projects. I hadn't even finished getting all the Christmas decorations put away. The truth is however, if you are going to send hand made gifts you have to get a head start. Even a bigger start if you have to mail a package.
I've always been a fan of play food. I think it encourages pretend play. Adding holiday food just makes it even more fun. You can keep these as heart sugar cookies in your play food box or bring them out for the holidays as something to play with after all the Christmas toys and decorations have been put away.
This pattern is part of one of my favorite Valentine pattern sets created by Crochet Village called My Silly Valentine. Crochet Village used to have a website but the company seems to have moved to Etsy. You can purchase the pattern here.
There are a few container patterns available in crochet and plastic canvas in heart shapes. I considered the option and dismissed it. While I love making hand made gifts I'm realistic about how well certain items last under little hands. Measuring the time and effort required to make a crocheted box versus how long it would last I began looking online for my options. I found two different heart shaped boxes at Hobby Lobby. Since we just had a Hobby Lobby open near us, I even avoided shipping. You can find the box online here.
