Valentine Pencil Toppers

Kids will love making their own Valentine Pencil Toppers this Valentine's Day!

My husband was looking for an activity he could do in the classroom to celebrate Valentine's Day, but wanted to do something that his kids could do on their own without much of a mess to clean up afterward. That's kind of a big order, but I took on the challenge and came up with these Valentine Pencil Toppers! They are SO quick and easy to make, and I think kids (and room moms) everywhere are going to have a blast making them during the classroom Valentine party!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As always, I only share things that I use myself and truly recommend!

To make these adorable Valentine Pencil Toppers, you will need:

• Valentine Pencil Topper Design Space Project
• Cricut Explore or Cricut Maker machine
• Cricut LightGrip Mat (Blue)
• Cardstock - white, black
• Glitter Cardstock or Sparkle Paper - pink and/or red
• Adhesive Dots or Quick-Drying Paper Adhesive
• Pop-Up Adhesive Dots, Tape, or Glue Gun/Glue Sticks
• Pipe Cleaners
• Valentine Pencils

Open the Valentine Pencil Topper project in Design Space. If for some reason that link doesn't open the project, you can search for "Valentine Pencil Topper" or look through the list of projects available with Cricut Access (the project will have the image as shown above).

Once the project is open, go ahead and click the green "Make It" button.

The project makes two pencil toppers: one pink, and one red. If you want to make edits to size, colors, or add anything else to the project, you can click "Customize".

The next screen is your mat preparation, where you'll be able to see which paper colors you'll need, and how many mats will be cut. If you are making these toppers for a classroom, you might need more than two toppers. Instead of customizing the project, you can make multiple copies in this step!

Click on the white drop-down menu on the left hand side of the screen. Since the project makes two toppers, you can change the number in the menu to 12 to make a total of 24 toppers (2x12=24). Click "Apply", and the mats will automatically fill up with the multiples without you having to shift anything around. Check each of the mats to make sure everything looks right, and click the green "Continue" button at the bottom right.

Wait for your computer to connect with your Cricut Explore or Cricut Maker machine. Then select the material* that you are cutting first by clicking the "Browse All Materials". I used Medium Cardstock for the black and white pieces, and Sparkle Paper or Glitter Cardstock for the red and pink hearts.

*If you are using a Cricut Explore machine, turn the Smart Set Dial to Cardstock, or turn it to Custom and select your material from the menu.

After you have your material selected and placed on the mat, check Step 2 to make sure you have all of the blades, pens, or tools you will need. This project will only need the Fine Point Blade.

Load your mat into your Cricut Explore (pictured) or Cricut Maker machine and then click "Go" to cut your project, one mat at a time.

Once all of the pieces are cut, separate them into single sets for easier assembly and to make sure you have everything cut. Each set will need a white, black, and a glittered red/pink piece.

If you are making these pencil toppers in the classroom, I would recommend using a adhesive dots or a quick-drying paper adhesive. You will have less of a mess to clean up, and we all know that kids have very little patience when something has to dry!

Add a few adhesive dots or some quick-drying paper adhesive to the front of the white heart piece.

Place the black heart on top of the white, making sure to line up the edges. Hold in place if using a quick-drying paper adhesive, or press the papers together well if you are using adhesive dots.

Turn the piece of Sparkle Paper or Glitter Cardstock over and add some adhesive dots or quick-drying paper adhesive. Be careful not to get too close to the eyes/mouth cutouts!

Carefully place the hearts over the black pieces, lining them up. Hold in place until the quick-drying paper adhesive sets, or press the papers together well if you are using adhesive dots.

Cut some pipe cleaners in half. I found whole ones to be too large for the pencils, and you can get more for your money by cutting them in half. You will also need some pop-up adhesive dots, tape, or glue gun/glue sticks*.

Turn the hearts over and add a drop of hot glue* or place a pop-up adhesive dots toward the bottom of the heart. Fold the top of the pipe cleaner over a couple of times to give it a little more of a surface to stick to, and then place it on top of the adhesive. Press down well to make sure it is really stuck on there!

If you are using tape, fold the top of the pipe cleaner, lay it down on the back of the heart, and add some tape over the pipe cleaner. Press the tape down well so that the pipe cleaner won't come off of the paper.

*If using a glue gun/glue sticks, always use parental supervision and be careful so no one gets burned!!

Hold the pencil toppers up by the end of the pipe cleaner and bounce them around to make sure that the pipe cleaners are attached well. Make any adjustments if necessary.

Hold the hearts of the pencil toppers at the eraser end of a pencil and wrap the pipe cleaner tightly around the pencil. Adjust the topper as necessary, and then enjoy your new Valentine project!

These Valentine Pencil Toppers are an easy project for kids to do in the classroom, or in other group settings. You could also assemble them yourself and hand them out as a Valentine's Day surprise! If you make some of these Valentine Pencil Toppers, please share them! I love seeing your creations!!

Do your kids like making Valentine crafts?