February is the month of love! We not only want to encourage you to spread love to friends and family, but to make sure you’re also loving on your planet. As Valentine’s Day approaches, parents are faced with trying to figure out what to send to class with the kids. We know plastic trinkets, individually wrapped candies, and pre-printed cards are fun and easy. But those things aren’t always great for the environment. This year we hope you’ll consider some eco-friendly alternatives. Today, we have the amazing Chelsea, professional photographer and eco-conscious mom of 2, sharing a simple project for turning recyclable paper into adorable Valentines that are good for the birds and bees! Chelsea walks us through how to make DIY wildflower plantable seed paper Valentines that are fun and easy for kids to make from materials you already have at home.
Making a change
Each year I try to make a few changes in our lives that allow us to leave a smaller footprint on Earth. As I was thinking about what to do for this year’s valentines for my kids’ classmates, I realized this was another area we could make improvements. It seems like every year my kids bring home more and more stuff from their class holiday parties. Little plastic trinkets, individually wrapped candies, plastic baggies stuffed to the brim with junk that eventually ends up in the trash.
And let me be honest, my kids absolutely LOVE IT. They love receiving all those fun treats and they love giving them out as well. But this year I can’t do it. I can’t add to the growing problem. So, I decided to find an alternative that would more closely match our values.
DIY plantable seed paper Valentines
Instead of buying something that would be thrown away, we decided to make something. These DIY plantable seed paper valentines made from recycled paper are a perfect alternative to the usual store-bought valentine items! They check all of the boxes when it comes to a Valentine that aligns with our values. They’re handmade, which allows for me to spend extra time with the kids. They’re made from recycled materials, giving a new life to things that would otherwise be thrown away. And they’re plantable, which means our little Valentines will keep on giving long after we’ve gifted them!
Not only will these homemade Valentines provide beauty when they’re grown, but they’re extra good for the environment. We deliberately chose a wildflower pack that’s specifically made for birds and butterflies! Win-win for everyone! We had so much fun creating these eco-friendly seed paper valentines and hope you will too. They’re super simple to make and absolutely adorable!
Plantable seed paper materials
The great thing about these Valentines is that you don’t really need anything special to make them! Other than the wildflower seeds, you probably already have all the materials necessary to make your own plantable seed paper at home right now. Here’s what you’ll need to get started.
- Paper scraps
- Food dye (optional)
- Wildflower seeds
- Water
- Large bowl
- Blender or food processor
- Grease splatter screen (or screen material)
- Towels
- Cookie sheet
- Pencil
- Scissors
How to make plantable seed paper
I was pleasantly surprised just how fun and easy it is to make your own DIY plantable wildflower seed paper. It didn’t take us long at all and we were so happy with the way it turned out. The paper is also so versatile and can be used for any variety of holidays, gifts or projects. Tuning the plantable paper into Valentines was so much fun and we truly loved the way they turned out.
Step 1: Gather paper and rip
The first step is to gather scrap paper and let the children rip up the paper into small pieces. I highly recommend using paper that has been used and that you’d normally recycle, as opposed to new clean paper. You can really use any kind of paper, from printer paper to construction paper. You can use junk mail, papers from the kids’ schoolwork that you aren’t keeping, flyers, old coloring book pages or even newspapers.
We used a stack of papers that would be normally tossed into the recycling bin. We also used one piece of red construction paper, just for some added color. You can use any colored paper depending on the color you want your seed paper to be, or just leave it out altogether.
Step 2: Soak the paper
Next, place the ripped pieces of paper into a bowl of water. Let the paper bits sit in the water for 10-15 minutes to allow the paper to fully soak and saturate.
Step 3: Puree to a pulp
Once the recycled paper is soaked, place the pulpy mixture into a blender or food processor. If you want create colored paper, now is the time to add a few drops of food coloring to the mix. We used two drops of red dye for ours. Put it all in the blender and liquefy it! This step should definitely be supervised by an adult!
*Please note: the blending can be hard on appliances so you’ll want to use a high-quality appliance. This may also dull your blades. Blend at your own risk*
Step 4: Add seeds and spread
Place a towel on a cookie sheet. Then place a splatter screen over towel. Once the paper mixture has been blended into a pulp, pour it back into the bowl. Then mix the wildflower seeds into the recycled paper pulp.
Have the children use a spoon or their hands to spread the pulp onto the screen. Using your hands or a spoon, spread the pulp as thinly and evenly as possible over the entire screen, pressing lightly to squeeze out any extra water. The towel beneath the screen will also help absorb the extra water that comes out of the paper.
Step 5: Let dry
Once the pulp has been evenly spread on the screens, leave it to dry. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the pulp and humidity. Our paper took several days to dry completely. Give it time! During the drying process, you’ll need to remove the wet towels under the paper and replace them with dry towels. Once the seed paper was stiff enough to handle without falling apart, I flipped it once to help with the drying time.
Step 6: Cut into shapes
When the plantable seed paper is completely dry and stiff, it’s ready to be made into Valentines! Use a cookie cutter as your template or even just a cutout shape of your choosing. We chose a heart (naturally!). Trace your shape onto the seed paper using a marker and then carefully cut them out. You may want to have the children do the tracing and have an adult do the cutting because the paper is quite fragile!
Step 7: Share the love!
Once you have your plantable seed paper cutout into the shape of your choice, that’s it! Your frugal, earth-friendly valentines are complete and ready to give to friends, neighbors and family members. Let them know that they just need to plant the paper in a sunny spot to grow a beautiful little patch of wildflowers that will brighten their days and help the birds and bees. You could even print off some cute cards with fun phrases on them to attach to the Valentines. Pinterest has some great free printables to use!
Plantable seed paper makes a great gift!
Plantable seed paper doesn’t only have to be for Valentine’s Day. You can make wildflower seed paper for so many occasions, using any kind of cutout shape, size or color. So it would be great for Earth Day, Mother’s Day, or any special occasion or holiday. These little cutouts make a great take-home favor for birthday parties and bridal/baby showers as well.
Do you make your own Valentines?
How do you make holidays more eco-friendly?
About the author
Hi there, I’m Chelsea! I’m a photographer, mother of two busy boys, and sunshine and fresh air addict. We live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can! We spend most of our time exploring the beach, inlets, and nature trails nearby. Our family loves biking, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, building forts, and playing in the sand! During the warm months, you can find us enjoying the Chesapeake Bay almost every night until long after the sun goes down. We’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint and always try to leave every trail cleaner than it was when we arrived.
You can find Chelsea online in the following locations:
Instagram: @dimples.and.the.blonde
Client work: @chelsea.lyn.photography
Website: dimplesandtheblonde.com
RWMC posts: Chelsea Furlong