Valentine’s day is just over a week away, so it seems fitting to share a DIY Valentine gift so you can share chocolate love. Today I will walk you through how to make a Valentine from old chocolate bar wrappers, and how to melt and mold pieces of chocolate you may have lying around into hot chocolate bombs/cubes.
To make the Valentine you will need:
- Construction paper or card stock
- Chocolate bar wrappers (bonus if they are all shades of red)
- Chocolate bar foil inner wrappers if you want some shine
- Scissors
- Pen, pencil, markers, crayons, whatever you have
- Glue or tape runner (glue stick or white glue recommended)
First decide how big you want your card to be and cut your paper to that size. I used an 8 ½ x 11 paper to make two cards, so my first step was to measure and cut the paper in half.
Then you can fold the paper to be a card that opens. Decide if you want the fold at the top or at the side before you begin to create on the card.
If you like you can draw on the card now, creating a background for whatever you glue onto it. You can also do this by putting down some silver inner wrapper, or you can skip this step and move on to the decoration.
Take a look at the chocolate bar wrappers you have on hand. Think about how you might arrange items together, maybe there are cacao pods you can paste together to make a card.
I decided to make a heart collage with the word chocolate from a bunch of different wrappers. I began by cutting the word chocolate out of some wrappers, or the side spine of the packaging.
Then I cut a heart out of cardstock.
I glued the words onto the heart, filling it with the word chocolate again and again.
I went over the edges of the heart I cut out. Keep filling up your heart until it is full. I used tweezers for very small words.
If you used glue let it dry. Since I am using a tape runner I don’t need the glue to dry before I cut off the parts of the words that went over the edge.
Here I am cutting the pieces hanging over to make the heart shape. I turned it over so it was easy to see and follow the edge.
Next you can glue the heart onto your card.
Write a phrase here if you like, something sweet perhaps? Or just opt to leave it blank or write Happy Valentine’s Day.
Let dry, write a special message inside, then pop it into an envelope and send or give to one of your favourite valentines. Maybe with a chocolatey treat to go with it.
These are great for everyday gifting of chocolate, and you can make the words into any shape you like.
Not into using the word chocolate? That’s okay, make a collage however you like from the chocolate bar wrappers you have on hand. Enjoy the process, remember it is fun, and that your valentine will enjoy it because you made it. It does not need to be perfect, just have fun!
Making things not your style? That’s okay too!
Here is a printable version that you can print and use if you want/need. It has a pink background for Valentines day. Enjoy! It is available free until February 15th. If you use it I would love to see what you gift with it, tag me @CanadianChocoholic on Instagram.
Valentine’s Day Hot Chocolate Bombs/Cubes/Flowers
On to the chocolate treat to go with that card. Really, call them what you want! I used a flower shape, so I will call them hot chocolate flowers when I gift them. Here’s what you will need:
- Chocolate, a mix of plain chocolate bars works best.
- A silicone mold, any shape, a silicone ice cube tray would also work (the silicone mold makes it easier to get your chocolate out at the end).
- A pot
- A bowl that is heat proof
- A spatula or mixing spoon
- A knife & cutting board
- A spoon
- Oven Mitt
Chop up the chocolate to bite-sized pieces. You can also use them in larger pieces, it just will take longer to melt. I put a piece of parchment paper on my cutting board so it it easy to transfer the chocolate to the bowl.
Put the chocolate into the heat proof bowl.
Fill pot a few inches with water. Put on stove and bring to a boil.
Put the heat proof bowl of chocolate on the pot, like a double boiler. The water should NOT touch the bottom of the bowl. Remove some water if needed. Be careful not to get water into the chocolate. Chocolate and water are often not friends. I had a towel nearby to wipe up any spiled water.
Warm the bowl of chocolate, stirring often as it begins to melt.
Stir until completely melted.
Once the chocolate has a smooth and fluid consistency you can spoon it into silicone mold. *If you know how to temper chocolate you can do that now, but since these are made for hot chocolate I was not worried about them being in temper.* I like to place my mold on a cookie tray to make it easier to move.
Once you have them filled, smooth off the top as best you can. I used a spatula. Then I tap it a few times to get out any air bubbles. Put mold into the fridge and let set.
Take chocolate out of the mold, place in a small jar, label as a hot chocolate drop and add instructions to add 1-3 (this will depend on the size of your mold) to a mug of warm milk and stir for a hot chocolate treat. Add a ribbon and gift with a card.
Give them a fun name based on the shape of your mold. Hot chocolate hearts, cubes, bombs, flowers, etc.
Have fun! These cards pair well with these hot chocolate treats, but would also be lovely paired with cookies, chocolate bars, or a lovely pastry.
Have a sweet Valentine’s Day.
Other DIYs on the blog that use chocolate bar wrappers
- Earth Day Cards using chocolate bar wrappers.
- Chocolate Bar Wrapper Wreath
- 3D Paper Cacao Pods