This post may contain affiliate links.
When I got the notification from my son’s Kindergarten teacher that he could bring his classmate’s Valentines we immediately started brainstorming ideas to come up with Valentine’s box ideas. We ended up with an awesome DIY Valentine’s box idea made from an upcycled basketball with coordinating pom-pom monster Valentines to hand out. This monster Valentine’s box turned out sturdy and is still displayed in my son’s room. Here’s how we made his furry monster Valentine’s box.
Monster Valentines
We started by heading to Dollar Tree to find candy-free Valentines he could hand out to his classmates on Valentine’s Day. We found the Pom-Pom Critter Creatures kits that included six DIY pom-pom critters in pink and red. The pom-pom critter kits came with pink or red pom poms with silver tinsel, hearts for feet, hearts for wings, googly eyes, antennas, and “Be Mine” stickers. We got three packages to cover the 14-student classroom plus a few teachers.
We further customized the Dollar Tree Valentine’s Day Kit to match the monster Valentine box theme. The original creatures use stickers and adhesive backing to build the pom-pom critters. Instead of using the stick-on features provided, we upgraded to using hot glue for a sturdier and longer-lasting hold. We cut out tiny tulle hearts to add to the pink creatures as wings. We packaged each pom pom monster into clear treat bags with a laminated tag that read “You’re a MONSTERific friend!” or “teacher” and signed by my son.
Here’s what we used for the handmade Valentines for school:
- Dollar Tree Critter Creatures
- clear treat bags
- tulle fabric
- yarn
Love Bot Sewing Pattern
The free Love Bot sewing pattern makes a great Valentine’s Day gift to give kids. The love they share with the handmade robot will last for years to come.
DIY Monster Valentine Box
Once we had the Valentine hand-out ideas, it was a no-brainer that his Valentine box should be an oversized version of the tiny Monster Valentines. My son and I started a list of what we needed to create his DIY Monster Valentine Box idea. We knew we needed to create a sphere shape with a mouth for the base of the box, red furry fabric, a large heart for the monster’s feet, some big googly eyes, and antennas with hearts. We created the whole DIY Valentine’s box idea with mostly items we had at home.
Here’s what we used (with links) to make this Monster Valentine Box:
- basketball (we thrifted one for $5 from Savers, here’s one for $10 on Amazon)
- red faux fur fabric (here is the set of red furry pillowcases from Amazon)
- large googly eyes (we had some of these at home from another project)
- red fleece fabric
- red mesh tubing
- pipe cleaners
- embroidery thread
- cardboard
- hot glue
Valentine’s Day Candy Holders
Looking for more monster Valentine’s Day ideas? Try the Valentine Monster gifts. Get the free tutorial and Cricut cut files.
Upcycled Basketball as a Valentine’s Box
We knew we needed a large sphere to match the mini pom monster shape, and we tried to build the shape with cardboard with the intention of paper machéing it afterward. After a failed attempt at a handmade sphere made with cardboard, we headed to the thrift store in search of a globe to cut into. We didn’t find any globes, but we did find a basketball for $5.Â
Making the Valentine Monster Box
I carefully cut out one section of the basketball with a box cutter. The open area made the perfect mouth of the monster to be used as a card slot for Valentine hand-outs.
Next, I cut out a circle from the ball to create a flat base to attach the heart-shaped feet.
Adding the Monster Feet
We cut out a piece of cardboard for the feet in the shape of a heart. We traced the heart onto a piece of red fleece and layered two pieces together. We sewed around the heart, leaving just enough room to slip the cardboard heart between the two layers of fleece, then continued sewing around the heart to seal in the cardboard. We cut off the excess fabric around the heart and left the edges raw.
We tried hot gluing the basketball to the heart feet, but the glue wouldn’t be enough to support the ball’s weight. I ended up drilling holes into the basketball around the circle so I could stitch it to the heart using embroidery thread. This turned out very sturdy.
Turning the Basketball into a Valentine Monster
Now that the base shape of the Monster Valentine Box idea was intact, we just needed to decorate it to mimic the look of the mini pom monsters. I could not find any red faux fur fabric locally, but I did find an affordable pair of red furry pillowcases on Amazon. We only needed one pillowcase to cover the basketball. We cut large shapes and glued the pieces onto the basketball until it was completely covered. The long faux fur of the fabric hid the seams and imperfections.
Once the fur was added, we cut away some of the fur to add the googly eyes. Again, these large googly eyes had adhesive backs, but that would only provide a temporary stick, so we hot glued them in place.
The last addition was the antennae with hearts. We pulled some red mesh tubing, pipe cleaners, fleece scraps, and cardboard from the stash. We created the hearts the same way we made the heart-shaped feet and added pipe cleaners covered with a mesh tube to the base of the hearts. We cut a small slit in the furry fabric and were able to slip in the bottom of the antennas between the fabric and the basketball. More hot glue, and the monster was complete.
Easy Teddy Bear Sewing Pattern
Looking for another easy Valentine idea? Try make the Love Bear, a beginner-friendly sewing pattern with a heart on it’s belly.
The DIY Valentine Monster Box idea using a basketball turned out better than imagined. My son enjoyed taking his Valentine box and handmade pom pom monster Valentines to school and handing them out to his classmates and teachers.
This handmade Valentine’s Day project turned out so sturdy that it has become a permanent part of his bedroom display. 🙂Â
How to Make a Valentine Monster Box VIDEO
Next time you’re looking for DIY Valentine’s box ideas, try thinking outside of the box and using a ball instead.
Leave a Reply