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DIY Dinosaur Valentine Box

By Hallmark staff on January 12th, 2023
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A box of love notes shaped like a little stegosaurus? Um, ADORABLE. And yes, ours is in the classic Valentine’s Day shades of pink and red, but you could totally personalize it in your child’s favourite colours.

Or, if they’re a purist when it comes to thunder lizards, you could look for some specialty paper, like scrapbooking paper in a reptilian pattern.

Can you make this valentine box with kids? Of course! But if you don’t have kids, and you have a super-cool workplace that does things like have team Valentine’s Day parties, you could always make this for yourself.

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @Hallmark_Canada.

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What you’ll need:

  • Medium-size box—tissue boxes or small shipping boxes
  • Paperboard—cereal boxes or rigid cardboard
  • Single-face corrugated cardboard
  • Scratch paper
  • Craft knife
  • Cutting mat
  • Colourful paint, wrapping paper or tissue paper
  • Card stock or construction paper in different colours
  • Markers
  • Pencil
  • Glue stick
  • Masking tape
  • Hot glue gun
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How to make your DIY Dinosaur Valentine Box

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  • Get the free printable. Download and print the DIY Dinosaur Valentine Box template.
  • Sketch the head, tail and plates on scratch paper, then trace onto paperboard. Cut them out with a craft knife. Cut long strips from the corrugated cardboard to form the sides of the head and tail.
  • Build the head and tail. Tape the two sides of the dinosaur’s head to the strip of corrugated cardboard as outlined in the downloadable. Repeat for the tail.
  • Make a mail slot. If you used a tissue box, you already have a mail slot! If not, cut one out (carefully) with a craft knife.
  • Add colour. Paint the head, tail, body and feet. Or cover them with tissue or wrapping paper. Paint or cover the back plates in a contrasting colour.
  • Add a face. Make eyes by cutting out two white paper circles and two smaller paper circles in a different colour. Glue them on, and draw or paint on nostrils and a mouth on each side of the head.
  • Decorate the body. Have fun with your dino buddy! Give him or her scales, stripes, spots or other decorations. (May we suggest hearts?) Paint toes on the feet.
  • Put it together. Use hot glue to attach the feet to the body. Then add the head and tail. Finally, add the back plates, starting from the tail and working your way up to the head.

Ready to roar!

Tip: Start with a box big enough to hold lots of valentines and go from there. Our dino is built around a basic cardboard box.

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Check out all of our fun DIY valentine box ideas here. Want even more ideas? You know we have ’em: