Update 2-15-2024: I originally shared this blog post on February 24, 2010. I hadn’t thought about it in years, but I am thinking about it today because I have some pretty Valentines that need a “home.” I just went looking for my old love note keepers so I can add my new treasures to the collection. I thought I’d bump up this post and remind y’all about this pattern in case it would be useful to you, too.

Valentine’s Day was fun, and I enjoyed receiving letters, cards and notes from my loved ones. Now that February is drawing to a close, it’s time for me to figure out what to do with all these treasures — they’ve been proudly displayed on my fridge, but I can’t keep them there indefinitely.

Enter the “love note keeper.”

I’ve been working on some ideas for making love note keepers using decorated crocheted hearts. The plan is to stitch two hearts together, leaving an opening up one side for inserting the notes. I’ll be adding a button and button loop for a closure. The top heart will be decorated and embellished, and I might also add some sort of pretty strap for hanging.

I haven’t actually finished my love note keeper quite yet, because I got sort of distracted by all the possibilities for decorating it. I came up with so many ideas I like that I am thinking I might end up making several of them.

The photo you see above is just one idea; I’ve posted a couple more, and I have even more photos that haven’t been uploaded yet. So, please check back soon to see even more ideas!

• Find the free pattern for crocheting the heart pouch
• Get the free pattern for crocheting the lace trim

Update: Love Note Keeper Completed!

Valentine hearts, anyone?

• Top left: I’ve crocheted about a zillion striped heart designs, and this is one possible variation on that theme. To make this particular piece, I adapted my square striped heart pattern and made it round. While I love the look of it, it wasn’t so easy to do, so I never got around to posting the pattern for the round version. For now, I recommend sticking with the square versions of this — but if you are absolutely dying to have the pattern for this round version, please feel free to leave a comment. If enough people want it, I might try redesigning it; as it is, I’m not convinced its worth the effort to make.
• Middle: This heart is crocheted in 3 different shades of pink wool yarn. You can get the free crochet pattern, the free heart chart, and check out a baby afghan you can make using this design. The baby afghan is, of course, crocheted in a more baby-friendly yarn than the wool pictured here. I also have a free striped heart potholder pattern which utilizes the same heart chart.
• Top right: This is another heart square that I crocheted using wool yarn. This pattern could work with pretty much any fiber, so you don’t have to use wool if you prefer a different fiber. Here’s a link to the free heart chart for this design.
• Bottom left and right: The red heart shapes are crocheted using this free heart pattern. I’ve pictured them plain and undecorated in this photo, but you might enjoy decorating them. I have a free pattern for an easy trim with ribbon that I use for this. It’s pictured in the lower edge of the photo, although the photo is so small that you probably can’t see it well. There’s a larger picture of the trim available on the pattern page.
• Since hearts are one of my favorite design themes, I have hearts coming out my ears! If you’d like to see more options than those pictured here, you’re invited to click on over to our page of free heart patterns. Hope you’ll find a pattern you can use.

Thanks for dropping by! Hope you’ll have a fabulous Valentine’s Day. Happy crocheting!

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been a romantic holiday to celebrate with your sweetheart, if you happen to have a sweetheart. However, the sad truth is, there are some Valentine crafts that might unfortunately be, shall we say, under-appreciated by some of our sweethearts. On one hand, there are definitely guys who appreciate froofy handmade Valentines. But if you’re in love with a guy who isn’t the lovey-dovey type, you have to admit that there are probably things your husband or boyfriend would rather have than a Valentine card. And if there are, I think it’s probably better to give him that — whatever that is. For some guys, a home-cooked meal or a batch of heart-shaped cupcakes would be more of a win. That’s just one example; there are plenty of other creative, guy-friendly Valentine gifts you could come up with…

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun making Valentine crafts like the fun, heart and balloon-themed Valentine’s Day card pictured above. My opinion is that your crafting time is best spend making projects for the people in your life who would most appreciate them. So if that means you end up making Valentine cards to send to your best girlfriends, your sisters, and / or your mom, so be it!

Pictured above: This Valentine’s Day card is fun and playful, and it is super easy to make using an affordable set of Valentine’s Day-themed stamps from Lawn Fawn. I actually think this card design could be suitable for guys if you dare to go there; it isn’t too “mushy” or lovey-dovey, so it would be suitable for giving to a newish boyfriend who you aren’t quite ready to start composing love poems for. But when I designed this card, I made it for one of my best girlfriends who LOVES pink, purple and blue color combinations.

If you’d be interested in making cards for anyone in your circle, you’re invited to use our free step-by-step instructions and tutorials for doing so. You can find our list of Valentine Cards to make here on THIS PAGE. Instructions for making the heart balloon card pictured above are HERE. And you can find even more handmade greeting card ideas and instructions HERE. Hope you’ll have a fun, enjoyable Valentine’s Day this year! Best wishes.

Little details can make the difference in whether your crocheted flowers look spectacular or mediocre. Cool embellishments can really help. If you crochet, you’re invited to check out these fun ideas for embellishing your flowers with pinbacks. You might also want to take a look at this free pattern and tutorial for crocheting the abstract flower motif pictured above.

More Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas

• Valentine Crochet Heart Pouch
• Valentine Cards to Make
• Free Valentines Day Crochet Scarf Pattern
• Free Filet Crochet and Cross Stitch Heart Edging Patterns