Kids doing remote school from home because of the pandemic might have more time for DIY crafts this Valentine’s Day. What could be better than this Valentine Fortune Teller you can play with after you make it? Get the tutorial!
It’s that time of year again! When you ask – Will you be my Valentine? If you can’t get up the courage to ask in person – ask the Magic Conversation Heart Valentine!
I came up with this idea and sold it to Family Fun Magazine in 2008. It appeared in the February 2010 issue. They called it the Oracle of Love and modified the directions to cover the jar with air drying clay, which makes the fortune teller look really awesome! I had considered the same idea, but had decided it would be too expensive. My original directions covered the jar with craft foam. The directions are below.
The Magic Conversation Heart Valentine I made back in 2008? It has survived for years. WE STILL HAVE IT in 2021!
Magic Conversation Heart Valentine – A Valentine Craft
You will need:
- 1 small glass jar (Such as a baby food jar – one with a fairly flat bottom works best.)
- 1 1-inch Styrofoam ball
- sheets of craft foam in assorted colors
- permanent marker
- low temperature hot glue (or other waterproof glue)
- permanent double stick tape
- craft foam stickers (optional)
Directions:
- Using the heel of your hand against a hard surface such as a table, gently press the Styrofoam ball into a cube.
- Using assorted colors of craft foam, cut out six hearts the size of a face of your Styrofoam cube, approximately ¾ inch.
- On each heart, use a permanent marker to write a possible answer to a yes or no question, such as “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” “for sure,” “you bet,” or “no way.”
- Have an adult use the low temperature hot glue to affix the hearts to each side of the cube. To do this, put a small dot of hot glue on the blank side of a heart, and then carefully press the cube down on top of it. (Tips for using a low temperature hot glue gun: Keep a small bowl of water nearby for cooling hot glue quickly when an accident occurs.)
- Trace around the lid and cut out a piece to cover the top of the lid.
- To cover the sides of the jar, measure the height of the jar including the craft foam on top of the lid. Next measure the circumference of, the distance around, the jar. Cut a rectangle of craft foam with the height of the jar and the length of the circumference.
- Fill the jar with water and float the conversation heart cube inside. Carefully fill the jar as full as you can without it overflowing when you put the top on. Screw down the top tightly. (Using distilled or bottled water might be best for long term.)
- Using permanent double stick tape, affix the craft foam to the jar.
- Then decorate the jar using permanent markers and craft foam stickers or cut out craft foam shapes.
- To use, shake the Magic Conversation Heart Valentine as you ask it a question such as “Will you be my Valentine?” Turn the Magic Conversation Heart Valentine over to reveal the answer!
After Family Fun Magazine was discontinued, you used to be able to view the clay covering directions, complete with step-by-step pictures, as they appeared in Family Fun Magazine on Disney’s Spoonful website, but that is no longer as well. But you can at least see what it looks like in this old pin that I made.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I think that’s a really cool project and fun valentine gift. Thanks, Ms. Ivy!
Glad you like it! It’s one of my favorites and my kids had fun playing with it. They enjoyed it so much, I wondered if it was still around after our move and I just found it this morning. Four years later and it still works!