Here is a fun idea for a creative valentine. I actually got this "heart on a stem" idea from my little sister. The idea is to put a heart shaped "flower" in a pot, along with some candy. The pot makes a lovely, lasting gift - it can be used for plants long after the candy is gone...

You will need:

1. Some cardboard

2. For the stem - a pretty, solid colored pencil (unsharpened), or a pretty pipe cleaner

3. Water based paints, such as acrylic paints

4. A small terra cotta pot, the kind people usually put plants in

5. Tissue paper in pretty colors

6. Some pretty ribbon

7. Some candy, preferably enough to fill the pot (Try to find romantic, heat shaped candy.)

8. Scissors

9. Glue

Step 1 - The Flower

Cut out some cardboard in the shape of a heart. To create a nice heart stencil, fold a piece of scrap paper in half and draw half a heart on it. Then cut it out, and unfold it - you will have a perfect heart! You can then place it on the cardboard and trace it, and only then cut out the cardboard.

Paint the cardboard heart a pretty color, and write your valentine a little message on it.

Now, take your stem - whether it's a pretty pencil or a pipe cleaner - and glue the heart to the end of the stem.

If you happen to have a pencil and a pipe cleaner, you can wrap the pipe cleaner around the pencil in a spiral, creating a stem with a diagonal spiral design.

Finally, tie a pretty ribbon around the stem, just under the heart.

You can keep going and add whatever you like to the heart as decorations (such as sparkles, seashells, or buttons). Be creative!

Step 2 - The Pot

You can paint and decorate the pot however you like.

For a simple look, try painting it all one color. You can then paint a border along the top of the pot. To keep the border's edge clean, put some masking tape along the bottom of the border's area first (after the previous coat of paint has dried). Then paint the area above the tape, and remove the tape when the paint is dry. Don't put too much water in the paint, or it will seep under the tape.

An easy, simple decoration is a large bow tied around the pot, near the top.

You can be more elaborate if you like, painting whatever designs you wish on the pot. As with the heart, you can use whatever decorations you like - just glue them on.

Step 3 - "Planting" the Flower

Once the pot is finished and dry, use some pretty tissue paper to line the inside of it. It's easy - just shove the paper in. Don't worry if it gets a bit wrinkled.

Then, fill the pot with candy. Finally, stick the "flower" (the heart-on-a-stem) in the pot. The candy should keep the "flower" from falling over. If it doesn't, you can always lean the stem against the side of the pot and strategically fasten it with some tape.

Happy Valentine's Day!