I bought a small Valentine’s craft set from the dollar store that included a variety of materials. Although I really wasn’t interested in the tacky pink beads and pipe cleaners, the little letter beads caught my eye. For this design, I used the beads to create a Valentine’s sentiment and mounted the beads against an oversized red felt heart (another dollar store purchase).

As you may have noticed, all of my Valentine’s gift wrapping posts include dollar store purchases. I do this for good reason. I’m pretty picky and also well aware of how tacky and cheap some inexpensive items can look. I do believe the old saying “you get what you pay for”, but I also believe that there is no need to over pay for items when it isn’t necessary. There are times when quality really doesn’t make much difference because of the intended use of the item. There are often ways to elevate the look of an item that might otherwise seem tacky as a stand alone, or when combined with elements that don’t augment its value. What I do know to be true is this, many items can be enhanced simply by combining them in the right way and with careful consideration to the other elements.

This design is simple and inexpensive, but it doesn’t scream cheap because some of the other materials in the kit weren’t used. If I would have added some of the other solid coloured beads, the design would have definitely been impacted. Keep it simple and be mindful of sheens and finishes as that can really make a difference in a finished look.

Check out this super simple Valentine’s Day gift wrap idea.

Happy wrapping!