Form and function for Valentine’s

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovers, it’s also a day to remember the family members and friends who mean so much to us.

In this week’s column, we offer a sweetheart hanger perfect for any Valentine, and if there are ardent bakers on your list of loves, we’ll suggest a couple of extra-special ways to present them with a set of heart-shaped cookie cutters.

The heart is pure decoration, but the chain and wind chime projects described in the column are made of useable cookie cutters.

Let’s begin with the sweetheart hanger.

You can use a mirror, as we did, or a heart-shaped piece of cardboard, for the base.

If you choose a heart-shaped mirror, place a Valentine’s Day window cling in the center and press out all of the air bubbles until it is smooth.

If a piece of cardboard is your choice, glue or decoupage a piece of decorative paper to the cardboard and let dry.

Turn the heart over so that you’ll be working on the back side and, using a hot-glue gun, attach a piece of lace all around the edge of the mirror or cardboard, and attach three lengths of satin ribbon to the bottom of the heart (these will hold the little heart-shaped mirror pieces).

Also, attach a loop of ribbon to the center-top of the heart for a hanger.

Working on the front side of the heart, attach a little ribbon bow to the center point on the top of the heart, and add little heart-shaped mirror pieces as desired to the three strands of ribbon on the bottom of the heart.

To present your baker friend with a set of six, graduated-size, heart-shaped cookie cutters (sold by the set for about $1.99), cut a length of thin satin ribbon long enough to accommodate all six cutters and some heart-shaped mirror pieces in between, and with enough left over on each end to add a few mirror hearts at the bottom and a bow and mirror or two at the top.

Attach all cutters, mirror pieces and the bow to the ribbon with a dab of hot glue. This will make it easy to remove the cutters for their intended use in the kitchen.

Be sure to leave a loop of ribbon at the top for hanging the cookie cutter chain.

And finally, to present six to eight metal cookie cutters, make a Valentine’s Day wind chime using an embroidery hoop, some shiny red cord and the cookie cutters.

Using an awl and hammer, punch a hole in the top of each metal cookie cutter.

Cut an appropriate number of lengths of cord of equal length, tie a knot in one end of each cord, thread the other end of each cord through the hole in each of the cookie cutters; set aside.

Separate the two pieces of an embroidery hoop and, using a hot-glue gun, glue the unknotted ends of each cord to outside of the inside hoop at regular intervals around the hoop.

Place the outside hoop over the inside hoop and cord ends and secure tightly with the screw.

Cut three lengths of cord and attach them at three equidistant points on the embroidery hoop, tying them together at the top to form a hanger.

You can decorate the outside edge of the embroidery hoop with paint or rub-ons if you like.

The cookie cutters will be fully functional – and so will the embroidery hoop – by simply cutting and removing the cords when Valentine’s Day is past.

Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.