Over-the-top valentine boxes

You’ve just recovered from the holiday frenzy and now Valentine’s Day is rearing its doily head. And whether your child is blissfully unaware of the onslaught of conversation hearts to come, or is already neck-deep in the complexities of the perfect classroom valentine purchase (“Mom, which candy goes best with these princesses?”), we at Hallmark understand your panic, and we’re here to help.

We’ve turned six ordinary, plain-jane boxes into the perfect receiving vessels for your kid’s Valentine’s Day plunder. All you need to create these DIY valentine boxes are cardboard boxes, our free printables, card stock, scissors, glue and heart. Gotta have heart.

Beep-Box Robot

Transform a rectangular box into a friendly robot with the help of our printables and some aluminum foil. Can't you hear his robot voice saying "Take me to your party!"?

Download the Beep-Box Robot templates and instructions

Pretty Kitty

Purr-fectly suited for a pop-up tissue box, our easy, pretty kitty pattern only takes two shakes of a kitty's tail to create.

Download the Pretty Kitty templates and instructions

Playful Pup

This puppy's got heart to spare and is just begging to be your Valentine companion. He's also made to fit a pop-up size tissue box just right!

Download the Playful Pup templates and instructions

"I've Got Googly Eyes for You" Monster

This grinning guy eats valentines for breakfast! Luckily, you'll be able to keep him well nourished. Create him from a rectangular box for best effect, and add as many teeth, tongues, eyes and appendages as you want.

Download the Googly Eyes Monster templates and instructions

Princess Hermosa

This beautiful princess is royally ready to accept any valentines on your behalf. We ARE amused! She's perfectly suited for a rectangular tissue box prewrapped with red gift wrap (or other coordinating color).

Download the Princess Hermosa templates and instructions

Pattern Play

Design to the beat of your own drum with lots of doodle patterns you can use however you choose. Perfect for decorating a prewrapped or painted cylindrical container or any size box.

Download the Pattern Play templates and instructions

Looking for more fun ideas? Check out all our free printables

Sara Werner is a Hallmark designer by day and supermom-in-training by night. (And she only wears her cape to work sometimes.) A lifelong midwesterner, Sara sometimes wonders how she can get Hallmark to open an office on a beach. Hello, sunshine and flip-flops!

Michelle Strong is a senior production artist at Hallmark, where she loves creating beautiful things. She considers herself an übergeek trapped inside an artist's body; and her husband and 2.5 kids leave no doubt in her mind that adorableness is indeed a superpower.