Pajama Party Presents

Sockhop presents:
Fun and Gifts for your Valentine's Festivities!

Here are some of the great gift ideas, activities, games and fun things to do we've collected for Valentine's day. Read these suggestions, then submit your own fun thing to do for Valentine's Day at the bottom of the page.

Gift Idea: A Classic Idea For A Classy Guy

Does your dad or boyfriend like classic cars? Our town has a classic car rental. Bear Cats, Bentley, 64 Mustangs, 59 Corvette's, 57 Thunderbirds, 63 Chevy Impalas. Save up your money and send your classic guy for a spin. Have a camera ready to take pictures.

Submitted by Elisabeth, 17

---

Cool Craft: I'm Feeling Attached To You! aka Clothes Pin People

When we tried this, what made it fun was to go to the fabric store and go through their remainder bin. We found all kinds of '70's, psychedelic fabric. Then we made a whole bunch of them, ala the Partridge family. We even made little guitars and a drum set out of thread spools. For a bit of fun on a rainy day in May, try it.

You'll need: clothes pins, fabric, short yarn (in hair colors), markers and glue.

To make your clothes pin people, take a clothes pin and decide whether it's going to be a male or a female (or an alien!). Then glue some fabric around the pin to make clothes. To make a dress, just wrap the fabric around and around and glue. To make pants or shorts, warp fabric around each leg and glue. And to make a shirt, wrap a short piece of fabric around the pin over the skirt or pants or shorts and glue. Then glue the short yarn on the top of the pin for hair. To finish up, draw a nose, two eyes, and a mouth with markers to make a face. Afterwards, you can make as many as you want. Play with them or collect them. Or you can give them as gifts.

Submitted by Fran, 9

---

Gift Idea: Paper Boxes

Here's how to make your very own, individualized box. You'll need six medium sized square pieces of paper. (p.s. We tried stiff, fancy metallic wrapping paper. It makes a cool box.)

To make the box, fold one of the papers in half. Open it. Then fold the two sides in until they touch the crease. Open. In the bottom left corner, fold a triangle until you reach the closest crease. It should be very small. Fold a triangle over the first, until the long side reaches the crease. Fold the big triangle all the way to the second crease.

To make the top left corner, fold the two sides in until they touch the crease. Open. In the bottom left corner, fold a triangle until you reach the closest crease. Then, fold the bottom left corner into the flap on the bottom right corner. It should look like a triangle. Do the same for the top right corner.

Fold the bottom triangle so that it touches the bottom of the top triangle, with the smooth side on the inside. Do the same to the top.

Repeat these steps for the other five squares.

After folding all of the squares, you have to connect them. To do this, start with two pieces. Put the point of one of the triangles into a flap on the back of another. Keep adding more pieces until you have a small box! Congratulations! You are an official box-maker!

Submitted by Laura W., 12

---

Gift Idea: Paparazi Pizza

Is your special someone in sports? Are you good with a camera? Follow them around with a camera at the next big game. Get that candid shot stepping off the team bus, suiting up, on the bench, cheering crowds, the scoreboard, those big moments. Then, develop the pictures and assemble them into a photo collage on a pizza pan. Cover with decoupage. Give the gift of memories. You'll never be forgotten!

Submitted by Lynn, 12

---

Gift Idea: Name Fame

Your first name has a history. Your last name has a history too! For a fun gift, go to a library and find the "name" books. My first and middle name together means "one dedicated to god." Find all the famous people who share that name, and list what they did. Then, use your computer to make up a title page with the name in fancy type. Write up a little history of the name you've researched. Then print it out and decorate it. Put it in a frame and wrap it up. It's a special and very personal way of saying, even your name is important to me!

Submitted by Karen, 16

---

Gift Idea: Flower Power!

Here's a bouquet of flowers that never dies! Go to a craft store (or Pic n' Save) and buy a few flowers made of cloth and then tie them in a bow! The flowers usually cost two for a dollar. (You can also get some glue and glitter, dip and decorate the tips of the rose petals for a really sparkling bouquet. Flowers with plastic jewels on them are also really pretty!)

Submitted by Anny, 11

---

Cool Craft: What's My Bag?

Take a plain paper bag and paste your favorite pics on it. Any kind of picture you want -- like clippings from magazines or stuff from the family scrapbook. Then you stuff it with things to make a time capsule! Mine is covered with pictures of CUTE GUYS and chocolate!!!! It's really cool!!! It's hanging from the ceiling in my room. I got this idea from my teacher at school. I think you should try it. Have fun. :)

Submitted by Mallory, 10

---

Gift Idea! Sundae Surprise!

Sneak into your friend's house with the following: sundae fixings (ice cream, fudge and butterscotch toppings, whipped cream, chopped nuts, cherries, the works!) Don't forget dishes and spoons. Set everything up in the kitchen, and then call your friend in. It's a great surprise!

Submitted by Nicole, 13

---

Gift Idea: Why Grandma's Are Special

Last year for Valentine's, I made my Grandma a book about "why Grandma's are special" and all the things I liked about her. Needless to say, it went over huge. You should try it too. It's great .... especially if you're low on cash! (p.s. Don't forget pictures, collages, poems, scented perfume paper - this is a great opportunity to be creative!)

Submitted by Michelle, 14

---

Gift Idea: Kidnapped!

Call your friend's mom and all your friends. Set up a "kidnap" breakfast. You sneak into your girlfriend's house and kidnap her in her pajamas! Do it real early in the morning and take her to Denny's. My friend sleeps in a sleeping bag. We just picked her up out of bed and ran with her, bag and all! We didn't know she doesn't wear anything but a nightshirt. So she had to eat breakfast, sitting the whole time in the sleeping bag. She's never forgotten it. It was really fun.

Submitted by Charlene, 12

---

Beanie Basket!

A great Valentine's gift for collectors... or just friends!

Spray paint a basket any color and put you favorite stuffed animal in it. Trim with Valentine's red bows, lace, etc.

Submitted by Jennifer, 10

---

For your Sweetie!

You can make your own rock candy! It's fun; it's pretty; and it tastes great!

You'll need: sugar, water, pencil, jar,paper clip, string

How: boil 1 cup of sugar for 5 minuts then let it cool. (Don't set the burner too high. It'll burn the sugar.) Empty boiled sugar in a jar. Tie a string to a pencil and put a paperclip at the other end of string. Put the pencil on the jar so the paperclip is in the boiled water let it sit for a couple of days and be paitent then your sugar rock candy will grow!

Submitted by Ashlee, 12

---

Save your Valentines!

Wonder where to put all your valentines? Michelle has a great idea!

Get 2 paper plates. Then staple them together. Next you decorate them with construction paper hearts and other craft stuff. (NO MARKERS!) Cut off the top half of the front paper plate. This will turn out to be a valentine holder.

Submitted by Michelle, 10

---

Old Valentines Still Special?

If you saved last year's Valentines, here's how to make something special for this year!

Materials: A cut out design from a Valentine card, a cup or glass, thin cardboard, a pin backing or safty pin.

Directions:
1. Use the circle of the glass or cup to trace around the design on your Valentine.
2. Cut out the circle.
3. Glue the pin on the back of the cardboard.

Wear them in February or give them to friends!

submitted by Rebekah, 11

---

Share Your Own Valentine's Day Fun Activity or Gift Idea!

Your First Name:
Age:
Country or State:

Share what you know! Submit your Valentine's Day Fun Activity, Gift Idea, or Neat Tradition to Do here: Submissions: Please ask your parents permission. You give us the right to edit this submission, use it online, in special books or wherever we choose. Thanks for sharing what you know! Any questions? Please read our Submissions Policy.