Hello Everyone! How was your weekend? Mine went by WAY too fast. Not nearly enough relaxing or de-compressing occurred…but we had gorgeous weather and lots of family time, so no complaints here! AND…I managed to knock out Henry’s Valentines for all his little buddies (long before the night before they’re due in school!!!), and I am pretty excited to show you our pencil arrow valentines!
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I realize pencil arrows are nothing new or unique – I am pretty sure I’ve seen a million variations on Pinterest in recent weeks. But these were really quite fun to make AND they photographed so darn cute that I had to share!
I am a big fan of the non-candy Valentine; and with having to buy just the package of pencils, these really couldn’t be any cheaper!
Also, Henry was a huge fan of these. He was right next to me the whole time as I was making them, and I could barely keep his little hands off of them! Not only are they really cool arrows, but they also happen to fly really well (like paper airplanes!) Score!
Supplies Needed
To make these Pencil Arrow Valentines, you will need:
- Colored Cardstock in Reds, Pinks, Whites, Reds, and Blacks (8.5×11″ | 12×12″)
- Assorted Valentine Pencils (I love these, these and these; and this set is also super fun!)
- Cricut Machine (this project will work on the Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore, and Cricut Joy machines)
- Standard Grip Mat
- Cricut Pen(s) in the color(s) of your choice (I used Black)
- Arrow Valentine Design File for Cricut Design Space: HERE
- Your favorite craft glue or roller adhesive
I started with a package of Valentine pencils from Michaels. On sale, I paid less than $2 for 24 pencils! Valentine pencils abound in the stores right now, but I liked that this pack offered patterns that would appeal to both boys and girls.
Adding Your Name to the Pencil Arrow Valentines
Once you open the Design Space File (HERE), you will first need to add your own name to the arrow’s tail, if desired!
To do this:
- Add a text box to the design canvas
- Type in the name you want on the Valentine
- Select whatever text you like and ensure it is set to “Draw” (instead of Cut)
- Attach the name to the arrow by selecting both the text box and the arrow and clicking “Attach” (to understand why, click HERE).
Cutting Out the Pencil Arrow Valentines
When you’re ready, cut out as many pencil arrow Valentines as you need. Be sure to use different colored papers for the base layer and the top layer, as well as a contrasting pen color for the text.
Assembling the Pencil Arrow Valentines
Next, use roller adhesive or your favorite glue to join the tip and tail components together.
The arrows are designed to have little slots to hold the pencil in place (admittedly, I used Amber’s clever design to figure this part out!). To insert the pencils, I just bent the circle tabs upward and (carefully) slid the pencil into place.
This is rather embarrassing, but I can’t find our electric pencil sharpener ANYWHERE…so I tried to sharpen all my pencils with a manual sharpener. A dozen hand cramps and not-so-pointy-tips later, I gave up and settled for blunt pencils. That’s okay – these pencils are for pre-schoolers, and they really shouldn’t have super sharp pencils anyway 😉 Right?
I inserted all the pencils into the paper arrows to create quite a love-ly quill of arrows!
I’m pretty giddy with how these turned out. And Henry is just over-the-moon excited to hand them out to all of his friends this week!
And one more dose of reality for your Monday. Photoshoots with almost-4-year-olds are NOT as easy as some bloggers make them look! Pair this wiggle worm with my mediocre camera skills and we ended up with tons of outtakes and just a few decent shots! But man, those big brown eyes sure do get me every.single.time. #lovethatkid #somuchpersonanality #iwantedtheredshirt #hewantedtheblue #yesibribedwithfruitsnacks
In this photo, his little fist was the ONLY thing in focus – loved it!
Five days before Valentine’s Day, and we are ready! Are you making homemade Valentines this year? Are you ready to go? If not – you still have plenty of time to pull something together. If you need more ideas, you can check up my Valentine projects roundup here!
I hope you give these fun Valentines a try!
Looking for other easy Valentines you can make with your Cricut? Check out these print-then-cut Star Wars Valentines that come together in minutes!
What a fun idea!
This a such a cute and fun project! I love it! So much better than candy and you can use it for multi-purposes to!
Lauren
http://www.lbdesigns1.wordpress.com
xx
I like the bottom right photo of the quad photo; it looks like he is about to drop the mic!
Would you be willing to share this file? I’m a teacher and would love to make these for my class. Thanks
I am so glad you like this project! You can access the cut files here: https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/24748139
I can’t find it when I copy and paste to search
I cant find how to find template for the valentine pencils. the design space does not have it and does not come up when i click on it. any tips? thanks i
Hi Debra,
I just tried re-saving the project as Public since so many were having trouble accessing it.
Please try clicking this link: https://design.cricut.com/#/design/197045045
Let me know if this still doesn’t work and I’ll reach out to Cricut to see what the issue is!Thanks and good luck with your project!Megan
These are crazy adorable! It took me a little while to figure out how to get the file to work (with Cricut moving everything over to the desktop application!). This is what I used to get it to open: https://ds4.cricut.com/#/design/197045045. Thank you for a great file… my boys love this and we are super excited to get these made!!
Hi Kristie!
Thanks so much – I’m thrilled to hear you guys are making these this year! Although we made them ages ago, they are still one of our favorites!
Have fun!Megan
Hello! I love this project! Do you have the file you used to do the cuts? I’d love to make it for my son and daughter for their class Valentines. Thank you so much!
I am so glad you like this project! You can access the cut files here: https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/24748139
Hello. Is this cut file still available I cannot find it in design space. Help 🙂
Hi Kaylin,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you! Yes, the project is still available but the link doesn’t seem to be working properly for some reason. Once you are logged into Design Space, copy and paste this URL into your browser and it should come up: https://design.cricut.com/#/design/24748139
Hope that helps!
Megan
Do you happen to have the file for the arrow to print & cut?
I am so glad you like this project! You can access the cut files here: https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/24748139
Can someone please share the file. Thanks in advance
I am so glad you like this project! You can access the cut files here: https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/24748139
Is there a trick to inserting the pencils and not breaking the tabs on the card? I managed to break both tabs on my sample one I made. Thank you!
I purchased your pattern, but I cannot figure out what font type you used in order to fill in my child’s name. Help?! Please.
Hi Faith!
Sorry you’re having trouble finding the font. It is the “Cricut Alphabet” font but in the “handwriting style.” I’ve attached an image of the design panel for text to help you find the right one!
Hope that helps!
Megan
Hi,
I just used the file from cricut for the pencil arrow valentines.
Love this but can’t figure out how to print the words on the
arrow itself. How do you do that?
thanks
Judy
Hi Judy,
You need to make sure the words are “attached” to the arrow shapes themselves in order for the machine to write on the arrows. Use this tutorial to help you with the “attach” function: https://thehomesihavemade.com/2016/09/cricut-explore-home-decor-part-4-mastering-attach-function/
Hope that helps!
Megan
Do I have to highlight each letter, pick the pen I’m using? Then click write?
Do I attach the words separately from the arrow? How do I add
my name?
Sorry, I’m not usually this dumb when it comes to stuff like this but I’m NOT getting it. I know how to attach but not sure how
to attach the words in the arrow.
thanks
Got it!
thanks
Judy
Can you please tell me what font is used? Thanks
Hi Michelle!
The font is the “Cricut Alphabet” font but in the “handwriting style.” I’ve attached an image of the design panel for text to help you find the right one!
Hope that helps!
Megan
Thanks, You are AWESOME!! I am a newbie and so excited to try this. 🙂
Hello!
Can you please attach an image of the font that you used?
Thanks!
Hi Yaya,
It looks like it was “Cricut Alphabet” in the Writing style.
Hope that helps!
Megan
Do you need a cricut to make this?
I love the idea and concept, but no cricut..
Thank You!
Every time I try to cut it, it says that it needs to be purchased for $9.94. Everyone who has commrnted has purchased it for $.99.
Hi Charlene,
I have a subscription to the Design Space library, so I am not sure how much each cut file is. $9.94 sounds high so maybe make sure there is nothing else on your cut mat causing the charge (like a font??). Sorry I can’t be of more help but wish you luck with the project!
Megan
Deleted the font and nothing changed. Only yhr arrow on the mat and charge is still $9.94. My grandson wanted to help me make these. Is there a way for me to purchase this file somewhere?
Hi Charlene,
I am truly not sure what is causing that high charge, as I don’t think the cut files are more than $1. The file is a Cricut-specific file, so the only place to buy that file is through the Design Space library (you will be prompted to pay before it cuts). You could also look for your own/similar image via Google and import the image yourself using this tutorial: https://thehomesihavemade.com/2016/08/cricut-explore-home-decor-part-3-importing-images/
I am sorry I can’t be of more help, but wish you luck!
Megan
I am coming across this link a little late and was wondering if you could help me find out if it is still available. I have tried to copy paste the link you shared, but it just continuously loads with no luck of actually seeing the file.
Love this project! I am looking in design space and definitely see Cricut alphabet font but it looks totally different. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Is this still available to make? I tried copying the link in Design Space but am unable to Make it.
Hi there! I love this and am going to make these for all 3 of my kids’ classrooms for this Valentine’s Day! That being said – how may arrows did you get out of each 12×12 piece of cardstock? I am going on a weekend scrap/crafting retreat next week and I want to order everything I will need so I can get these beauties finished way ahead of time! lol TIA
Wow – a craft retreat!!! That sounds SOOO fun!
You can get 4 arrows out a single 12×12 sheet. Design Space will likely only populate 3 on a mat, but you can easily move them around to fit a 4th!
Also, some other readers were having trouble with the cut file. I’ve re-designed it and it should be working now. You can access it here: https://design.cricut.com/#/design/197893811
Good luck with your Valentines!
Megan
Hi, it says your project is saved as private and that is why i can not access it…
Hi Rachel!
I’ve fixed the link, so sorry about that! You should be able to access the project here: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5ee13306877b0b05300b7e44
Please let me know if you continue to have trouble!Thanks,Megan