Show Your Heart Valentine's Day Project Contest

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Bottle Butterflies! by shortone

Star Shaped Ribbons by BlindSight

Hack a Watermelon! by ventsi

love cake by ventsi

Easy Tasty Milk Pudding by BlindSight

Awesome 2 stencils T shirts by lilly

Digital image to personalized heart-shaped fabric cover by randofo

Inflatable Love Seat by randofo

"Beating" LED Heart T-Shirt by T3h_Muffinator

[Collegiate Meals] I Love You (Virus) Burgers by trebuchet03

St. Valentine's Day Proposal by Maddhatter3

Rose in a heart of ice by Dominique Unruh

Light Bulb Vase by sam

Custom made; shaped, flavoured and coloured chocolates. by thydzik

Recycled Copper Butterfly for V-Day by Legionnary

Love mug by mdhaworth

[Collegiate Meals] Steve's Sugar Soy Sauce Mushroom Tops by trebuchet03

[Collegiate Meals] Three Way Salmon Steaks by trebuchet03

Blue Heart by Zujus

How to Make a Paper Corsage by outofthewoods

Web Controlled Valentine by gschoppe

Paint Her Fire Extinguisher Pink! (or any other color...) by gelstudios

Chocolate Covered Squid - Valentine's Day Candy From the Sea by noahw

"TouchTimer" EggLight (valentine's gift) by Proteus

6" Bow and needle-tipped arrows (Perversely inspired by C… by ryzellon

Pulsing Hubby Detector by daenris

USB Drive Heart by quicumque

Geeky Circuit Board Earrings by CameronSS

Opposites Attract: A Magnetic LED Valentine Heart by technick29

Be anonymous on the web:Kiteman's Unique Pixellation Indi… by Kiteman

[Collegiate Desserts] Handmade Whipped Cream by trebuchet03

Powhatan Dream Catchers by SugarTeen52

Minty Beating Valentines Heart by photozz

Office Space Love by lishdorset

Paint Chip Valentine's Day Wreath by lishdorset

Valentine Tiger: Show Some Love! by evy-wevy

Valentines gift with nifty LED effect by x29a

Custom Paint Your Old Snowboard!!! (for your Valentine p… by jonnysoups

A Valentine's Day Arch by Kiteman

Be a Romantic Scientist: Distill your own perfume oil. by Kiteman

Beating soapy love heart by tim_n

[Collegiate Meals] Stromboli by trebuchet03

Etched Minty Valentines Candy Box by photozz

Mint Chocolate Chip Valentine Card by outofthewoods

Easy DIY Valentine Gum Dispenser by GregDDC

Southwestern Style Sterling Silver Necklace by edAg

Celebrate your love... by Kiteman

In Love With Turquoise Necklace by annanomsa

Valentine heart by neelandan

A remote controlled power RGB LED mood light. by 5Volt

Resistor Ring by technick29

ELpod by Mister Jellyfish

Carbonated Homemade Sassafras Love Potion by trebuchet03

How to enter the 2007 Show Your Heart Valentine's Day Pro… by ewilhelm

Anatomy of a Chocolate Truffle by ian

Duct Tape Rose by Herrozerro

Teddy Bear Speaker by constructer of the odd

How to Make An Altoid Can Belt Buckle by technick29

Solid Perfume by rapiertwit

Walnut & Chocolate Covered Homemade Marshmallows by susie

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Love Sucks Party

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Show Your Heart Valentine's Day Project Contest

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Created by ewilhelm on Jan 15, 2007

The winners of the 2007 Instructables Valentine's Day contest have been announced!

Click here for the 2008 Valentine's Day Contest!

Click here for more information.

The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year.¹ Is this actually something to be proud of? What will historians look back and say about us?

In the early 21st century, couples would exchange one of approximately 30 smarmy mass-produced greeting cards and sweets made of homogenized chemically refined corn-syrup solids.

A little research turns up all sorts of saucy descriptions of Valentine's days of yore:

The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his sexual companion during the remaining year.²
At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs.ÃÂ¹
The most popular candidate for St. Valentine was a 3rd century Roman priest who practiced Christianity and performed secret marriages against direct orders from Emperor Claudius II, who believed single soldiers were more likely to join his army.³
The most extravagant of valentines were made of a satin cushion, perfumed, ornately designed with flowers, coloured shells, and would also have a taxidermied humming bird or bird of paradise adorning it.⁴

Wow. Knowing that Valentine's day came from a tradition of sex lotteries, naked marathons, draft dodging, and stuffed hummingbirds, our current tradition is not only lame, but downright embarrassing. It's our culture and our tradition; let's take it back from the Greeting Card Association, make it ours, and make it cool.

In the early 21st century, lovers would sometimes spend long hours creating intricate, exciting, and surprising displays of their affection. Even comparatively modest displays, such as home-cooked meals or hand-made candies, were appreciated due to the personal care and attention involved. Store-bought items were simply considered insulting.

Whew. Much better. So, to help get us moving in the right direction, Instructables is hosting the "Show Your Heart Valentine's Day Contest!" Share a project that shows your heart and wins the heart of another.

You might:
Cook a meal
Make chocolate covered marshmallows or truffles
Mix a custom-scented solid perfume
Wire up LED jewelry
Design a personalized scavenger hunt
Throw a "Love Sucks" party for single friends
Grow your own flowers from seedlings in an indoor hydroponic planter and present them in a home-anodized purple CNC-machined aluminum vase

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