DIY Scratch Off Valentine

I saw Martha Stewart create a Save the Date scratch off on her website and thought it would be more timely to make a Valentine's Day one! After some poking around on the ol' Pinterest, I found this post by OopseyDaily and thought it was perfect. And just in case you're wondering, "Would my boyfriend/husband even want this?"...I can tell you, my own husband said, "This is really sweet. Any man who wouldn't want this wouldn't deserve your love." So there you go!

Here's what you'll need:

1. Dish soap (just two dollups worth)
2. Metallic paint
3. A design (I printed the original post's template on white cardstock)
4. Either clear shipping labels OR clear contact paper OR packaging tape and freezer paper
5. A paint brush
6. Scissors
7. Something to mix the paint/soap mixture on (I used a paper plate)

First, I took the original post's designs, added my own text to each heart, and printed it out.

Next, combine 1 part dish soap with 2 parts paint (you can eyeball it!)

Paint a thin layer on top of your clear shipping labels / clear contact paper / packaging tape and freezer paper. The point of this is so that you don't paint on top of the actual template because otherwise the paint would just soak into the paper. You want a clear barrier to go between the paint and the template.

Wait an hour for the paint to dry, then add another layer. I recommend using a thick brush so as to leave as few paint brush strokes as possible. Be sure to wait another hour for the paint to dry before doing anything else.

You can see the difference between the first and second coat in the photo below.

Top - 2 coats of paint
Bottom - 1 coat of paint

Next, using a heart as a template, trace 10 hearts on top of the paint, cut out the hearts, peel off the paper backing, and stick them on top of your design.

Add a coin for scratching and voila! Your Valentine is complete!

TOTAL COSTS: $1.75
$1.75 for Martha Stewart 2 oz. metallic paint on Amazon
Shipping labels on hand but they're $12 for 60/box at Staples. Otherwise, packaging paper and freezer paper works works the same!
Template, paint brush, scissors, and dish soap on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 2 1/2 hours
10 minutes to make template
2 hours to paint and let dry
15 minutes to cut out hearts and place on template

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
This isn't very difficult to make at all, you're simply painting, cutting, and sticking the hearts to paper and letting the recipient have all the fun!