I love creating and sending surprise gift boxes to my family for different holidays or just because. Here are some fun ideas for a Valentine’s surprise box!

These postcards by 3 Fish Studios are perfect for sending hugs all around California to my family.

And pretty much anything from the Target “dollar” section – Heart dishes? Yes please! These would be great for trinkets, holding keys, or an air plant.

And now for the sweets – Valentine dates (get it?), heart-shaped cookies, love crunch granola bars, Chocolove chocolate bars, and a long-time favorite – seasonal heart-shaped Junior Mints. It’s fun to scour the snack aisle to find themed goodies.

Other cute prizes: temporary tattoos and squishy happy faces for the kids. And to bring it all together: stickers for the box and the packaging.

The goal is to pack the parcels so they ship safely. I like using photo boxes – they are study and can hold a lot of stuff – and I like to fill them with crepe party streamers (you can also tissue or crinkle paper) so items fit nice and snug. You also want to pack them so they’re fun to open – layer it up! I like attaching items that can dangle from the lid, too. For these boxes I added disco ball ornaments for an extra fun sparkly treat.

And I sprinkled layers with XOXO beads (also Target!).

Layer up! Add larger/bulkier items first and place crepe/tissue/crinkle paper in between each layer.

Or…

I covered the boxes with stickers and wrapped with string to keep the lid secure. Then I wrapped the box with a paper grocery bag for shipping. Paper bags are thick and durable, they add a nice crafty look, and recycle-reduce-reuse. 😉

How do you surprise box? Do you love sending Valentine’s gifts, too? Share below!