Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. Now is the time for students to show that they care for their loved ones by getting or making them Valentines. Valentines are traditionally thought of as cards, but they don’t have to be.

The Workspace offered a way for students and community members to get creative with Valentines by making a “Message in a Bottle” on Sunday. It cost $1 per person to make an unlimited number of Valentines for friends and family. Participants could also donate the Valentines they made to the Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc.

“They’re almost like a little time capsule,” said Annihka Murray, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production who ran the event at the Workshop.

Unlike cards, the “Message in a Bottle” Valentine consisted of a cylinder tube filled with words of kindness, glitter, feathers and various other decorations. Once the cylinders were filled, a cap was placed on top to seal in the love.

“It’s really fun,” said Ana Ramos Gonzales, senior in management information systems.

She said she made Valentines covered with pink jewels and markers for her friends and MICA.

“Message in a Bottle” is a craft offered yearly by the Workspace, but this is the first time they decided to partner with a nonprofit.

Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. is a nonprofit organization working to help families and children in central Iowa. Some of the Valentines made at the Workshop on Sunday will be sent to lift the spirits of individuals within MICA’s Living with HIV program.

“Its good to give back to people you don’t know,” said Krista Nielsen, senior in English. She made Valentines with stickers and colored paper for her twin sister, friends and MICA. “The craft aspect makes it so much cooler.”