Create a color-changing Valentine

Photo by Laura Bucklin/Iowa State Daily

Laura Bucklin

What you’ll need: baking soda, water, Valentine’s Day cardstock paper, white watercolor paper, a paintbrush, scissors, tape and a spray bottle.

1. Mix equal parts water and baking soda.

2. Cut the cardstock and watercolor paper to the desired size.

3. Using the paintbrush, paint your “secret message” onto the watercolor paper and let it dry.

4. Tape the “secret message” watercolor paper to the Valentine’s Day cardstock paper.

5. Present the blank card to your valentine and spray it with the grape juice on a flat surface. Watch your secret message appear like magic.

6. Let the card dry on a flat surface.

OPTIONAL: Create a matching color-changing bouquet

What you’ll need: baking soda, water, white watercolor paper, a paintbrush, scissors and green pipe cleaner.

1. Fold two pieces of white watercolor paper into an accordion.

2. Mix equal parts water and baking soda.

3. Using the paintbrush, paint your sheets of watercolor paper separately with the mixture as desired. (Note: painted parts will show up blue, others will be purple from the grape juice.)

4. Rejoin the two pieces of watercolor paper and wrap the green pipe cleaner around the middle. Depending on the weight of the paper, you may need to use more than one pipe cleaner.

5. Cut on the folds of the paper. You can also cut a design at the end of “petals” to create a different look.

6. Fold and scrunch “petals” until they look like a flower.

7. Create extra flowers for the bouquet by repeating the steps above.

8. Present the bouquet to your valentine and spray it with the grape juice to reveal colorful blue and purple flowers.

Now you have a unique gift for your valentine, and it even smells good.