Hack Your Candy Conversation Hearts

Valentine candy conversation hearts don’t have much to say. Unless “Be Mine” is exactly the sentiment you’re trying to get across. And really, who wants to eat what tastes like flavored chalk? Here are some ways to subvert upgrade the conversation hearts experience.

1. Sand off the unoriginal words with a microplane. Then on the other (smooth) side,  use food markers to write more unique messages.

2. Consider a metaphorical message. Carefully arrange a whole bag of candy hearts into one heap resembling a large heart and bake it in the oven. It will fuse together in a bizarre you-melt-me sort of way. Unless you don’t follow the instructions exactly, in which case your heart will break before it ever cools down completely.

3. Use candy hearts to write your sentiments where everyone can see them—on the sidewalk. These candies not only taste like calcium supplements, they also work as somewhat usable chalk although the colors (disappointingly) aren’t really noticeable.

4. Turn them into a rebus message. Glue a few conversation hearts on some sturdy paper and write between them, incorporating the hearts’ words into a larger message.

5. Devote some kitchen time to making homemade conversation hearts. This way, candy hearts will actually have the size and flavors you choose. You can also cut them into any shape that warms your geeky heart: Minecraft, Pac-Man, Star Trek, ninja, or zombie. Make them big enough, and you might have room for the perfectly geeky Valentine quotes suggested by GeekMom Lisa Tate.

6. Toss them. Do it with some maker flair by flinging them across the room with a craft stick catapult. Here’s a version that’s easy for kids to make, or construct a catapult clever enough to take to the office.