If you really want to spread the Valentine’s Day love, make a gift that comes from the heart! We have awesome craft ideas for your bundle of beloveds, right here:

Valentine’s Craft for the BFFs: Pretty Pink-painted Tees
Make personalized tees for your besties!

• What you need:

Plain white T-shirts or tanks (tip: you can buy these in multi-packs in the boys’ underwear section)
Piece of cardboard
Fabric paint pens or permanent colored markers

• What to do:

Put newspaper down on your work surface, then fit the T-shirt onto the cardboard so the front of the shirt is flat and facing you. Now draw whatever your, er, heart desires! Use pinks, purples and reds to make swirly patterns, polka dots, flowers or whatever. If you really want to be fancy, you can also sew on a few sequin accents. Don’t forget to make one for yourself!

Valentine’s Craft for Mom: Movin’ Groovin’ Love Mobile
Create a whirling whimsical hanging mobile for your mom ... or aunt or grandma

• What you need:

Construction paper
Playing cards (preferably an oldie with a few cards missing)
Glitter
Glue
Coat hanger
Fishing line, yarn or string
Beads, loose earrings or other baubles (optional)

• What to do:

Cut out heart shapes from colored construction paper or any other decorative paper (such as sturdy wrapping paper or sheet music). Punch holes at the tops of the Queen and King of Hearts from an old deck of cards. Break out the glue and glitter to decorate your heart shapes. Now flex your imagination! Use various lengths of string to tie your creations along the bottom of the coat hanger, adding any beads or other adornments until you’ve achieved mobile magic.

Valentine’s Craft for a Boy: Hunks and Chunks o’ Chocolate
Whether you have a BF or a crush, you can’t go wrong by giving a boy food! Really ...

• What you need:

Milk chocolate bars or semisweet chocolate chips
Microwaveable glass bowl
Baking pan lined with parchment paper
Spatula
Nuts and dried fruits (such as raisins or cranberries)

• What to do:

Put the chocolate in a bowl (if you’re using bars, break them into pieces first). Place in the microwave on high, stirring at 30-second intervals until melted. Pour the melted chocolate into the pan lined with parchment paper, using the spatula to spread it out to about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the fruit and nut toppings into chocolate and gently press them in. Place the pan in the freezer to set for approximately a half hour. Once it’s hardened, break the chocolate into chunks and put them in a nice box or tin. Store in a cool place before giving them to your guy. Mmm ... chocolate-flavored kisses!

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/DS011

It usually hits when you’re washing off the last of your sparkly New Year’s Eve makeup: the post-holidays slump. You’re staring down gray, icy weather minus all the fun, festive celebrations. Luckily, these pick-me-ups are proven to raise the temps on your mood thermometer -- stat!

Bundle Up
It’s important to get outside -- yep, even in cold temps -- to keep feel-good vibes flowing. Nature can definitely amp up your mood, but the key is to move while you’re outdoors. Even just walking around for five minutes works! So make snow angels with your sis or take Fido for his walk. By the time you step back inside, you’ll feel better.

LOL -- A Lot!
Good news: YouTube is good for more than just wasting time. Its hilarious clips can leave you ROFL, and research shows that laughter’s an awesome way to get in a good mood fast. We know what you’re thinking: “Duh!” But here’s the thing: You have to get to “this is so funny I can’t not laugh” territory. So search for your favorite “iCarly” clips and watch, laugh, repeat!

Hit the Mall
New research proves shopping is an easy way to feel happier fast. (So that’s why they call it retail therapy!) Bonus: The study found that pulling out your wallet when you’re feeling blue doesn’t necessarily make you buy tons of stuff you’ll later regret. Try this: Get a couple of besties to come with and have fun trying out crazy outfits you know you’d never really wear on a day-to-day basis. It’s cheap and it’s a blast!

Strike a Pose
Yoga is one of the best ways to get your chillax on, according to studies. There are tons of inexpensive DVDs available to walk you through the basics, and on-demand TV often offers them for free. Work on your tree pose and you’ll feel more blissful faster than you can say, “Ommm.”

Lend a Hand
Volunteering not only helps someone else out, but also gives you a boost. Surveys show that people who give to others typically have happier lives. First, find something you’re into. Love planning parties? Use those super organizing skills to kick a can drive into gear. Is amazing cupcake-making your thing? Whip some up and have a bake sale for charity. Are you practically the dog whisperer? Clock quality time at your local animal shelter. Just don’t blame us when you have a smile plastered on your face afterward!

The presents have been unwrapped. The out-of-town guests have skedaddled. And you’re now scratching your head over what to do with the freed-up sched.

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you have to put a red light on the merriment. Reconnect with your buds (stress-free!) by trying out these mini-parties to keep the festive spirit bright.

1. Throw a new-season jam sesh. Have every guest bring three of their favorite newly released tunes, and then pop them on for all to enjoy. The upbeat melodies will keep you in a feel-good mood.

2. Hold a post-holiday photo shoot where everyone must model a new outfit. The best pose gets bragging rights till next year!

3. Throw a disco Christmas. There’s an excuse to celebrate Christmas again when you’re doing it in costume! Raid your mom’s closet for the greatest (free) vintage finds, then blast ’70s holiday covers like Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”

4. Conduct your own neighborhood Winter Olympics. There’s still time before the big summer sporting event, but you can bridge the gap between seasons with some winter team spirit. Designate a country for each friend and go head-to-head in events like snowball-throwing, snowman-building or sledding.

5. Go eco-chic. Grab all of the wrapping paper scraps around your house and invite your friends over for an “It’s a Wrap” craft party. Make useful items like bookmarks and magazine holders with the odds and ends, and then store them away for mini Earth Day prezzies.

6. Hold an ornament exchange party where everyone anonymously swaps a wrapped ornament from their tree this year. You’ll be counting down the days till the next holiday season to show off your new accessory in all of its seasonal glory.

7. Kick off a “12 Months of 2012” bash. Instead of confining all your celebrations to the end of the year, celebrate a year’s worth of occasions in one night! Have everyone dress as a different month and bring a dish that is special to that season. Think of it as taking a glimpse into your 2012 future.

8. Pull an all-nighter with a Christmas movie marathon. Slipping into those cozy PJs and watching a selection of your favorite holiday hits will bring the jolly glow back to the forefront of your mind.

9. Indulge in a baking bonanza. Invite your buds over to bake the cookies you missed out on while eating your umpteenth treat over the holidays. Chuckle about the wackiest prezzies you each received while snacking on the fresh-baked goodies.

10. Heart a chocolate-tasting dessert buffet. From a fondue station to an assortment of decadent brownies, spend one night satisfying your sweet tooth with all the chocolate you can consume and gabbing about your celeb and class crushes. Guarantee it will hold you over until Valentine’s Day!

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/JBryson

Cool air, warm apple cider and cozy knit sweaters! Who says the fun’s over when summer ends? Celebrate the changing season with a bundle of activities you can only do in the fall. We’re shoveling out 15 must-do’s for autumn:

1. Up a Tree
Schedule an outdoor playdate to pick apples at a nearby orchard or farm. Bond with buds, breathe in the fresh air and stock up on a batch of the season’s finest fruits.

2. All About Apples
Now that you’ve gathered a fresh basket of delish apples, throw yourself a hoorah! Bake hot apple pies, serve up cider for beverages and bob for apples.

3. Pumpkin Patch
Nix the trip to your local supermarket and handpick pumpkins at a patch instead. You’ll have a day of fun and bring home even more DIY activities for entertainment.

4. Gourd-geous Crafts
Now it’s time to make pumpkin crafts, of course! Hollow out the insides, let them dry and use them as vases to store fresh flowers. It makes the perfect centerpiece to brighten up a table. Or go classic with Halloween jack o’ lanterns.

5. Pigskin Party
Are you a football fanatic? Or do you just want a reason to hoot and holler it up? Host a sporty shindig -- and don’t forget to invite your crush. Get decked out in your team’s colors, whip up some nachos and root your team to victory!

6. Door Decor
Spice up your space with a handmade wreath of colorful leaves. Use pliers to bend a coat hanger into a circle shape, and then use floral wire to attach leaves all around it.

7. Crafty Costumes
Raid a few closets to come up with some creative Halloween costumes. Maybe your mom has some cool retro pieces, or maybe you can snag your brother’s paintball getup!

8. Roll in the Hay
Check local papers to take a spin on a hayride. Whether it’s haunted or just scenic, you’ll have a blast with this autumn-only activity.

9. Score More Moolah
A new season means new opps to make money. Rake neighbors’ leaves, open a hot-cider stand, or gather up all your unwanted goods from last year and throw a yard sale.

10. Backyard Bonfire
Take the cover off of summer’s charcoal grill and ask a parent to torch it up. Roast marshmallows for s’mores, sing campfire songs and even pitch a tent.

11. Spooky Sleepover
Invite your besties over for a fright-filled night. Watch your favorite scary movies, tell haunted tales and make ghastly goodies like a gummy-worm mud pie.

12. A-maze-ing
A lot of farms open up a corn maze for fall. With sibs or friends in tow, spend hours getting tangled in a corn field.

13. Fall Fashions
Lay out your clothes and accessories and pair up new outfits for fall. Have a fashion show and snap pics of everything you’ve put together. Rushed to get dressed in the a.m.? Look through your snapshots … duh!

14. Hit the Trails
Grab the fam and hit a nearby nature trail by foot or on mountain bikes. There’s nothing like taking in the beauty of the changing leaves while getting a bit of exercise.

15. Clubbin’ It
Chat up your classmates and bookworm buddies about organizing a book discussion club. Set up meets at parks and coffee shops to gush over your latest read.

Some pretty far-out things can happen after your head hits the pillow at night, right? Dreams can be magical, mysterious and at times even terrifying. But fear not: It’s just your subconscious mind trying to gab with you. We’ll help you get a clue.

Keep a Dream Diary
The only way to decipher what your dreams are trying to tell you is to remember them -- and that can be a toughie. So keep a journal and pen handy by your bed, then tell yourself before you go to sleep, “Don’t forget your dreams tonight.” As soon as your eyes pop open in the a.m. -- before you brush your teeth -- jot down anything you can recall: people, places, events, objects … whatever.

Let Your Dream Tell a Story
Grace, 15, recently had a dream in which she locked herself in a bathroom stall at school and wouldn’t come out. All of her classmates piled into the girls’ restroom, carrying on like circus performers. There were clowns, lion tamers, monkeys -- way more activity than could ever actually take place in that small space. Grace, in her dream, was on her cell phone trying to call her mom, but there was no answer.

Crack the Dream Code
So what did Grace’s dream mean? After journaling about it and giving it some thought, Grace figured it out. She’d recently been at the center of a nasty rumor, and the dream reflected her feelings about that. She’d felt trapped (locked in) by all the commotion (circus) the gossip had created, and she felt helpless (unable to get through on her cell). If you’re having trouble understanding what the elements of your dream represent, you can check a dream dictionary -- but first look for any personal meaning related to what’s going on in your life.

Dream up a Solution
The next night, before going to bed, Grace wrote in her diary, “I want to have a dream that helps me deal with this gossip situation.” Here’s what happened: This time in her dream, Grace was the star of the circus, but there was no audience. She was swinging on a flying trapeze while holding scissors -- with her toes. She soared back and forth, then did a theatrical triple-flip, clipping the cords to the trapeze swing as she did so. In that moment, the scissors disintegrated and her feet grew wings. She flew clear through the top of the circus tent and into the sky.

Find Freedom in Your Dreams
Grace found her peace inside this dream. She owned her power and decided to cut off any and all attention to the gossip that was going on around her at school. And guess what? Poof! The rumors quickly disappeared. So you see? Dreams can create real-life happy endings when you know how to read them.