keep it simple valentines

Every year I swear that I am not going to buy the pre-made character cards from the drugstore for my kids to exchange at school, and every year I realize that the school party is the next day and that my plans for home crafted valentines are way too elaborate, or I haven’t shopped for the supplies, and I end up rushing out at the last minute and getting the pre-made character cards from the drugstore anyway. Not that there is anything WRONG with pre-made cards, it’s just that I always appreciate the handmade gifts that I receive, I take great pleasure in making gifts for others, and I want to teach my children to make as many gifts and cards as they can because I feel that putting one’s time and energy to crafting a gift for someone else reaches much farther than anything a dollar can buy.

So this year was really no different. I still panicked at about 4pm this afternoon, but I tried remind myself to “keep it simple.”

Marlena really wanted to do something with fabric, and after a quick check with my go to source for all things crafty with kids, The Crafty Crow, I spotted the perfect idea for Marlena’s valentines. This wonderfully simple and sweet idea from all buttoned up, had me grabbing card stock, scissors, glue, and my fabric scraps. Marlena loved the idea and set right to work.

For Aidan’s first preschool Valentine’s party, I gave him a pile of 3×4 card stock, a stamp pad, a big ‘ol heart stamp, and a red marker for signing his name. He enjoyed stamping the cards with gusto, but when it came time to sign his name, (something that I have seen him do on his art projects) he became very frustrated that his letters weren’t coming out the way he thought they should look. Barry and I encouraged him to sign each card with his favorite thing in the world to draw, a rocket ship. This worked for about 4 or 5 cards, and then he quickly scribbled on the rest.

Hope was not be left out! She climbed right up into the chair, (something that gives Barry and I heart palpitations) grabbed the stamp pad, and drew some lines with the big red marker. No matter that most of the ink from the pad and the marker ended up on her hands, clothes, and face.

This valentine is all mine. :~)

I am so happy that I relaxed about things this year and just went with what we had on hand. It’s such a good feeling to know that we didn’t spend any extra money or create new waste, and that the time we spent together making the cards was a gift to ourselves; heart palpitations, scribbles, and all.