Special Valentine Dinner-Celebrating with Kids

We don't go out on Valentine's Day anymore. We stay in and have a special dinner with our kids. It's so crowded to go out anymore. (wow, I sound old) And this day is about showing love to those in your life, right? I want to celebrate with my kids whom I adore.
Some sweet friends of ours have a big Valentine's Day feast for their family. They dress up and they serve their children. They really go all out. And one day, when my kids are a bit bigger, I would like to take our dinner up a notch but for now, it's pizza!
Not just any ole' pizza though. We eat heart shaped pizzas, drink rootbeer from fancy glasses, and enjoy chocolate covered strawberries and another special dessert in honor of my husband's birthday (which is also on this day!).
And......we do all of this at a nicely set table and candle light! That is my kiddos favorite part, the candlelight. They love it!

So, break out your fancy dishes (what are you saving them for anyway?), your table cloth, and your candles and celebrate with the one's you love!

Happy Valentines Day!!
-Jenny

Last Minute Valentine Idea-DiY

Yes, I know that Valentine's Day is tomorrow and yes, I am still working on making Valentine's for people. I have good intentions of getting a head start on things lately, but last minute just seems to be the nature of my life right now.
So.....I go with it.

 Adults can make and give Valentines too.
That's right, these are not for my kiddos or their friends....they are for my friends.

 All you need is:

large paint swatches

your favorite chapstick (one of mine is YES to Carrots)

washi tape

fine tip sharpie

scissors

You simply fold the swatch in half length wise (with the color on the inside of the fold). Then cut 2 slits (while folded).

Unfold, apply your washi tape, write your cheesy message, and slide the chapstick in!

I have Berry flavored and Mint flavored chapstick so my messages say:

"Our friendship was MINT to be"

"You and I were MINT to be friends"

"so BERRY glad we're friends"

I know, but I couldn't resist. :)

Enjoy!

-Jenny

DiY Valentine Fun For Kids

Daspri shared a fun DiY Valentine idea for little ones earlier this week. Now, I would like to share some more!
I love the cute valentine card ideas that I see everywhere for kids but I also really love to see what they come up with on their very own. I have some pretty creative kiddos and I love to find ways to encourage that in them when I can.

 So, we had a little Valentine card making party yesterday afternoon. While they were napping I got out all of the supplies for them; glue, scissors, scrap paper, card stock circles in bright colors, craft sticks, markers, colored pencils, heart stickers, red and pink cards, and their glitter paints. We do it up right around here!

 

I divided up some of the supplies and made them each their own little art station. The rest of the supplies were for all to share.

These little hearts were actually part of the rainbow garland I made for Baby Girl's rainbow birthday last year. I love recycling our supplies! And there's that lovely stitching that I love so much.

I gave them a few suggestions of what they could do and let them go. I absolutely love seeing their creative minds at work, as well as their big hearts. They love making things for people and they really put thought into each piece making it personal for each of their loved ones. Makes my heart happy and my mouth smile. :)

 I love what they did with the craft sticks! In case you were wondering, this beauty in the pink dress and the golden crown is me. :)

They made everything from princesses to ninjas.
Unfortunately, we waited a bit late to make these for some of our out of town friends to get them in time, but they will get them and hopefully feel all of the love that was put into making them.

What special things do you make/do with you kids for Valentines Day?

 -Jenny

DiY Manly Bouquet

It’s fun to find stuff to give or make for men. They aren’t always the easiest to buy or make for. Why not a man bouquet?

You need:

Pack of new socks (main was 5 pair, so 10 socks)
Small wooden dowels (as many dowels as you have socks)
Green paint and brush
Straight pins
A vase or jar (something you probably already have around the house)
Some rocks or filler

1.      Paint your dowels green and let dry (I used a floral foam block to hold mine).

2.      Fill vase with rocks or filler.

3.      Fold sock in half the full length and fold heal over to make a basically straight line.

4.      Put dowel on toe end and fold toe over onto dowel making sure it is tight and will hold.

5.      Roll entire sock onto dowel, pin, and place in vase.

Turns out pretty cute and what man doesn’t like something practical.

Inspiration: 
Valentine for Him

Enjoy!
Daspri

Heart Strings-DiY Sewn Valentine Cards

Love is in the air...or so they say.
This is the month of love.
But shouldn't we love everyday?

I am always a bit conflicted with Valentines Day. I think our lives should be that of love; that our hearts desire should be to show love to those that God has brought into our lives. I am not a fan of the stores telling me that I need to buy all of their "stuff" to show love to people on this specific day.
However, I do love to make special things for people in my life. I love to celebrate people and life, so I choose to take advantage of this day as an excuse to make and find more ways to make those in my life feel loved.
Whether it is for Valentines day or any ole' day, these cards are sure to make your loved one feel special.

 Grab some cardstock, pretty papers in many colors and patterns, washi tape, and your sewing machine and make something special for your special someone.

I love mixing colors and patterns and I especially love working with a variety of materials and methods too.
Sewing paper is TOO much fun! I am in love with the look that the stitching provides.

Mix your papers and sew them directly onto your cardstock. You can cut out shapes (like hearts, birds, etc) from your paper and stitch around them.
This is not a project for the perfectionist in you....let her hair down for this one. The crazier you get with the stitching, the better it looks.
Let your imagination and creativity run wild.....and have FUN!

Have a LOVEly day!
-Jenny

DiY Valentine Puzzles

My hubby used to create cross word puzzles for his students to help them study with this great website. But why not make a cross word or word search for your love or little loves on Valentine's Day. This free online puzzle maker is super fun and very easy to use. If your kiddos are old enough to read and write then this is the perfect fun game to add to their Valentine treats. You could also make one for your man/woman with sweet words or fun secrets just the two of you know. 

Here is a sample word search I put together. 

I promise it is fun and your kiddos will love it because it can be personalized even with their name! 

Daspri

DiY Valentine Fun for your Little One

Who doesn’t love getting things in the mail? I know I do and Keylee likes going to the post office to mail things too. We set off to do a little Valentine project and share the love.

1.    Take some blank white cards and cut them in half.

2.    Grab some construction paper and cut out fun shapes.

3.    Get the glue stick in your little one’s hands and let them glue the shapes on the cards (you can talk about shapes and colors while you glue).

4.    Stamp (we used cookie cutters and paint but you can use stamps and ink too) a few fun stamps over the glued shapes.

5.    Add a little message from your little bit.

6.    Get a few bubble envelopes and you can even let your little bit help address them.

7.    Put in their Valentine’s and add some kisses.

8.    Head up to the post office and mail them off (never hurts to drop a few kisses with the postmaster, they love treats too)

Of course you can let them add stickers or markers and crayons or glitter to their Valentine’s cards (just make sure they are age appropriate).

TIP: We always put down a disposable table cloth and “borrow” one of daddy’s old shirt to wear as a smock when we are working with paint or messy stuff to make clean-up easy.

Have fun and brighten someone’s day with a little thoughtfulness. You could even slide one in a neighbor’s mailbox!

Daspri