Category Archives: Valentine’s Day

Heart Bookmarks

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I found this wonderful Valentine’s Day project on Martha Stewart.com.

Make two heart stencils –a larger one that is 2-3 inches wide and a smaller one that is 1-2 inches.  I used a cookie cutter and let L trace them herself.

Cut out the stencils, so they are easier to trace onto decorative paper.

Trace and cut out a bunch of larger and smaller hearts.  If the paper you are using is thin, it works nicely to glue it onto card stock (I used index cards) to make it thicker and more durable.  This is particularly helpful if your little one will be using the bookmark.

I used scissors to cut out all the hearts, but you could use a utility knife if you aren’t working with little ones.

We also painted some of our hearts, instead of using fancy paper.  I have a drying rack that I use only for craft projects, which came in handy because this way we could paint both sides at once and not have it stick to the surface.

Cover the bottom half of the heart (the v) with an index card and put glue on the top half of the heart.

Glue the smaller heart to the larger heart and let dry.

They make wonderful gifts!  

Make it About Moments This Valentine’s Day

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Colorful candy, fuzzy stuffed animals and cutesy cards are at the heart of Valentine’s Day for kids these days. But as with other material, gift-giving occasions throughout the year, it’s important to emphasize the value of enjoying family and friend moments too. We recently shared one idea for making it an extra special day for your little one, but there are many other ways that don’t involve presents. A Valentine’s Day dinner will ensure you all end the day on a sweet note together.

We created a family Valentine’s Day meal last year and it was so delicious that we’ve enjoyed each component (except the beat soup) on its own several times since then.  I’ve listed recipes we used below, but a good rule of thumb is to simply work a little whimsy in with whatever foods your family loves.

Sweet potatoes:  Peel and cut into strips, then punch out heart shapes with a cookie cutter. Roll in olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Chicken Salad Wraps: Recipe adapted from food network.

Boil, cube and refrigerate:

3 russet potatoes peeled
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast
Cook 6 slices bacon (I use turkey bacon for a healthier option) until crispy and crumble.

In a large bowl, combine:

1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 fresh sage leaves, chopped

Serve the chicken salad in Bibb lettuce and roll up to eat.

2 heads Bibb lettuce, leaves separated

Add onion if desired

Strawberries: (One of the easiest fruits to turn into a heart!) Just cut straight across (like shown in this picture) and then make a v-slice in the top.

Brownies: I got this recipe from Dine & Dish 

Mix the following ingredients well:

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 T vanilla
2 large eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Grease a 9 by 9 inch pan with oil or butter. Pour in batter and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Use heart shaped cookie cutters to make the hearts.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner idea or activity to share? Write in comments below or post to our Facebook wall.

Love Notes (for Kids!)

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Last Valentine’s Day we made “Love Notes” for our girls with the help of family & friends.  They were such a hit that we decided to make it a family tradition.

We included the Love Notes idea in a Valentine’s Day activity roundup we did last year. Here’s how it works:

? Cut out heart shapes on colored pieces of paper or cardstock (the more the better!)

? Write sweet, funny, or silly messages to your child on as many hearts as you’d like.

? Ask family members and friends if they have any messages they’d like to share with your child. (You can either mail them the heart to decorate themselves or simply email people and have them email you a note for you to write on a heart yourself).

? Once you have collected all of your messages, hide them throughout your home so that when your child wakes and goes about his or her day, he/she will discover them throughout the house. Once Valentine’s Day is over, you can put them in a scrapbook or box and date it so that you can all fondly flip through them as the years go by.  This keepsake helped last year, because these notes decorated our house for over a month until L. finally agreed we could take them down. We saved both the girls’ notes. We have enjoyed looking through them many times this past year.

L. was so excited, she couldn’t stop saying, “Look a heart!” “Whoa! Another heart….”  And my favorite: “I think Santa and his reindeers left these here!” Luckily, it didn’t seem any less magical when she discovered that people she knew had written the Valentines. She couldn’t believe how many there were.  She seemed very pleased with herself hearing all the nice comments people shared about her :)

Needless to say, we highly recommend this Valentine’s Day surprise for your children! And if you’re thinking about little gifts that say I love you, please consider our custom artwork Find A Match games and customizable t-shirts and onesies!

Documenting the “First Day” & Other Family Events

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Just as your kiddos probably did over the past week or so, L had her first day of school today. We had fun capturing another year’s milestone in the girls’ lives!

Taking pics with the girls holding signs, gives us an easy way to document that specific time in their lives. The trend is popping up all over the place with parents on Pinterest and Facebook. It is also fun to let your child create his/her own sign, and get more creative.

Here are a few ideas of occasions to try it out for, and some ideas for signs:

Birthdays: These occasions certainly warrant a little time setting up memorable shots to take, and t-shirts are a really cute way to do that. Here’s an “I’m one” birthday shirt from our Lilabee Clothing line that can be customized with any age or design. For babies who are less than one year, we recommend doing a sign monthly!

First Days of School: If you anticipate wanting to document many firsts (in addition to school) a really easy way to get those signs done even as you’re running out the door is to purchase a few hand-held chalkboards for your kiddos to customize for the given occasion and hold.

Special Holidays or Events: Annual family gatherings can be a great time to capture the fun in this manner, as are very special transitions such as welcoming a new sibling/first introductions.

Please comment below if you have other creative ways of documenting milestones or as always, post a pic on our wall!

 

Outdoor Décor: Get Creative!

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So much cheer comes from a festive outdoor atmosphere, for decorators and passersby alike. Particularly in colder months when trees are bare, flower beds are empty and lawns are far from green, a little creativity around the outside of your home can go a long way in adding that extra little something. I’m referring to decoration that surprises and delights with visually appealing materials or themes you just don’t see everyday. Take this tree I captured in a neighboring town.

I love all of the colors and the creative way all of the hearts are hung about. I am definitely inspired to try this next year. What unique outdoor decorating projects do you have up your sleeve? 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Amanda

7 Adorable Heart Ideas My Family Will Enjoy This February

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 #1 My daughter loved this sweet heart sandwich thanks to Ohhh…..Mhhh. I made it with soy butter & fluff so she could enjoy it at school. A little sweeter than we usually do for lunch…but I figured an occasional treat is OK!

#2 In our family it is never too early to start making Valentines. We display the cards as decorations as my three-year-old daughter completes them until the big day, February 14th. We simply hang them on fishing wire and enjoy watching the string of cards grow daily.

#3 My daughter had a wonderful idea to hang hearts from her door like Santa hung snowflakes from her ceiling. So I cut out a bunch of hearts in different shapes and sizes out of felt. I cut two pieces of felt at a time so I had 2 of each heart I made. Then my daughter helped put glue on the side of one heart and we attached it to a 24-inch fishing line. It is important to have the finishing line go from the bottom point of the heart to the middle of the V in the top. My daughter enjoyed helping attach the hearts and it was very easy. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it turned out. We attached the string of hearts to a dowel, that my daughter painted white, by simply tying the fishing line in a knot around it.

#4 My father made this precious heart ”night light” for my daughters.  We found this idea on Pinterest thanks to Project Wedding and decided to give it a whirl. I drew dots for where the nail holes should go with permanent marker. We did two hearts, one on each side. We put in 3 battery-operated tea-lights that we had leftover from Halloween and hung it in my girls’ bedroom. They love it, especial because “Gup” helped them make it.

#5 This Valentine’s Day treat was part of The Heart Project this year. We are honored to be included in such a wonderful project! For the last couple years we have made giant Rice Krispie treat hearts as a Valentine’s Day treat for some of my daughter’s closest friends.  They have been a BIG hit!

 

 

#6 I am very excited to see my daughter’s reaction to the “love notes” she will find in random places (taped to the bathtub, under her pillow, in her lunchbox, on the car window, held by her favorite stuffed animal…) throughout her day on Valentine’s Day. I started this project by cutting out a bunch of hearts from colored oaktag. Then I handed them out to friends and family members to write a special note to her. For individuals who live far way, you could mail them the hearts or simply email or call and transcribe their message onto a heart. I plan on keeping a bunch to put out as the day goes on so that she doesn’t find them all right away. I can’t think of a better way to make my daughter feel as special and loved as she is this Valentine’s Day.

#7 My daughter made a painting by ripping little pieces of masking tape and putting them over a heart shape I had lightly drawn on watercolor paper. Then she tried to fill the entire piece of paper with color. Lastly, she had fun removing the tape once the water-color painting had dried for a couple minutes. 

I hope you and your family enjoy these Valentine’s Day activities and crafts as much as we have and will!

Happy February!
Amanda