Here's Lookin' at You, Valentine

This was the last year for any of my children to take in Valentines for the entire class, as Little will be in middle school next year and it's just 'not done'.  Sniff.  We have made so many various Valentines crafts throughout the year and the kids don't like to duplicate, so we were having a tough time finding something to do.

Enter Jamie.  Jamie is my neighbor.  Jamie is amazing.  A.MAZE.ING.  She is always smiling, she is always moving, and how wonderful is it to have a next-door neighbor who reads the same things that you do??  If you are down, Jamie can utter one of her common-sense sayings with her southern drawl and you immediately see the folly of your drama and feel better.  I co-direct the town Ecumenical Vacation Bible School with Jamie and at the end of it last year - we weren't sick of one another.  Mmm hmm...that's right.  We were still speaking.  Miracles happen folks.

Anyway, Jamie works in an elementary school and we had just done a games purge of games that we loved but they were for a younger age than we are now (sniff - sob - don't go there Christine) and so we were bringing the games and puzzles to her to bring to the school.  She pops to the door and opens it with a huge smile and says "I just finished making my Valentines for school - wanna see?"  We saw, and we were hooked - LOVE these.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy too.

Valentine's Glasses

Materials:

Pencil

Cardstock in colors of your choice (construction paper is too flimsy - ask me how I know) 

Scissors

Stapler

Cut template out of heavy paper or cardstock - or an old file folder.  

Trace pieces on cardstock onto cardstock, cut out and staple ear pieces to the front of the glasses.  We tried brads (those little office buttons that have two metal ends that you push apart to hold the button on) and they looked cuter on the front, but got caught in hair.  Write your saying on the front of the glasses.  Sign the inside or outside of the temple part.  

Other sayings:

"Here's Lookin' at You, Valentine"

"Look Who Loves You"

"Eye Love You"

"Eye think you Look like a Great Valentine"

Valentine's Day: Candy Cane Chocolate Heart Pops

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I was little, Valentine's Day meant making a 'mailbox' out of a milk carton and then hoping that someone would sneak a Valentine in. You see, 'back then', you only made Valentines for those children that you were friends with (or you made one for the person you liked and then didn't sign it). Valentines were made from those paper lace doilies, construction paper, paste from a jar, and glitter - LOTS of glitter - and we made them in art class.

Today there are many ways of having Valentines to send - you buy them in a box from the drugstore, you can buy candy at Target that has a convenient spot for you to write your name on it and give to the rest of the class, or you can make them....but the best thing is that you have to make them for EVERYONE in the class, thus sparing the bruised egos of small children.

This is my last year of having a child that brings in Valentines for the entire class. I'm sad about that. Copious amounts of coffee this morning have not made it any less so, but it has gotten me to the restroom more frequently where I can check my makeup and reapply the mascara that runs off my eyes when I think about the magnitude of that! My kids do Valentines old school - we make them. I have no judgement for the drugstore kind, for the candy kind...for my kids though, I think they appreciate a holiday a bit more when they have to work for it. So we make them.

This year we made two Valentines (it being the last year and all) and they are winners. The first are Candy Cane Chocolate Heart pops - totally inspired by Family Fun Magazine. LOVE Family Fun and have been using them as a craft resource for 15 years (ack).

Tomorrow I'll give you a LOOK at our other craft (that was a hint, people!)

Candy Cane Chocolate Heart Pops

Materials needed:

Small candy canes (unwrapped); Lollipop/sucker sticks; nonpariels/sprinkles in red, pink, white; almond bark or wilton melty disks or bag of white chocolate chips with a bit of shortening.

Place a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Arrange candy canes in a heart shape around the lollipop stick.

Melt the chocolate your favorite way (in a microwave, a double boiler on the stove, the hood of your car...) and pour into a freezer-type zip top bag. I like the freezer type because they are a bit thicker and sturdier and have less a tendency to burst like the 'regular' zip top bags.

Snip the very corner, just a bit, of the bag and pipe the melted chocolate in between the candy canes and around the stick. You don't have to rush, the chocolate will stay smooshy for a little while. In between filling, rest the tip on a small piece of wax paper - it will leak a bit. Smooth the top of the chocolate with a knife, offset spatula, or your finger (shhhhh)

Sprinkle with nonpareils and put in the fridge or freezer (or deck if it happens to be four degrees out) until the chocolate is firm.

Peel off the wax paper/parchment and store in an airtight container, wax paper between the layers, in a cool and dry place. You can also put them in cellophane lollipop wrappers to separate them.

Happy Valentine's Day!