Valentine's Day Kids Craft: Lollipop Heart Cozies

(♥ Para español hacer click aqui ♥) 

Four more days to Valentines.  Yikes!  Do you have cards and goodies ready for your little one's class?  Do you buy them or do you make them?  We like to make ours.  This year for the Christian Formation class I teach on Wednesdays I decided to make these Lollipop Heart Cozies.  Aren't they cute?  I made them by combining ideas from from  here and here and a bit of my own creativeness.  They are so easy to make your little ones can make them too!

They really are simple to make, and you know I love simple projects.

Materials you will need:

To make:

Cut out many hearts using craft paper.  I used scraps.  If you don't have any crafting paper you can also use wrapping paper, a paper bag or even plain white paper and have the kids decorate them.

Glue the edge of the hearts together leaving a little pocket (big enough to fit the lollipop) at the bottom.  Let it dry for a while.  When you feel it is dry enough insert the lollipop and glue the remainder of the heart together (for this part you may need to hold on to the heart and lollipop until the glue sets a bit.)

Finally with a piece of washi tape make the leaves.    Add the name of each of the kids and listo!

Ready to spread the love!

For other Valentines Day craft ideas:
Washi Tape Decorated Valentine Mini Mailboxes
Valentine's Day Lunchbox Surprise
Tender Heart Vintage Book Page Ornament
Security Tinted Envelope Heart Garland
Glass Heart Pendant
Valentines Family Love Tree
And on Pinterest.

Happy love day crafting!

Washi Tape Decorated Valentine Mini Mailboxes ♥ Mini Busones Para el Dia de San Valentin decorados con Cinta Washi

( ♥ Para español ver abajo♥)

Yes.  The washi tape addiction continues...

I was at Target the other day going through the dollar section, when I came across some mini tin mailboxes.  When I saw them my first thought was- I CAN TOTALLY DECORATE THESE WITH WASHI TAPE!  

So I did.

All I used was washi tape, letter stickers, and the tin mailboxes.  Yup super simple, yet super cute.  Just like I like it.  To make the heart for the flags I folded a small piece of washi tape with the sticky part facing out, then I cut half of a heart, opened it and listo- a heart. 

I took some candle holders I had, turned them over and placed each mail box on top (not my idea.  I have seen this floating around Pinterest.)  I, however, did not glue them on to the candle sticks that way the kids can take the mailbox down (without the candles stick) making it easier for them to handle and place little goodie inside (or peek into their own.) 

And look...

As soon as they were up, a little someone placed a love note for her papi.  Sigh.  

Happy Crafting!

♥♥♥

Si.  Mi adicción a la cinta washi continua ...

El otro día mientras andaba viendo la sección del dolar en Target vi unos mini buzones de metal.  Y lo primero que me paso por la mente fue- LOS PUEDO DECORAR CON CINTA WASHI!  

Y precisamente eso hice.

Solamente use cinta washi, calcamonias de letras, y los buzones de metal.  Super sencillo y super curioso. Tal y como me gusta.  Para hacer los corazonsitos en las banderas, necesitas un pedazo de washi, doblarlo por la mitad ( parte pegajosa por fuera) y corta la mitad de un corazón, ábrelo y listo, tienes un corazón.

Tome unos candelabros que tenia y los voltee al revés y les puse el buzón encima (esta no es mi idea, la vi por ahi en Pinterest.)  Pero, yo no los pegue al candelabro para que asi fuese mas facil para los pequeños poder bajar el buzon y meter las notitas de amor que gusten (o ver lo que han recibido.)   

Y miren...

En cuanto los acomode en su lugar, una pequeñita ya había puesto una notita para su papi.  

¡Buen dia!

take the time

 

Happy Valenentine' Day!

valentine's day lunchbox surprise (a tutorial)

As you know this is my little guy's first year in school.  For Valentine's day I want to surprise him by putting a little something in his lunch box.  I didn't want candy, nor the usual valentine card.  I wanted something special, something that represents us as a family.  So I made him this:

A tri-fold mini card tucked in a pillow box full of heart confetti!  Fun! Fun! Fun! (Sorry cafeteria staff.) 

This is so amazingly easy to make, that you can get it all done the night before and have it ready in the lunch box by love day.  Yes that easy.

Here is the how to.

Materials needed:
♥  one empty toilet paper roll.
♥  a piece of paper to decorate the pillow box.  (about 2 x 6 inches long)
♥  another larger piece of paper to make the tri-fold card.
♥  coordinating scraps of paper to decorate your card. (I ♥ U)
♥  heart hole punch
♥  raffia to tie around the pillow box
♥  craft glue

Tutotial:

Begin by folding your larger (but not larger than the pillow box) piece of paper in three.  Like an accordion.

Draw a heart on the opposite side of your folded paper.   To cut the heart (without cutting the connecting parts) make sure to leave a blank space in your heart drawing right where the paper folds.  This helps me a lot, because I often forget I am cutting a tri-fold (or get distracted) and end up with three hearts vs a card!  Ha!

Open up your tri-fold card.  Then round up the edges of the first and last heart.

Now cut your words.  I chose a simple I ♥ U. Easy for him to read (and for me to make.)

Glue them in place and let dry.

While it is drying you can either hole punch a lot of little hearts (circles if you don't have a heart hole punch.) Or you can start working on that pillow box.

I totally love this part! Because you get to turn a simple every day item into something useful and pretty.

Here is a step-by-step:

What once was a toilet paper roll, is now a pillow box!

Okay. Let's decorate!

Take your 2 x 6 inc. long strip and glue it around the outside/center of the pillow box.

Then tie a pretty piece of raffia around the paper.  Knot, and trim the ends. 

Fill it with confetti and place the card inside.  Then place it in your little loved one's lunch box and wait 'till he/she comes home and tells you all about it!  (I can't wait!)

I also made one for my sweet nena so she doesn't feel left out.  I just have to figure out how I'm going to give it to her...maybe on her lunch plate.  We'll see.  

FYI.  I will be adding this tutorial to the Creative Valentine Week section.  You can just click on the button on the left bar which will be up until the end of the week.  After that, you can find it in the tutorial section (click on tab below the blog banner.)

On a different note.  We got some snow yesterday!  But it didn't stick around :(.  The kids were bummed, and honestly I kind of was too.  Now that the kids are older I look forward to playing with them in the snow, even if it is for a little while and the rest of the time I enjoy looking out the window holding a warm cup of tea or coffee.  Ha!  

Hope your having better luck than us.

Happy crafting!

creative valentine week: tender heart ornament (a tutorial)

Technically, last week was over yesterday and today is almost over.  I know.  I know.  Even though,  I still had two more projects I wanted to share with you, but the last couple of days I've not been feeling to good (migraines) which impedes me to be on the computer for too long.    So here you have me, two days before Valentines Day sharing with you mentioned projects.  Two days is enough, right?  

So you get two tutorials in one day!  Yippe ya yey!

Remember the lovely heart ornaments my friend Carrie was making out of book pages?  As promised, here is that tutorial.

I 

This is a bit different than her's.  I added words to mine, but the process is just about the same. 

Materials:
♥  old book pages
♥  white crayon
♥  watercolor paints
♥  paint brush
♥  black sharpie
♥  Aileen's clear tacky glue or a glue gun
♥  twine

Begin by drawing spirals onto the book pages.  Like this:

As soon as you draw one spiral paint over with  a brush and red watercolor.   Repeat.  I highly recommend you follow these steps, because the crayon is hard to see.

Once you've completed painting all your roses.  Add the leaves.  Also using a brush and watercolors.

Let them dry.

 Using a stencil (I made my own by folding a piece of paper drawing a heart and then cutting it), begin to trace your hearts onto the painted pages.

Write your words.  One one side (heart) I wrote Love and on the other (heart) Amor.

Before you begin to glue your hearts back to back, make your hanging loops and set them aside.

Glue your hearts back to back (the unpainted sides facing each other), leaving a gap with no glue on top.  This is where you will insert your stuffing and loop.

Insert your loop and glue together.  Hold tight until it is nicely sealed. 

Finish!  Finito!  Listo!  Now go decorate your home...

Now if you don't happen to have any watercolors around, but still would love to make some of these lovely hearts.  Just go for it! It also looks very pretty, see...

What did I tell ya.  So vintage like. 

And what to do with all those lovely painted scraps you have left over?  I know I didn't have the heart (no pun intended) to toss them away.  So I made these:

Book Markers!  Some to give and some to keep!

I'll be adding the second tutorial post tonight!  So don't forget to come back either really late tonight or sometime tomorrow morning.  I'll also be posting a round up of all the tutorials, which you can also access by clicking the Creative Valentine Week button on the left column.  Or by clicking on the tutorials tab above.

Happy Crafting!