His first year at preschool we chose the more traditional Valentine card kit from the local superstore. I believe they had a Disney movie theme. Then he came home with goodie bags from all his friends filled with candy and party favors. Boy, did I feel like I had underdone it.
His second year at preschool we took it up a notch with the Transformer Valentine cards, a pencil and eraser, and a homemade rice crispy treat in a goodie bag for each child. I couldn't stand not being up to the status quo, and I made up for it.
Now he is in kindergarten, and we are on a mission. Spend less, use less. The kids will know that Little Man cares about them regardless.
I give you Recycled Valentines.
(Inspired by my BFF, code name Diaper Diva.)
First we got out a few paper grocery sacks (or are they bags?), of which I have way too many and is another blog post entirely. I then painted them a lovely shade of purple using leftover household paint. This accomplished two things: It covered up all the logos and writing, and made them beautiful. Remember to do this the night before to allow the paint to dry.
This morning the real fun began. I drew a grid on each bag to make nine pieces of homemade card stock per bag. You will see that I used a ruler to do this in the hopes of some size consistency. Didn't happen, which makes them that much more authentic. Right?
Next I had my son cut on the lines with his safety scissors. Any excuse to have him practice those all important life skills is a good one, and less work for me.
Viola! Homemade, free, and beautiful card stock.
Now it was time to decorate. We used whatever we had laying around the house. Construction paper cut into hearts, old doilies, feathers, stickers, etc. Ok, really we happened to have received a fabulous Art in a Jar for Christmas that needed dumped all over the dining room table. So I got the kids some glue and let them have at it.
Now if your 5 year old is anything like mine, 20 cards is a lot to expect him to do by himself. It also wasn't long before he got distracted by the crepe paper his little brother was throwing in the air. Little Man made 3 cards.
That was all the excuse I needed to jump on the chance to get out my Mod Podge and a paint brush.
What I love about Mod Podge is that you can be as messy as you want because it dries clear. It is also a very reliable adhesive. I chose a simple design of a single heart and an animal sticker. Because let's face it, 20 cards is a lot for Mama to do by herself too.
I Mod Podged the stickers as well to ensure that they didn't fall off the painted surface of the cards. The last thing was to let them dry and have Little Man sign his name on each card. That much he could handle.
In keeping with our mission these cards were as cheap as they come and reused things we already had around the house. We didn't have to make a trip to the superstore, and we had a lot more fun making these. Well I did anyway. The boys had more fun spreading the crepe paper all over they house. I guess we're all set to have our own party.
Enjoy!
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