Valentine’s Day is a Ninja

Valentine’s Day is quite sneaky.

I just put away the Christmas decorations (well, most of them) and here comes Valentine’s Day, creeping up behind my back, ready to jump out and scare me. I’ve been told that if I visited Costco or Jo-Ann, I’d be more aware of Valentine’s Day coming around the corner since both places already had their heart-themed merchandise on the floor the day after Christmas. 

Anyhow, I wanted to do something fun for the boys’ card, but not the lollipop card, since we did that one three years in a row (would’ve been four if I actually had them choose!) So I took the initiative and worked on something else. Step one was to take the photos.

My boys and I ventured to a nearby park-like area and I was ready with my camera. A mixture of bribery and threats ensued.

Two hours and 729 shots later, we were done.

We took photos for only 15 minutes. The rest of the time was spent wrestling, throwing rocks into the bushes and rolling in the dirt. Did I mention that I have boys?

So of course, I got a bunch of photos that look like this:

And some like this:

And this:

Sigh. Boys, right?

But finally, I got some like this:

Ahh. Serenity Now. Okay, onto the card making fun.

I’ve seen cello bags with personalized toppers and liked that idea. I also saw some snack-sized sandwich bags instead of cello bags and favored that idea because one, it gives me yet another reason to go to Target, and two, I will actually use the leftover bags! It’s a win-win situation!

I designed a bag topper so that I can utilize all the space. I am a photographer, you know. I need all the space I can get…so that I can cover it up with photos.

This is what I came up with:

I took the photos and arranged them in a layout that I liked. The topper measures 5″ by 7″ and I folded it over (not in half) to create it. I intentionally made the front of the topper longer than the back because I wanted more room for the photos in the front. The edges of the topper do not line up and I’m okay with that. No OCD issues, here!

I filled the sandwich bag with candy, zipped it up, then taped it to the inside of the topper. I used glue dots to adhere the front of the topper to the bag.

And voila! Done! Now I just have to do some folding, filling, zipping and taping. Try saying that 10 times fast.

I also realized that with the both of them handing out Valentine’s Day cards to their own classroom, I’d have double the work if I did their treats individually. So I combined them…just like their birthday parties…{insert evil laugh}

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

I Heart Valentine’s Day (Especially the Candy!)

With everything going on in my life, I have to remember to set my priorities.

That’s right, my son’s Valentine’s Day Cards come first (hee hee.) Forget the laundry. Forget the dishes.

This year, my son was prepared to take the lollipop photo. He knew exactly what to do and how to hold his fist in the air. Only Mommy didn’t want to do the lollipop photo because we’ve done it the past two years. Mommy has a new idea! But that didn’t matter. So we did the lollipop Valentine’s Day card again (well, we are in a new city, and he does go to a new school…) BUT we also added a new Valentine’s Day Card.

This year, I still wanted to attach candy to the card (uh, that’s a no-brainer!) but do something different than a lollipop. So I had him hold up his empty palm to the camera while I took some shots (easier said than done, especially with a little brother running around us in circles, literally, and into the frame.)

So instead of getting the shot I had in mind, I got this.

And this.

And this (times 20).

Eventually got some great shots of my son. So it was time to start the Valentine’s Day Cards…

First of all, I chose two poses (one for the lollipop card and the other for the “new” candy card) and sent them to the lab to be printed. Then, I glued the photos onto card stock for support.

I used an X-Acto knife to cut a small slit above and below his fist and carefully slipped the lollipop through. Do this carefully, because you can rip your card. Be sure to make a couple extra copies just in case! For step-by-step directions on how to create the Lollipop Valentine’s Day Card, please refer to my post from last year, I Heart Valentine’s Day (still.)

 

For the other card, I used a Life Saver. I applied a glue dot to the center of his palm and pressed the Life Saver down on top of it.

The finished product? He’s holding up a delicious Life Saver or lollipop for his Valentine.

Have a great Valentine’s Day and please let me know if you, too, created a card for your little one!