Creating Our Own DIY Handprint Valentines

I have always made my hubby's Valentines.  He may think I am crazy, he may hate them, he may adore them- I have no clue, but since we first started dating, I have always made his Valentines.  Sometimes it has been collages, other times it has just been simple cut out hearts, but almost always it reflects something going on in our lives.  I like to make them... I like creating something with my own two hands instead of buying some card invented by some random person I don't even know.

So a few years back when my oldest daughter came along, it was only natural that daddy get a Valentine from his little girl too.  Well, it's that time of year again and this year we have one more little lady to add in to the mix and our Valentine making has been extended to Grandparents as well (because they just love getting them too!).  Because both girls are still fairly young, I combined both of them into one Valentine and created a fun little design on the computer (that I could just print out multiples of instead of hand writing them all!) to do their hand-prints on.

We used washable Crayola paint and I like to actually paint onto their hands.  This year big sis was able to paint her own hand- HUGE fun, lol!

Big sis had to switch up the colors for each person (of course), but after doing little sis (9 months old) once, I decided she would just have to stay purple the whole time.  We did all of hers in one fell swoop, then let big sis take her sweet time.  They had a blast!.  To back the Valentines, I just used some old scrap-booking paper that I don't plan on using for anything else, glued on our little hearts, and cut with some scallopy scissors.  It really only took us about an hour from start to finish.

 

After they had time to dry, I went back and wrote each girl's name along with this year's date.

We will be delivering Thursday!  Fun times!  So, I am dying to know- anyone else crazy enough to make their own Valentines each year??

Oh- and if you like the little 'HAND/heart' background I used, you can download it by clicking HERE- it is saved in my google Drive :)

Small things become great when done with LOVE

I am trying out a new chalkboard background... you see the one I was using was just a tad to small to really print as an 8X10 so I went on a mission to make my own!  I am in the process of creating a year long set of chalkboard printables to use as a more permanent home decor piece and I wanted to have a good 8X10 base.  Here is my trial printable on the new back drop.

This is a possible February printable, but like I said, it's just a trial!  Feel free to click on the picture to download the print for yourself!  Print it at home or send it in to your friendly hometown picture developer.

Any thoughts on the chalkboard... is it a keeper??

Christy

A Great DIY Teacher Gift... Heart-shaped Hand Warmers

So this is my daughter's first year of Pre-School.  Being a teacher myself, I knew I wanted to get her teachers something special and unique that didn't break the bank (especially since she has a zillion random teachers!).  I saw this super cute idea for hand warmers made from fleece and rice on Pinterest and after some image searching I finally found the original post from The Inbetween Girls for DIY Hand warmers. Since I know how chilly recess can be, I was sold.  I changed it up a bit, so here is what we (big sis got to help!) did...

From JoAnn's, I picked up a roll of fleece from the remnants bin (there are a ton of super cute fleece prints and solids this time of year), embrodery thread found by the needlepoint section, some needles that could handle the thick embroidery thred, and some cute white favor bags from the wedding section to carry them in.  In all my bill was about $10.  I also used white rice and a funnel from our pantry, a heart cookie cutter for the shape, and a fabric pen for tracing.

I laid out the fleece and traced my hearts on, four hearts for each gift.  I traced 32 hearts for the 8 teacher gifts I needed to make.

Next I cut them all out and one by one began stitching two together at a time.  I decided to use a simple hand stitch instead of the sewing machine for a few reasons... 1. I like the way the chunky thread gives an antiquey feel (plus you can tie the two ends to make cute bows this way!) 2. It seems easier to fill with rice and continue to make those last few stitches 3. It really doesn't take much longer by hand anyway.

When sewing around the edges leave about an inch to use the funnel and fill with rice.  I found I needed less than 2' of thread for each one and between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of rice.

Big sis was great help filling the hearts with rice... that was her part.  Little sis tried to help too... by chewing on the funnel!

Once they were filled with rice, I finished stitching, tied it off with a knot, then tied a cute bow with the two thread ends.

And since I am addicted to chalkboard word creations (just check out my Printables page, lol!) I made a cute little poem and gift tag to tie onto the wedding favor bags.  They are 4X6 and can just be printed onto index cards.  I printed mine on the front and back, cutting them apart to get two tags per index card.  Click below to get the free printable file!

She is taking in her little gifts tomorrow... I hope her teachers enjoy them!

 

What is your favorite handmade gift?  I'd love to hear and see about your creations this year! 

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