Last year I started the tradition of having our little one make Valentines for close family and friends. This year I wanted to continue the tradition but find a way to make them as inexpensive as possible, and so I settled on the idea of DIY Valentine Postcards.
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Materials:
How-to:
One of the reasons I decided to make postcards this year instead of traditional cards was, not only are postcards cuter, they cost almost 30% less to mail than a traditional card - these postage savings add up! As a result, this project cost next to nothing to do. I already had the paint, toilet paper rolls, rulers, etc. - I just had to run down to the local store and pick up a piece of poster board which cost a whopping 99 cents.
The how-to is pretty straight forward: use a ruler to measure and cut out your postcards (I made mine 4x5.5", but you can check here for more details on postcard requirements). If you have a paper cutter that can come in quite handy to make quick work of cutting them out.
Next use a ruler and a sharpie to create the back of the postcard, one line down the middle and then three lines on the right hand side for the address.
Next let your toddler go to town! I put down one card at a time to keep the backs clean from paint as well as to keep them from getting over-saturated. To make the heart "stamp" I used toilet paper tubes bent into a heart shape and held together with tape.
Once the cards were done I let our little one go crazy on the table covering.
The cards drying - they came out pretty great!!
I kept the backs very basic with a simple handwritten message and a little heart stamp.
I hope you enjoyed this little Valentine DIY! It was very quick and easy and the possibilities are endless when it comes to how you want to paint, color, or draw the front of the postcard.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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Perusing Pinterest the other day I came across a pin for these Apple Rose Tarts from Martha Stewart and thought they'd be perfect to make for Valentine's Day!
Since this adorable idea was from Martha Stewart, I'll lead you there to see the full directions. However, my one complaint about the article was that it didn't give a lot of specifics, so please read on for my tips and lessons learned.
Apple Rose Tarts: Tips + Tricks
- The article suggests buttering and flouring your muffin tin first, which I did, but I can't stress how important it is to really thoroughly do it. I thought I had done a good job coating the pan but when it came time to take the tarts out they didn't come out easy and quite a few had some damage.
- For the pie crust I went the easy route and used a box of classic Jiffy Pie Crust mix and had enough dough to line a 12-cup muffin tin.
- For the apples I used 3 Gala apples. I didn't have a mandolin and had to hand-cut them.. I definitely think a mandolin would have been a lot easier.
- Using 3 apples I ended up with enough thin slices to make 6 roses, and enough left over apple pieces to fill the other 6 muffin cups. (*In summary, 1 apple with make 2 apple roses.. so If you wanted to make 12 apple rose tarts you would need 6 apples)
- There wasn't any hint at how much sugar and cinnamon to use, so I filled a cereal bowl about halfway with white sugar (brown sugar would have probably tasted better but it would have browned the apple roses) and probably a teaspoon of cinnamon. When it came time to sprinkle the mixture on the apple slices I was very generous.
- The apple slices need to be really soft and pliable in order to roll them well. I had to microwave them until they were soft and steaming in order to roll them without breaking.
- Once you start rolling the apple slices, don't stop! Roll them tightly and place right into the prepared muffin pan - make sure it's close by.
- Let the tarts cool completely before trying to take them out of the tin.
The Apple Rose Tarts were a big hit! Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!
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We decided to try our hand at making our own toddler art Valentine cards to send to family and friends - it was so easy and a lot of fun!
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How-to:
For our little one to make her art, I taped some big sheets of finger painting paper to our kitchen floor and let her go to town! This was also her first painting experience, and it's safe to say that she really enjoyed it... though I think she may have been just as interested in trying to pull the tape off the floor.
Even though I was an art education major, I'd never used special paper for finger painting and I was a bit skeptical at first. The paper touts being "glossy and non-absorbent" and I wasn't sure how the paint would stay on the paper or if it would dry well. Nevertheless, it worked great! The non-absorbency and glossiness is perfect for finger painting - a little paint goes a long way since it isn't absorbed into the paper and the smooth glossy surface makes it easy for little fingers to move the paint around. Drying time was pretty fast too and the paint stayed well on the paper, no flaking or peeling.
Once the paintings were dry, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to trace out the hearts and cut them out.
I glued the hearts onto a folded piece of white stationery from C.R. Gibson, then added a little handwritten note inside and they were done. Now to mail them off to family and friends!
Happy Valentine's Day!
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