With Valentine's Day just around the corner I thought it would be fun and fitting to share some great ideas and provide some inspiration...first off, let's get one thing clear - I love Valentine's Day but not in the traditional sense of the holiday. Forget the flowers, the chocolate, the date night - ha! (I don't remember the last time Jordan and I celebrated Valentine's Day in a restaurant enjoying a romantic meal). Times have definitely changed, but for the better! I love to be creative on Valentine's Day...I stay away from the chocolate and sweets, and try to give my kids and hubby gifts they can truly appreciate!
Before I get into my plans for this year, I thought I would share some visions from the past. Before kids...back in the early days of our relationship. Who knows - maybe they'll inspire one of you to get creative! Not to mention save a dime or two. These surprises cost me next to nothing!
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| I did this for my husband in 2008, just a couple years after we met. He was so excited when he woke up in the morning and looked out our bedroom window. All I used was red food colouring and a plastic juice jug to pour the red water. |
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| An inexpensive way to show anyone how much you care! A little time consuming but worth the effort! ...each heart had a different message, but they all started with "I love you because...". |
Fast forward a few years later and Valentine's Day becomes more about spending time with those you love...not the one you love.
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| Hudson, Georgia and Cody 2015 - check out their pink hair! |
With kids, Valentine's day takes on a whole new meaning. It's about having fun, being silly and spending time together. Here are some of the ways Jord and I have celebrated with the kids in previous years.
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| Heart shaped grilled cheese. |
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| Homemade heart shaped pizza. |
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| "We Click Valentine" sugar cookies. I made these a few years ago for friends and family. |
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| I used a straw to poke the holes as soon as they came out of the oven. Then I attached ribbon, so the kids could wear them around their necks, like a real camera! |
This year, I'm excited to spend Valentine's Day with my whole family (and our newest addition - baby Jack). Valentines falls on the Sunday before Family Day. Let's just say that's the best Valentine's Day present I could ask for...a long weekend with two special holidays! In our home, we've already started getting ready. I love getting the
kids excited and looking forward to the big day! I know - it's not Christmas ...but it's still worthy of some special traditions. I'm very thankful to be home with my kids this year as I near the end of my 3rd maternity leave. Being home has given me the opportunity to plan some fun activities with my kids. Here are some of the things we've been up to:
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| Handmade heart stamps using a paper towel roll and a little tape. |
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| I'm always looking for activities that allow children to work independently with little direction...this particular art project gave Georgia the opportunity to easily create several beautiful pieces (with very little guidance from me). |
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| An artist busy at work! |
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| She loved adding some stickers to all her paintings. |
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| The finished product! |
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| Hudson and Georgia enjoy colouring with these homemade crayons. All you need is a silicone mould (I used a bigger one to make the hearts above), an oven and lots of crayons! http://www.marthastewart.com/267304/crazy-crayons - I find it easier to get the crayon out if you use the silicone trays. You can pick them up at the dollar store (this mini heart tray is great if you have to make a lot!). I now keep mine in the craft room...they don't clean well after baking crayons in them. |
Something I look forward to with every new holiday is decorating our mantle. When we moved two years ago, our first home renovation was the family room (and fireplace). Since then I've had so much fun getting creative and decorating it to fit any occasion! The best part - the kids just love to see what mommy has planned next. Here's what I've been up to this week:
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| We've had this wooden decoration for quite sometime, but when we moved we didn't get around to hanging it in the new home. I decided to pull it out for Valentine's Day and get some use out of it...I actually like it up there! |
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| Georgia and I found these branches in our backyard and she helped me glue on the little hearts (from the dollar store). I picked up the white mason jar there too ..last summer. |
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| I used dimensional fabric paint to add a little dazzle to this mason jar. |
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| This piece was done using canvas, acrylics paints and a few stickers. |
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| Handmade banner. |
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| The full view! |
The great thing about seasonal décor is that it's always changing - there's always something fresh and new to look at! Many of these pieces can and have been used in other areas of our home...and the only thing I bought new was the picture frame - WINNERS! I plan on putting a picture of the kids in there. Jord thought it was going to be a picture of him - haha!
I wanted to share some of the goodies I bought for the kids and Jord. I don't like to spend a lot of money on Valentines so I try to pick things up on sale and I always manage to snag some good finds at the local Dollar Stores. When and if I do splurge (a little), it's always on something they need. The best advice I can give is to buy in advance. I always have a stash of goodies hidden in my office...I keep them for rainy days, birthdays and other holidays. Here are some of the surprises I've gathered up:
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| Books, colouring paper, stickers and pretty much anything with a Disney Princess or Paw Patrol on it - is what makes my little Georgia smile. I just loved the sunglasses so much - I picked up a pair for myself too! We have so much fun dressing up together...and I know that won't last forever. |
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| Books, books and more books...Hudson loves reading! We purchased most of these books from Scholastic in January. The star wars shirt is from http://www.zara.com/ca/. This is one of my favourite stores to purchase clothing for myself and my children! - their pieces are current, trendy and so far I've been impressed with the quality. It can be a little pricey though...the key is wait for their sales. From my experience, things tend to stick around, especially online so be patient! |
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| This jacket is also from Zara. At 60% off I just had to grab it. Besides, baby Jack will be needing a coat next winter and why pay full price? I can't wait to see him in it...such a classic piece! |
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| I ordered this shirt online from http://www.sportinglife.ca/. I love this time of year because you get all the great deals! My hubby never buys clothes for himself so I always find myself buying them for him - if I didn't, I think he would wear his sweatpants everyday! |
I haven't forgotten about our puppy Cody! This year I plan on making him homemade dog biscuits. Check out this simple recipe: http://damndelicious.net/2015/01/07/homemade-peanut-butter-dog-treats/ (I use some of her recipes for my family too!) Depending on the holiday you can use cookie cutters to make any shape of dog biscuit.
As a teacher, I also enjoy being creative with my students! Times have changed though, since I was student. I remember we used to have parties with all kinds of goodies and treats. Nowadays it's difficult to give your students anything edible for fear of allergies. Here are some ideas you can use if you work with young children. They're fun, safe and sugar free!
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| I made these for my grade 3/4 students a few years ago. You can pick up the paint chips at any paint or hardware store. If you tell them what it's for...they're usually pretty nice about giving you the samples. |
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| I made these for my grade 2 students last year! (the bouncy balls are from the Dollar Store) |
This year I'm really excited to make these for Hudson's kindergarten class:
I picked up the dinosaurs(from Dollarama) just the other day and spent less than $4.00!
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| Hudson can't wait to give the finished cards to his classmates! His teachers have already requested that we don't address each card by name and I think that is a great idea! |
I wanted to share some other ideas I came across...I hope to use some of them next year!
For Kids and Teachers: http://www.carrieelle.com/diy-lego-movie-valentines-free-printable - Great idea for a class or LEGO party! ...a little expensive for a large groups.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/easy-valentines-day-crafts-for-kids_n_6518196.html? - So many great ideas! #19 is adorable. Hudson wants to give these to his teachers.
For the Home: http://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2013/01/valentine-mantel.html - So pretty!
http://www.cupcakediariesblog.com/2012/02/valentines-day-decor.html - I love the first one! I would have four hearts too...the 4th heart would be for our dog Cody.
http://masonjarcraftslove.com/valentine-heart-jars-painted-distressed/?crlt.pid=camp.aloPGJriPsK6 - I'm obsessed with mason jars so these are a must in my future!
http://www.dreamhomedecoration.com/dream-home/top-35-straightforward-heart-shaped-diy-crafts-for-valentines-day/ - Once again some great ideas! But I really like the black and white painted canvas with the buttons and the heart-shaped carrots...who would have thought?
http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/xoxo-canvas-tutorial-free-printable - an easy DIY painted canvas! Love it! It was a toss up between this one and the "Love Never Fails" one (in the photos above).
For the Baker: http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/2011/01/kopykake-shmopykake/ - These cookies are adorable!
http://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/2922234/valentine-cookies - I'll have to try these ones too!
Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine's Day! Be sure to spend it with the ones you love!
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