Bitten

When I was a kid, our homeschool group used to have a Valentines Day party every year. We all made Valentine mailboxes and exchanged Valentines with all our friends. We played games and had refreshments. It was always lots of fun. My mom, being the crafty, creative type, always helped Jenny and me make cute Valentines. She didn't believe in buying the boxed kind. Besides, making Valentines was a great reason to spend more quality time together. The Valentine that most quickly comes to mind was the year we cut out large red and pink paper hearts of descending sizes and glued them together. A paper heart doily was the top layer, garnished with a sparkly, red, heart sticker. We cut two slits in the center of the Valentine and threaded Red Vines through them as an arrow. Our notes were written on the back. So cute and fun!

Last year I just didn't feel like making Valentines, so I had Walmart print up photo Valentines for Snapper's class and our family. They were adorable. I had planned on skipping Valentines altogether this year since we just got back from being gone for 5 weeks. But two things happened that changed my mind: 1. Snapper is totally excited about Valentines Day, and begged me to help her make Valentines to send to our family in California and Spokane. How could I resist that? 2. I came home from California to two new issues of my Creating Keepsakes magazine, one of which was the Valentines Day feature. Ideas came popping and screaming off the cover at me. And I was bitten. Or I took the bait. Whatever...

A peek at the Hobby Lobby website confirmed it--paper and stickers are 50% off this week. Plus I had a 25% off coupon. Plus I receive the family discount since Debbie works there. That decided, I left the kids with Debbie and floated down to that crafter's paradise called Hobby Lobby. I thoroughly enjoyed a blissful, kid-free hour selecting paper and cardstock. Then Snapper and I had a delightful afternoon crafting our Valentines. They aren't super creative. They aren't at all complicated. But they are a mix of Snapper's child-art and my patterned paper obsession. In a word, they are cute! And I ordered a sweet pic of the kids to go with. So if you are a member of my family, be watching your mail on Monday or Tuesday. You'll get a little belated Valentines Day treat.

Another day. Another memory made.