Preparing the Valentines...

I know that I am a couple of days late in getting these posted, but thought I would share a few pictures from our Valentine crafting extravaganza. For the first time, both boys needed Valentines to take to school - 15 and 17, respectively. And I hold it as a source of pride that in my childhood I never took store-bought Valentines to my friends and classmates. Therefore, neither should my boys, right?


I wanted something that was "abstract" and easy to reproduce multiple times that the kids could do with only a little cheerleading. I also wanted to try and use only things that I had on hand. Those requirements lead me to the old classic - potato stamps. I cut a couple of hearts, Max grabbed the paint that he wanted, and we laid the white cardstock on the kitchen floor.


I have to confess that at first I did more micro-managing than I wanted. Worrying about mess, I forgot to just let them go and enjoy it. Fortunately for all of us, I did eventually remember that paint washes and there weren't going to be any messes we couldn't clean up. I grabbed the camera, stepped back, and watched them go.


It was beautiful. Max was very serious, thinking about his friends at school and being very deliberate and intentional. He liked the pure red and orange, and found that by adding the dot paints, he was able to get the look he wanted. Luke, as is his nature, was much more free-form. Mixing paints, stamping, smearing, and even adding a paintbrush, he filled his pages in rapid fire. I was inspired, watching both of my boys working and creating (once their mama got out of their way).


The final product was a quarter sheet of their heart painted paper mounted on construction paper. Max signed each of his, and I signed Luke's. They weren't masterpieces, but they were made with love and in the spirit of the holiday. And it was way more fun than buying them at the store.