Scarlett's class Valentine's Day card

Before I get all braggy about Scarlett’s adorable homemade Valentine’s, I want to make a few declarations.

One is a quote from my friend Wendy, who wrote the following on Facebook:

We are buying valentines and not making them this year. Because let’s be honest: the kids who receive them don’t give a shit.

The second is from another friend Asha, co-author of Minimalist Parenting and founder of Parent Hacks, who said:

While I totally agree with both of my sensible, down-to-earth friends, making things with my kids is one my personal passions. It doesn’t have to be yours. So while I support everyone who has other things to focus on, this is something I actually look forward to. Please don’t mock or accuse me of setting the bar too high. I promise: I am under-achieving in other areas.

When Pinterest first became something I was looking at on a daily basis, over a year ago, I was charmed by Kristen’s Valentine’s Day project, and filed it away (virtually) for the future. Over the weekend I pitched the idea to Scarlett, showing her pictures of Kristen’s kids, and she was excited about it. (Julian wanted nothing to do with it.)

First, I had her pose for a photo with a blank wall behind her. She needed to hold her fist out away from her body so that there would be space for the lollipop. Then I used my new favorite app Over to add text on top of the photo. (Seriously, check out this app. It will make you feel fancy in an instant.)

Next I printed them 4×6 on a nice stock of paper, 2-up on a page.

Then we cut them out, used a hole puncher to put holes at the top and bottom of her fist in the picture, and finally, she slid the lollipops through.

(Note that we skipped the laborious process of having a Kindergartner write each of her classmate’s names on a Valentine. I did that with Julian when he was in Pre-K with a list of 23 classmates and it was painful.)

In summary, here’s what you need:

Card stock paper
A printer with functioning ink cartridges (I find maintaining this to be challenging)
A child who is willing to pose until you get it right
A blank wall
A way to put text over an image (markers work of course, but again, I recommend the app)
Scissors
Hole puncher
Lollipops

If you relate more to Asha than to me in this moment, consider her upcoming class. It’s free!

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.