A Sweet Crafty Treat...

I love crafting, especially when my kids can get involved. Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, so I thought, What better way to celebrate than to make something with my daughter? We don't normally make a big deal out of V-Day, since my hubs and I both have birthdays in February, but we usually try to do something as a family; go out to dinner or something along those lines. I thought that this year I'd put a little more effort into it, however, for my kids' sakes. I promised Courtney that I'd take her to Chick-fil-A for some "little bitty chicken sandwiches" on Valentine's Day morning, but I wanted her to really think about love- God's love for us, and ways we can love others. So we made this wreath! The week leading up to V-Day, I'll write a Bible verse about love, plus one thing her dad and I love about her in each of the red papers around the outside edge of the wreath. Then we can talk about ways to show love to our family, neighbors, etc. I'm super excited, and praying that her understanding of God's love for her deepens more during that week. It's sort of like an Advent Calendar- only, modified for another holiday. The point is still the same: To deepen my child's knowledge of God's Word, to encourage her to seek God, and to draw us together as a family.

So here is what I did. If you're feeling crafty, try something like this with your kiddos. Talk about love. I asked Courtney how a person can know they're in love- how they can know they've found the right person to marry. She said, "You can know because he'll be wearing the perfect shirt!" (Didn't know it was so simple, did you?) Happy crafting everyone. Just use whatever you have lying around, and remember to HAVE FUN!!

I just grabbed all of my craft supplies that were red, pink, or Valentines Day related. Cookie cutters make great tracing tools, if your child is not comfortable making their own hearts.

I used a cake board as our backdrop. It was the only big, round-ish thing I could find.

I folded a paper towel roll into a heart shape, then snipped it every 1/2 inch or so. Then I re-shaped them with my fingers just a bit so they'd be more rounded heart shapes.

We then put glue around the edges of the hearts. I let Courtney use a glue stick, but I think if you pour a little liquid glue into a bowl, a child could easily just dip the heart into it.

And, of course, we dipped the hearts in GLITTER!! I know it's messy, but seriously- your kids are only kids once. Let 'em make a little mess now and then in the name of fun... or go outside... or let them do the glittering in the bathtub.

I then strung the hearts with embroidery thread.

Then we duct-taped everything to the back. Hey, Mama-Crafting doesn't take a degree in art or engineering- just the ability to improvise- and all mamas can do that!

I glued the sticks to the cake board and let them dry with a heavy book on top while we made the hearts. The red papers are what I'll write the Bible verses and encouragments on.

Here it is! Nothing super fancy, but my four year old jumped and giggled with excitement over the finished product. I hung it on her bedroom door with an over-the-door hook.

I hope you all enjoyed our little craft for the day. Thanks for keeping up with me here at mamaisaverb!