childbearing hipster

Valentime!

Since Molly's got mostly the same classmates as last year, I felt like I couldn't redo last year's Valentines for the girls. I set out to find a worthy successor, but most of what I found were either printables or things I would never have time to finish. Printables are great, and what I would have fallen back on if I couldn't come up with anything better, but I wanted something more memorable.

A fact-finding mission to Michael's almost left me emptyhanded until I found, in the wedding aisle rather than the Valentine Crap section, boxes of small test-tube-like bottles of bubbles with heart-shaped tops. Hmmm, I thought, and grabbed a couple of boxes. I can do something with these.

Friends on Twitter and Facebook helped with suggestions for a tagline, and then it turned out Daisy's school doesn't exchange valentines (WTF?), and in the end, here's what we came up with:

A dab of hot glue holds the vial of bubbles to a piece of cardstock, upon which is printed a goofy bubble-related saying. I downloaded the font "DJ Candyheart" here and installed it in Word, where I used a label template that was just the right size. Molly signed her name on the back of the cards before I shot a glob of glue, let it cool enough to be tacky without melting the plastic, and smooshed each bubble bottle into place. The vials will hold fast, but easily pop off to be enjoyed later.

I don't think they're as rad as the fortune cookies, but they're probably going to be more fun for the recipient.

(too late to get to Michael's? The source for all my "fall-back" printable possibilities is this post at The Long Thread.)

i told u i was heartcore

Tomorrow's Pickin' Valentines

So, the year before last we made valentines for Molly's class and then it turned out that most kids had store-bought cards. Last year she absolutely insisted on store-bought valentines, and everybody had bad-ass handmade cards.

This year, I'm not letting the kids tell me what to do. I have a really great idea cooked up for our most special friends, and for their class Valentine exchange, I want to make these awesome felt fortune cookies (you knew it would be Martha, right?).

Here are a couple of backup ideas though, in case I don't get to the store for pink and red felt:

Cute free printables from Woot

This fun Flickr set of scanned vintage valentines

More vintage cuties at Hearts Atwirl

Last year I made a box for Molly's valentines with some similar vintage cards that I printed and cut out, then decoupaged onto a box. So if you're already set for cards but you're low on creative brainpower for a mailbox, there you go.

OMG, WANT!

How much would my girls love it if they had some bloomers? I think I'm going to have to co-opt this idea.

Making Stockings

We don't seem to have stockings. Last year we used our boots, when we travel we use whatever we can scrounge up. Next year, I'll hopefully have knit us some stockings.

This year, it's 99-cent cheap felt stockings, sequins, rhinestones, and glue, and we decorated them at the dinner table.

Showing Off

This is a drawing Molly did, of the family: me, herself, Dug, and Daisy. It's a signed original.

This is a cotton teatowel I embroidered for Dug's parents, based on Molly's drawing:

My method was to simply trace the original drawing directly onto the towel using a water erasable pen, then to refer to the original as necessary while I embroidered.

I also made them two towels for the cabin, a sailboat and a birch tree:

Unfortunately I wrapped and mailed the rest of my gifts before I realized I hadn't photographed them. Hopefully I'll be able to get pictures after the fact.

Too Many Ornaments, Not Enough Trees

These salt dough ornaments did not get cut out, baked, cooled, painted, dried, sequinned, and then dried again before our Christmas packages went out. Maybe we can get them out before everyone's trees come down, so they can get carefully packed up with the other ornaments and make their debuts next year.

We just need to tie ribbons through the holes.