The Valentine's Craft-fest.

Sorry for the lack of posting last night. I am pretty sure that I needed a glass of wine, more than you needed me to complain about the slew of atrocities that was my Monday. I am being a tad dramatic, as my day wasn't all that bad, but my afternoon schedule was thrown for a little loop and it ended in a hissy fit that some might categorize as a seizure.



But now I am back! And it snowed PLUS there was no snow day, no school missed! Bliss!



Before I forget, I am going to give you a quick pictorial run-down of last week's Valentine's party/craft making extravaganza. With 25 kids, mostly four and under, it was sort of a free for all...but nothing that a few wet wipes couldn't cure.



Project #1: Decorating treat bags with foam stamps and paint. Self explanatory.





Project #2: Making lollipop cookies. I pre-made regular sugar cookie dough, and used some food coloring to create shades of pink and green (Filth Wizardry did it at Christmas with candy cane shaped cookies...her gift of genius ideas keep on givin'). When you take the cookies out of the oven, you add a lollipop stick, and the cookie will cool (and solidify) around it. This was my take on cookie decorating WITHOUT the mess of icing! My thought was that the kids would wrap their cookies up in cellophane bags and gift them to someone special...yeah, that didn't happen. Cookies were eaten. Children were happy. I call it a success.

Project #3: Salt dough necklaces/ornaments. I pre-made several sizes of heart-shaped salt dough ornaments for the kids to paint and add glitter to. Once they were dry, they strung them with beads on to lengths of grosgrain ribbon to create necklaces or ornaments. I have several hanging from cabinet doors and above picture frames and they make me so happy!

Project #4: Felt circle collage. I was aiming this craft toward the older kids of the bunch, but it was a big hit with all age groups! Prior to the party, I sewed the outline of a heart on to cardstock, and cut out MANY circles from various colors of felt. The kids then applied their circles and buttons at liberty, with Elmer's glue, on the day of the party.

Goodie bags. What's a party without a goodie bag. Here's where I went a little crazy at the dollar store, finding all kinds of treats in shades of red and pink...and then presented them in various jars that the kiddies could pick and choose from. Easy and pretty! For the girls, I included some headbands, bows made from this tutorial and lip gloss. The boys each got a can of silly string.

Other treats and sweets...yum.

It was a success I think! Yes, it was chaotic, but that's life for moms in the toddler/preschool age of parenting. I always like others to share in my imperfect chaos--the world is a less dark place when we realize that we're all fighting the same battles. Sometimes with success, sometimes with frustration. Sometimes with wine.

Happy Valentine's Week. Or Friendship Week (as it is called at Big J, L & Little J's school). I'm still not over it.