February in Florida is picnic weather–bright and sunny, no humidity and no mosquitoes. So this weekend, I am packing up some delicious fare and taking my family on a picnic. This quilt replaces a woolen picnic blanket that is far too hot and itchy for picnicking anywhere but the Scottish highlands. The backing is olive green, and I used a delicate floral for the binding–perfect for the great outdoors.
These paper heart pouches, with conversation hearts inside, are perfect for class valentines. They have a little bit of candy, and are easy enough for kids to make before they get bored and wander off. We traced hearts using cookie cutters and taped two together with washi tape, leaving the top open. Then we punched a hole through the top and tied the opening shut with some baker’s twine. To finish them off, we taped a heart to the end of the twine for a label.
A Sweetheart candy-induced sugar rush fueled a valentine bonanza at our house this weekend. We tried out stamps that we made from heart-shaped buttons glued on wine/beer corks and tiny heart stamps carved into pencil erasers. Yes, carving a pencil eraser takes some adult fine motor skills–and I learned that a Speedball carving tool works better than an X-acto knife. We also sewed paper valentines with yarn stitches (I punched holes and my seven-year-old Zeke stitched). Zeke preferred simple stitches–the star design (above) was too tricky for him.
But when it came time for all-out valentine production for Zeke’s classmates, we kept things simple. With washi tape and construction paper, we made big, neon plaid hearts. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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