Birch Bark Valentine

Welcome to day 14, our final day, of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines!
For the past 14 days we've brought you non-stop Valentine's posts as a celebration of this lovely Holiday.  We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have.  Don't forget to click on the button at the end of this post to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

We have a beautiful River Birch Tree in the front of our house.  It constantly sheds bark and I am always tempted to do something with the bark.  

(Our Birch Tree after an ice storm last winter.  The limbs are heavy with ice)

I finally came up with a unique idea for the bark--Valentines!  Super cute, super easy to make, and nearly FREE!

We started by taking some bark off of our tree.  We made sure to only take bark that was already falling off so that we did not injure the tree.

Next we pealed the layers of the bark as best we could so that it wouldn't shred any further.

Then we painted a heart on the inside of the bark.  If you are doing this project, make sure you are painting on the inside as well, because Birch bark is water resistant and your paint won't stick well to the outside.

Next write a message on the bark.  (Hint: the bark can be a bit powdery so you may have to have a scribble pad next to you so that you can get the powder off your pen).

Roll up the bark and tie it with a bow.  

You've got a Birch bark Valentine!

What have you made with Birch bark?

7 Unique Valentine Treats

Welcome to day 13 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

Like most Holidays, Valentine's Day has some awesome treats associate with it.  Once again, we've scoured the internet in search of some unique morsels to share with your kids.

1.  Just For You Giant Valentine Cookie--Who doesn't love cookies?  Giant ones are even better!

2.  Love Potion #9--Considering raspberries are my favorite fruit, I'll take this potion any day!

3.  Valentine Play Dough Cookie Pops--They're actually made from cookie dough but you roll it and shape it like Play Dough.

4.  Heart Shaped Pizza--Almost all kids love pizza.  Add a Valentine twist by shaping it into a heart.

5.  DIY Personalized Valentine Treats--These are sure to make any kid feel special.

6.  Love Shack--The only thing I can say is that this is WAY too cute!

7.  Shirley Temple--Typically a summer drink, this will add a refreshing addition to any Valentine Party.

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

Pin the Heart on the Love Bug--FREE printable!

Welcome to day 12 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

Do your children have Valentine Parties at school? Do you have to help plan the games for the party? Though I was not involved in planning my daughter's Valentine party this year, I did come up with a great game to help fill some time. It's a spin off of the old classic "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" but this time it's "Pin the Heart on the Love Bug!"

If you want to play Pin the Heart on the Love Bug at your school party or even at home with your kids, you'll need:

• 4 pieces of white 8.5 x 11 paper
• 1 piece of pink or red paper
• A bandana to use as a blind fold
• Tape
• Scissors

Start by clicking each quarter of the love bug photo above to download all of them.  Once downloaded, print them, then tape them together to form one large love bug like the first picture. You may have to trim off some border before taping together.

Next, click on the hearts above to download them.  Once downloaded, print them onto the pink or red paper and cut them out.  Put each child's name on a heart to tell them apart.

Now it's time to play the game and have some fun!

1)  Hang the large love bug on a wall at the height of the children's shoulders.
2)  Give each child a heart with a piece of tape on it.
3)  Form a line a few feet from the wall.
4)  Blindfold the first child then spin him/her three times in a circle ending with facing the love bug.
5)  The child must then walk (still blindfolded) toward the love bug and place their heart as close as they think they are to the heart on the bug.
6)  Each child takes a turn being blindfolded and placing their heart on the love bug.
7)  The closest child's heart to the heart on the bug wins!

What other forms of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" have you played?
  

Lovely Little Love Bugs

Welcome to day 11 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

These little love bugs are REALLY easy to make and really fun too! It will only take a few minutes and a few supplies as well.

Here's what you will need:
paper
marker
stapler (or glue)
pipe cleaner
pencil

Cut out two hearts (one for each side of the love bug)
We cut out 48 hearts because we made 24 of these for my son's class room door at school

 Roll up a strip of construction paper or cardstock and secure with a few staples (or glue)

Attach the "wings" by using the same method. Then color a face on each love bug. You will need to wrap a piece of pipe cleaner around a pencil to give it a curly cue shape and then secure them to the top of the love bug. Enjoy!

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

Cooper & Kid A Valentine Gift for Dads and Kids

Welcome to day 10 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

Do you buy Valentine's gifts for your husband and your kids?  Do you struggle with what to get them?  We've got the perfect gift for BOTH of them!  Cooper & Kid is a new start up that has a mission to be the first retailer for today's modern, engaged dads.  How are they going to do that?  With boxes of fun!

Today's fathers spend 3-7 times more hours per week with their kids than their fathers did with them.  The term Stay-At-Home-Dad is no longer un-heard of, and dads are proud to spend quality time with their children.   Cooper & Kid wants to create a year of monthly boxes that are fun, but also help dads tap into their inner child as well as their power as a man to raise the next generation.

Cooper & Kid recently completed a Kickstarter campaign but still have some fundraising to do before they get completely off the ground and are able to do monthly box subscriptions.  Right now they are offering the How Things Fly Cooper Kit as an introduction.  The How Things Fly Cooper Kit gives you an idea of what types of things you will be getting in each month's themed box. 

Lindsi and I (I mean our Husbands) had a chance to review the Cooper Kit.  Let met tell you, both Lindsi's Husband and mine were really excited when they opened the boxes! 
    Lindsi's Husband: He loved the idea of the monthly changed topics. He thought it was a fantastic and unique idea to create a special bond between a father and his child. His favorite part was the time that it "created" for him and our kids to spend talking about the topic (which just happened to be flight).
Jamie's Husband:  He loved that there was a variety of things to do and that even though the topic was flying (typically geared toward boys), the girls had fun with the toys.  He enjoyed watching the girls get excited over what was in the box and was thrilled when he found out that the box could be made into a toy too (something I didn't notice at first).  "It shows extra thinking on their part," he said.

Overall impression:  We (and our Husbands) LOVE the idea of monthly boxes that encourage dads to spend quality time with their kids, after all, that's what we blog about!  Though some things in the box broke after limited use, all the kids and our Hubbies enjoyed trying the things out.  Is it worth it?  For the time spent with the kids, and the ideas on how to spend it, yes! 

What are you waiting for? Show your husband and your kids how much you love them this Valentine's Day by giving them the gift of time together. When you buy your gift, you'll be supporting the start-up of a company that promises to bring fun for dads and kids for years to come!

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

We received Cooper & Kid How Things Fly Cooper Kits for our review.  We received no other compensation for this post.  All opinions are our own or that of our Husbands.  

Valentine Inchworm Semi-Failure

Welcome to day 9 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

I saw the most adorable Valentine Inchworms in the Oriental Trading catalog.  The problem was, I didn't need to make 24 of them, and I really didn't want to pay for the kits when I had most of the stuff to make them at home already.  So I went to the craft store and bought 1 piece of pink foam paper (is that what that stuff is called?).  The google eyes, jewels, pompoms, and pipe cleaners I had already.  

The above photo is from the Oriental Trading website and what I wanted our inchworms to kinda look like.

I started by cutting the foam into 3/4 inch strips (the short way).  Then the girls folded them accordion style.  I thought our worms would stay folded.  I guess I haven't worked with the foam stuff enough.  No fear, we would glue it to make it stay!

Um, yeah, even with the rubber band to hold it in place till it dried, it still didn't stay together once dry and did not stay and folded well either.  The girls wanted to decorate them anyway so on we went...

They glued the jewels, pompoms, google eyes, and pipe cleaners on.  Each having to keep pressing and re-sticking things to make them stay.  

The girls were happy with the results.  I wanted them to look like the ones from the catalog.  In hinds site, we probably should have used the hot glue gun to make things stick.  Most importantly though, take a closer look at the photo from the catalog.  Yep, those are holes in the foam.  You stick those little heart things through the holes and that's what makes your inchworm stay folded up!  You try, you learn...

Have you ever tried to make things from a catalog with your kids?  How did it go?

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

Love Coffee Koozie

Welcome to day 8 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

If you're like me...I'm sure your not (tee hee hee)...you sit and think about all those coffee koozies sitting in a landfill each time they hand you one with your tasty morning drink.

I am a huge fan of upcycling....what is upcycling? It's reusing something that serves no purpose and transforming it into something you can use! I have gained a few pounds after having my four babies (come on...no grief needed!) and my old cream sweater didn't really fit me anymore. So it sits and sits and sits there in my closet tormenting me saying "ha, ha! You'll never wear me again!" (Big meanie!) I was looking at the sleeves thinking they would make GREAT coffee koozies! So away to work I went.

Here's what you will need:
an old sweater
felt
thread and needle (or sewing machine)
ribbon

I snipped out a heart out of a scrap piece of felt that I had left over from my Advent Calendar. I grabbed my sharp scissors and cut the end of my sleeve on my sweater and stitched the heart onto it.

I then attached the ribbon (and a little elastic) to the bottom and smiled. I love how it turned out and the bonus is...I made another one from the other sleeve and will give it as a gift to a friend in need.

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

Valentine Fortune Teller--FREE Printable!

Welcome to day 7 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

Who remembers paper fortune tellers from when you were younger?  My friends and I used to spend hours making and playing with them.

I was trying to come up with something unique to do for Nutty's Valentines this year and thought Valentine Fortune Tellers would be perfect!

I made them, printed them, and showed them to Nutty.  She LOVED the Fortune Tellers and can't wait to give them to her friends (classmates) for Valentine's Day!

I you want to give these unique Valentine's to your child's classmates for friends for Valentine's Day just click on the template to download.  

It fits on an 8.5 x 11 in paper and makes four at a time.

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.

Pintrest Inspired Valentine's Part Deux

Welcome to day 6 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! 

From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.

Last year we shared with you some of our favorite Pins floating around out there and it was such a huge hit that we thought we'd share again this year. Rather than give Pinterest the linky love, we'll be linking you directly to the websites the pins originally came from.  Feel free to pin stuff you like from the original source or find them on our Valentine board and re-pin them from there.

Top 14 Pintrest inspired Valentine's (in no particular order)

14. We love you because...yup it's one of ours and it was so popular that we're sharing it with you (and our newest readers.

13. My heart belongs to you. We love this project because it is something kids of ALL ages can do and be proud of.

12. Snowflake Valentine. How cute are these Valentine's? Crafty, easy to do, and fun for the kids.

11. Wax Paper Hearts. Simple to do, recycle old crayons, and create something new!

10. Panda Bear Valentine's Box. I mean come on! This is too cute NOT to make!

9. Valentine's Day lunches. A little extra time can mean a BIG difference. I know it makes my kids smile.

8. Valentine's Day Tic Tac Toe. I bet you have all of the supplies in your house. My kids love to play tic tac toe so I know a little added LOVE will make it even more fun.

7. Valentine's Day bath. I know this is meant for the kids but this could be a great idea for me to keep tucked away for Valentine's Day for my hubby too! I love the use of bubble wrap to add some extra fun!

6. Heart Bracelets. I saw all the tools needed for this project in the dollar section at Target. This is a great idea for fine motor skills.

5. Cupid's Treasure Hunt Jamie's fun filled treasure hunt with a Valentine's Day spin on it.

4. Be Mine Applique Shirt. It sounds difficult but trust me it's not...even a non-crafty person could pull this off!

3. Hand Print Valentine's. The best part about these is that they are a keepsake of your child's hand print too!

2. Woven Hearts. Come on....you remember doing these when you were a kid!

1. Valentine's Crayons. Recycling at its finest! Old broken crayons made new again!

Click on the button below to see all of our past Valentine's posts.