Another year of "what can I do that's cheap for valentines but that's something they can have?"...and doesn't involve candy (per our district's "no candy" policy)....I'm posting early this week in case you need a valentine project to throw together before Thursday!
I've got 5 kids, that's 20+16+18+19+3 = 76 valentines to buy or make! and I don't like to give just a little card from some pre-made pack of character valentines from the store. (I know, I complicate my own life.) :)
Found an idea for various clothespin crafts, so I took a spun on those for our own valentine.
Here it is all wrapped up:
We painted clothespins (right now they have a 36 pack at the dollar tree - most of mine came from a 100 pack from walmart for some low cost). And let them dry overnight.
For my 3 year old's preschool group (there are only 4 kids, including her), I printed out little hearts with the other kids' names on them - onto pink cardstock. When the "big kids" get home from school today I'll probably have them handwrite names into the hearts.
To "laminate" them, fold a piece of clear packaging tape over the heart and then trim around (leaving about 1/8" border of clear tape to protect the heart). I glued them on with hot glue (that part I will do for all the kids...except my 8 year old daughter who will probably insist she can do it without getting burned)...
Add a magnet piece on the back (this one's cut a little big) - it doesn't take much.
(and I have a big roll since the dollar packs of magnetic adhesive strips were out of stock)...
more projects for later. :)
Ta-da! A cute valentine that the kids can use to "hang" artwork onto any magnetic surface - like the fridge.
Cost to me:
2 pkgs bags: $2
clothespins: $1
(I only needed about 20 more - so 1 dollar tree pack...I had about 50-something in my craft drawers leftover, but this would have been about $2.50-$3 for the 100 pack from walmart...I think?)
paint: 79 cents
cardstock: in stash (free)
I already have lots of this - (but you can get a pack of 50 sheets for a couple dollars)
packaging tape: in stash (free)
again, we already have several rolls of this (last time we needed it, I could only find the multi-roll packs)
magnetic tape: $3.50 - which I'll probably use only a 1/5 of - the roll is huge and wide
(so 70 cents for this project, we'll say)
paper/ink: got it (free)
So total I spent this year, right now: less than $5 for 76 valentines that are cute.
(Yeah, I know - I'm kind of cheating on the cost - counting "free" stuff I have that was bought/paid for in the past, but counting only the portion I am using for things I had to buy a whole pack of right now...still less than $8 if I "charge the entire roll of magnetic tape to this account" :) and yes, it would have cost even more had I had none of these...but then I'd have done a different project.) :)
I just found a heart online so I didn't have to draw one over and over and I put it on a page a bunch of times to print out...for your convenience, you can use the one I put together:
jpg file:
or pdf:
for the message I typed up and "fonted" cute...you can print 4 to a page, 6 to a page, or 9 to a page, depending on the size you want the message to be. (I like the 9/page best - for space and for size):
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