Valentine's Fun

Now that Morgan is in KG we are enjoying all sorts of new experiences...like the Valentine Box project. I looked on Pinterest and Google for ideas and most were so ornate and fancy I was like 'meh.'  I don't want to put a ton of time and money into something that's going to eventually be destroyed, cried over (me, not Morgan), and thrown away. We found some ideas to make a castle and Morgan like the idea. Family collaboration (Jack mostly was there to annoy us by getting in the way but that still makes him part of the project) resulted in this:

Materials used:

Box taped shut. 

Gold/silver post board (it was gold on one side, silver on the other).

Foam stickers. 

Scissors. 

Glue gun. 

Exacto knife/box cutter. 

Marker. 

We measured and cut poster board to fit and glue to box. I started out with Mod Posge which almost always makes me angry so I busted out the glue gun. For the side towers I cut details then rolled up and glued together, then glued to box. Michael (who is much better with sharp things than me) used an exacto knife to cut door (for cards to go in). I used a marker to draw a few details like windows and write Morgan's name. Morgan decorated with the foam stickers. Done. 

With leftover poster board I made cards to send to family:

We each dipped our thumb in red paint to create a 'heart.'  Cheesy and adorable. I'm shocked and pleased Michael participated. 

Easy DIY party decor

I love going all out for my kiddos' birthdays. My husband has to give me a budget and remind me to keep things under control otherwise I would buy unicorns and kidnap superheroes. 

So I've learned to be creative with party decorations. Most of them I make myself. 

For example:

Pardon my poor photography skills but working with a cranky old iPhone is a challenge. 

The banners add something special and kids love them. I took an index card and made a pattern to trace, traced onto pink and purple computer paper that I had leftover from my days of teaching high school, cut out the banner, hole punched, then used yarn through the holes. So simple. You can also write on them:

I wrote the birthday girl's name on this one. The ends have paper doilies threaded on. 

I also like to use tulle for decorations. And lots of balloons. 

I weaved bright pink, light pink, and purple tulle through the light fixture and added balloons to the top. Morgan thought it was magical. I keep the tulle to use for other projects. 

The best part about this is that you can do any color combo and you're not at the mercy of whatever a party store has to offer.