Valentine's part two

I mentioned last post that I had done a couple things for Valentine's, but I couldn't get a good photo of these until I took them down as they were strung across the kitchen window, which has to be the most challenging situation to photograph!



Last month Hazel had some friends over and we made salt-dough ornaments for them to decorate. The recipe made so many there was no way they could paint them all so I ended up painting a bunch of hearts, and then putting several topcoats of gloss Modge Podge on top. Pretty!




My windowsill is back to normal now, but I quite liked it all girly. Not sure what Mat thought!

Valentine's Cards

I don't think Valentine's is as big a deal here in NZ as it is in North America - less institutionalised anyways. I asked Hazel's teacher what her policy was on cards and she was quite taken-aback and said she didn't really have one; but that we didn't have to give one out to everyone and that kids had to learn that sometimes they'd miss out on things like that. Fair enough but I'm glad it's Hazel who has to hand them out because they're only going to the girls! She's under strict instructions to be tactful with it too - although considering I had to explain what tactful was, and she IS 5 years old, I'm not entirely sure how it will go! Anyways, she's keen about it and they are pretty damned cute.

I saw the idea at Jenn Parker Photography and Hazel was all over it from the moment I showed her.

Very simple and very effective, although I think a flatter lollipop would have caused less distortion to the photo. Of course she wanted the big round ones for herself so there was no way she was settling for less on the off-chance there would be extras (there were).

ETA: she managed to hand out about half of them, apparently she "ran out of time" for the rest. Actually that's more than I thought she'd manage, she's quite shy with that kind of thing and has only been at school with some of the girls for a week. OR she just wanted the lollipops for herself...

Last minute felt Valentine's pins

Somehow Valentine's crept up on me like a small creeping thing and it pounced me when I wasn't expecting it. I decided I would make something for Hazel and her two best friends Alex and Suzie, and maybe something for Hazel on the day - she's certainly expecting it! I love these little wrapped matchboxes over at Inchmark, so maybe one of those.

Last year I made a bunch of felt heart-shaped 'cookies' and I really enjoyed the process so I went with something similar, but did them as pins instead. It was really simple and I made the lot while watching the new Flash Forward and Lost last night.

I started by cutting out a large heart (6cm at widest point) from red felt for the back, and for the front one large heart from dark pink and one smaller heart from the lighter pink. I sewed the lighter pink onto the darker pink heart with a running stitch in a silky embroidery floss, and then embroidered the initial on using red floss and stem stitch. I just drew the initial on with water-soluble pen the best I could. Then I cut out a tiny little red heart and attached it to the edge of the light pink with a single red bead in the middle. I think cutting out that darned heart was the hardest part!

Then I sewed the pin thingy on the back of the red felt, with a scrap of felt on the other side to provide a bit more stability. I initially sewed it on more in the middle, but discovered that the heart flopped downwards when worn, so I moved it up as far as I could and now it sits nicely.

The last step was to sew both sides together with a simple running stitch and push in a little fibrefill to give it some shape. A Valentine's heart should be a bit squishy right? :) I did the running stitch in a similar dark pink to the felt so that it didn't stand out and make the heart too fussy.

So that was easy-peasy lemon-squeezy and I love how they turned out. Hazel loves hers, and so does Alex so they're obviously a successful 4-5 year old gift. Since I like them too they'd probably be good for adults too. Maybe just the ladies though, can't quite see my husband sporting one at work somehow...

Crayon and wax paper hearts

I came across this idea on the Wee Wonderfuls blog and boy it took me back! I remember doing things like this when I was a kid. It seemed like a good project for Hazel and I to do, she loves anything with lots of colours as long as those colours are pink. The instructions are over at Martha Stewart and they're dead easy to do, if a little messy!

We did a whole bunch a couple weeks ago and then they sat around and sat around until I put them up yesterday. I really wanted to do a stylish display like the MSL one but our hearts weren't quite as...perfect as hers and I think they look better like this (plus it was quicker than tying them all up separately!). They're just strung together with the sewing machine.

They look faaahbulous in the kitchen window in the morning, with the sun pouring though them

I also tried sewing them in vertical strings and it's quite effective although completely impossible to photograph effectively as a group because they're so long!

By the end I was getting quite involved in the colour placement and amounts of shavings, the best way to iron and press and how to fold the edges so you minimise the bubbles. Of course, by that time Hazel had wandered off, she wasn't that interested in doing the green and blue ones - pink and orange were her favourites (and mine!).

Cookie?

Or - 'How I was forced to recognise I like really girly things for myself and not just because my daughter does'

I spent yesterday afternoon sitting on the couch finishing up these and feeling sorry for myself because I have a cold that both Mat and Hazel threw off in a day or even less. Hazel "helped" by putting in a bit of stuffing and hovered around announcing that this one or that one was going to be hers (ie most of them).

The idea came from Chasing Cheerios but I have to give a mention to Emily at Little Sister Handmade who added extra sprinkles which I'm obviously into as well! My big chocolate one bottom left ended up being somewhat, just a little, (mostly) identical to hers. I was limited in my felt and sprinkle options to what I had already, but having said that I'm really very pleased with how they turned out! And super fast and easy too.


I've got a few more to make up, and will ponder sprinkle variations. So far I've got beads, straight stitch and french knots (for ones going to houses with little babies). I can't make up my mind which I like best, the chocolate or vanilla! I think the vanilla appeals to the girly-girl in my nature but mmmm... chocolate... I used to have the same problem with Girl Guide cookies - I liked the vanilla ones best when I was eating them and ditto the chocolate. I never did make up my mind on that one!

Mat wandered by occasionally and had a look at them but was startled when I said they were cookies "really?" he said with a doubtful look on his face. Followed by "...and what exactly are people going to do with these?" I suggested tea parties, or decoration, or whatever kids do with felt food (not entirely sure myself but Hazel loves the two little cakes she has). I think what we have here is the perfect illustration of craft and men and women. I might be totally wrong on this but I think most women would just think "pretty!" and like them because they're "pretty! with beads! and pink!", guys need a function or a reason. He doesn't get pretty, pink or beads on anything other than Hazel :)