DIY Preschool Valentines via Pinterest {A peek at what we created}

I'm excited to share with you a few snapshots of our first-ever DIY Preschool Valentines! But wait, before you start thinking I went way overboard or feel guilty that you didn't make yours, you need to remember three things.

 1. I like being crafty. A project that I can complete myself and bless someone with
     energizes me. Plus, these were very simple and I did not come up with these myself.
 2. My boys go to a candy-free preschool, hence running to Pinterest for non-candy ideas.
 3. It would have shattered me to watch Levi pick out Spiderman Valentines at CVS.
      {He didn't know that they existed, but I have a feeling he knows now and I'll hear all
      about it when he gets home from school today!}

So, here are our creations, with the help of some great printables I found on Pinterest.

Teacher Valentines. We have about 10 teachers/staff between the two boys, including school day, lunch bunch, after school, etc. When I saw EOS lip balm printables I knew I had to do them, because I'm a little obsessed with EOS myself. And who wouldn't want an extra lip balm this time of year? Fortunately, I learned that Costco sells these in packs of 5 for about $11 each, so I sent my husband to the store to pick them up last night.

In deciding between the two printable options the night before, I chose the one with the fewest steps. I skipped the cellophane, wrapping, tying and attaching a tag. This one only involved the tag and a 1 1/2" circle punch, which I already owned. After punching, unscrew the balm, slip the tag in between and re seal the balm.

Printable from triedandtrueblog.com on Eighteen25.

 

God's Love Bubbles Over Valentines for Silas' class Valentines were my favorite. Two year olds LOVE bubbles and it's a perfect way to share God's love with friends. 

 I might have done these for both boys if I hadn't found the Lego movie idea.

Confession: I forgot to assemble these on Monday night and woke up Tuesday morning in a panic. {Silas only goes to school on Tuesdays} My husband helped me tie the tag onto the bubbles before running out the door to work. He's amazing.

Printable from a cool Christian community of moms I just discovered called
NotConsumed.com. Sign up to download more free resources with your email address.

 You Are Awesome Lego Movie Valentines were posted by a friend on Facebook. Because I'm a little bit crazy, I took two free printable ideas and Photoshopped them together to come up with this. I ordered Lego guy crayons on Amazon that fit right into my 3"x4" bags along with the tag and wrote classmate's names on the labels that I used

to close the bags. 

And, of course, my 4-year-old's contribution was signing his name and
reading the list of his friends to me.

Lego Movie printable here.

Carrieelle.com

So there they are! Did you blog about DIY Valentines or come across a really fun idea? Please share your creations below!

Here are our 2014 Thumb {bodies} Love You Valentines.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Introducing 'Love Never Fails' in Large Format // Low-cost Decorating, Big Impact {Engineer Print}

Sometimes you just have to go big! I mean, there's one room in my house with vaulted ceilings and anything standard sized on the walls or mantle just looks teeny tiny. Yet I just can't bring myself to commit to pricey oversized pieces, especially for seasonal decor.

Recently, a friend introduced me to engineer prints and I'm loving this easy large format option! So I decided to give it a try with my new LOVE NEVER FAILS Design.

This 24x36 print is the perfect size to make a big statement on my mantel. And the best part is is cost is just about $4 to print in BW at Staples! I've ordered engineer prints twice now from Staples and I do have to say that the print didn't come out perfectly, because it's meant for architect plans and not photos. But for $4, I didn't really mind! Staples offers 3 sizes: 18x24, 24x36, 36x48. A color version runs around $25.

The instant download in my shop includes BOTH the 18x24 and 24x36 PDF files. Woohoo!!

I picked up the frame at Michael's recently on sale. Another option would be to mount the print to foam core with spray adhesive. I haven't tried this yet because I love just being able to switch out prints quickly with the frame.

Every time I look at this print the lyrics to the Jesus Culture song One Thing Remains go through my head:

Your Love Never Fails, It Never GIves Up, It Never Runs Out On Me

Your Love Never Fails, It Never GIves Up, It Never Runs Out On Me

Because On and On and On and On it Goes

For It Overwhelms and Satisfies My Soul

And I Never Ever Have to Be Afraid

One Thing Remains ....

And we sometimes always need the reminder of His never-ending, overwhelming,

satisfying love for us! I sure do!

Here are a few more views:

 I'm trying to decide what I think of my felt heart wreath.

You can always count on Target for some holiday banners.

Topiary idea from My Blessed Life.

Hers looks better. I needed about 10 more cupcake liners or to not do it in such a hurry!

And fresh tulips from Trader Joe's are always a must!

So, what do you think of my first Valentine's engineer print design?  Go try it and let me know what you think! Instant download in my Etsy shop.

Happy Valentine's Day!