Homemade Valentine's Cards

                Here’s another cute idea that the kids can make for Valentine’s Day. Like I said before, money was tight when I was growing up. With four kids and all those Valentine’s cards to buy, this really was a big expense for my parents. So we had to get very creative and make our own Valentine’s cards. Every year we would pull out the construction paper and think of different ways to make a cute Valente’s card. So today I will show you how to make a quick and very inexpensive Valentine flower with a sucker in the middle for a treat.

1.       Cut out four hearts in pink, red or white. Make them as big as you like.

2.       Poke a little hole in the bottom of the four hearts.

3.       Take a little sucker and place into each whole. Go to a dollar store to buy these suckers to save a lot of money.

4.       Take a marker and write to and from on the petals.

5.       Now you have a personalized Valentine’s Flower.

Another thing my mother would do and I still do today, is to make Valentine’s cookies. At my husband’s office, it has become a tradition for me to make cookies for all the holidays. So I will give you my family recipe for cut out cookies.

Cut out Cookies

½ cup butter                                                ½ cup shortening

1 cup sugar                                                  3 eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla                                    3 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda                                2 teaspoons cream of tarter

Easy Frosting

Powdered Sugar                                              Butter

All I do is take a little butter and melt it and then I start adding powdered sugar until it makes a nice creamy frosting. This is quick and easy and inexpensive way to make frosting for the cookies.

In a mixing bowl cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and cream of tarter. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture. Mix well. Chill for 2 hours in a refrigerator. Roll out onto a floured surface. Take your cookie cutter (heart shaped) and cut out your cookies. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool before frosting. Frost your cookies and add some candy hearts to dress them up.

This is a fun project to do with your kids or grandchildren. My youngest daughter is in High School now and she still asks me to make Valentine’s Cookies each year. The kids always ask her if her mother will still make these cookies for them. So between my husband’s office and school, I make about 50 cookies.  For the suckers which I buy at a dollar store, I spent $2.00 for 50 suckers. The candy hearts cost me $2.50 for 16 ounces. To make these Valentine’s Flowers and cookies I spent under $8.00 dollars. Don’t go out there and buy Valentine’s Cards and cookies when you can make them so much cheaper yourself. Look at all the fun your kids can have by helping make these.  If your kids absolutely have to have those expensive cards, at least buy them after the season at 50 to 75% off and save them for the next year to give out. Happy Valentine’s Day from Suzie Homemaker.

Heart Shirts for Valentine's Day

                Valentine’s Day is almost is almost here, so today I thought I would show you easy projects your kids can do. Most kids like to dress up at Valentine’s Day, and they want you to buy them all the fancy clothes with hearts and flowers on them. Right now is the worst time to be buying these clothes, because everything is marketed up for Valentine’s Day. I have a very simple project that will cost little to no money depending on if you have two simple things at home. All you need is Red, Pink or White felt or construction paper. Then pick out your favorite shirt that buttons down the front.

1.       First take your felt or construction paper and cut out 11/2 to 2-inch squares depending on how big you want your hearts.

2.       Next, fold your square in half and cut out your heart shapes in one or multiple colors.

3.       Now you need to cut a button hole slit in your colored hearts.

4.       Take your hearts with the little slit and slide it over your buttons on your shirt.

5.       Now you have a shirt with hearts you decorated yourself.

This whole project took less than 20 minutes to make and place on the shirt. This would even work on boys polo shirts if they want to have a couple of hearts themselves. Now you don’t have to go out and buy all those expensive Valentine’s shirts.

If you really want to be creative try making some bigger and smaller hearts in multiple colors. Then just layer them. Start by putting the bigger hearts over your buttons then place a smaller one on top to make a multi-colored layered look. Mix and match them to create your own look

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This was something I did with my girls when they were little and they loved it. This is a cheap easy way to decorate a shirt for Valentine’s Day. Have your kids decide how they want to decorate their shirts. You can even save them and use them again next year if you like. Valentine’s Day does not have to break the bank if you get a little creative from Suzie Homemaker.