Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I have a soft spot for this holiday -- My mother always made it a point to send me cards and chocolate, no matter what was going on in our lives, so it reminds me of the many different ways we can celebrate love and friendship. And now that I have a little girl to share it with, it continues to be a fun day for me.
This winter has seemed so long and difficult, that I thought it would be a good idea to have a Valentine's Day party for my daughter so we all had something fun to focus on. I made the invitations using slate gray, blush pink, and white scalloped paper, with silver accents, wrapped in a doily and silver/white baker's twine. I followed the color scheme through in the goody bags, which I filled with stickers, a puzzle, bubbles, and a word-find / tic-tac-toe board that I made, complete with x's and o's, and tic-tacs. My daughter helped me make a garland out of doilies and a 3-D heart for the ceiling.
I came up with a few games that were very simple and inexpensive to make. Here is a list of our activities:
1.
Heart Crowns I shaped the front pieces first using pipe cleaners, and then each girl was able to put her crown together with a little help. (If you are looking to make these on your own, they really are very simple. All you need is 7 pipe cleaners for each crown.
2.
'Pin' the Wings on Cupid Amazing what you can do with a little felt! And no, I did not freehand that cupid. I just enlarged and printed a cupid I found online, cut it out, and used it as a template to cut my own out of felt.
3.
Fishing I cut the fish out of foam core and covered them with paper, then glued on magnets for eyes. My husband and I made a fishing pole out of an old bamboo stick we had leftover from a fence project, and we tied twine and a washer to the end. Each girl got a minute to see how many fish she could catch.
4.
Heart Bean Bag Toss I made the hearts out of felt and filled them with (uncooked) rice. No sewing necessary! I just hot-glued them together. I made a board from foam core and covered it in red poster board, and I cut heart shapes out of it instead of circles.
5.
Freeze dance Each time the music stopped, I pointed to a different girl and she got to pick a heart. I had written activities on each one, like 'twirl like a ballerina', 'name the colors in the rainbow', etc.
[I don't have any photos of the last two activities because all the girls decided to start jumping on and tickling the photographer, and he stopped taking pictures. That may have actually been their favorite activity.]
Everyone got prizes for each game, and when we were finished, we had a picnic with heart-shaped sandwiches, heart fruit salad, and cucumbers and carrots cut into, you guessed it, heart shapes. And for dessert, a pink and white ombre Valentine cake and heart rice crispy treats.
Creating happy Valentine memories for 10 sweet little girls made this one of my favorite parties. I hope you are finding a great way to celebrate the love in your life today.
xoxo
Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I have a soft spot for this holiday -- My mother always made it a point to send me cards and chocolate, no matter what was going on in our lives, so it reminds me of the many different ways we can celebrate love and friendship. And now that I have a little girl to share it with, it continues to be a fun day for me.
This winter has seemed so long and difficult, that I thought it would be a good idea to have a Valentine's Day party for my daughter so we all had something fun to focus on. I made the invitations using slate gray, blush pink, and white scalloped paper, with silver accents, wrapped in a doily and silver/white baker's twine. I followed the color scheme through in the goody bags, which I filled with stickers, a puzzle, bubbles, and a word-find / tic-tac-toe board that I made, complete with x's and o's, and tic-tacs. My daughter helped me make a garland out of doilies and a 3-D heart for the ceiling.
I came up with a few games that were very simple and inexpensive to make. Here is a list of our activities:
1. Heart Crowns I shaped the front pieces first using pipe cleaners, and then each girl was able to put her crown together with a little help. (If you are looking to make these on your own, they really are very simple. All you need is 7 pipe cleaners for each crown.
2. 'Pin' the Wings on Cupid Amazing what you can do with a little felt! And no, I did not freehand that cupid. I just enlarged and printed a cupid I found online, cut it out, and used it as a template to cut my own out of felt.
3. Fishing I cut the fish out of foam core and covered them with paper, then glued on magnets for eyes. My husband and I made a fishing pole out of an old bamboo stick we had leftover from a fence project, and we tied twine and a washer to the end. Each girl got a minute to see how many fish she could catch.
4. Heart Bean Bag Toss I made the hearts out of felt and filled them with (uncooked) rice. No sewing necessary! I just hot-glued them together. I made a board from foam core and covered it in red poster board, and I cut heart shapes out of it instead of circles.
5. Freeze dance Each time the music stopped, I pointed to a different girl and she got to pick a heart. I had written activities on each one, like 'twirl like a ballerina', 'name the colors in the rainbow', etc.
[I don't have any photos of the last two activities because all the girls decided to start jumping on and tickling the photographer, and he stopped taking pictures. That may have actually been their favorite activity.]
Everyone got prizes for each game, and when we were finished, we had a picnic with heart-shaped sandwiches, heart fruit salad, and cucumbers and carrots cut into, you guessed it, heart shapes. And for dessert, a pink and white ombre Valentine cake and heart rice crispy treats.
Creating happy Valentine memories for 10 sweet little girls made this one of my favorite parties. I hope you are finding a great way to celebrate the love in your life today.
xoxo
