So, today has been a little hectic. I had to finally make a list of everything that I have to get done this week and then prioritize that list so that I don’t miss anything.
With Valentine’s just around the corner I have to get three sets of Valentines ready for play groups, school, church, and any family or friends that don’t fit into those areas.
I had to run to Target this morning to pick up my last birthday gift for Jared. While I was there, I couldn’t help but wander through the dollar section, seeing if there was anything that could help me over the next few days. Lo and behold, I found a two-pack of heart ice-cube trays! It was the perfect thing to help me make my melted crayon Valentines for Joseph.
So, I got home, put the kids down for naps and sifted through the kids crayon tub to find everything that was broken. I have meant to go through that tub and clean it out for months so I’m really glad that I was able to make these Valentines. It has been good all around!
I ended up getting a pretty big pile of broken crayons together. Once I had them I made sure that all the wrappers were off. That took a little bit of time just because of the amount of crayons I had to strip. Some of them the kids had already so kindly unwrapped for me, but there were still a lot that needed to be done.
With all the crayons paper-free, the kids and I broke them up into smaller pieces and put them into the hearts.
After pre-heating the oven at 250 degrees (no hotter or it would have melted the tray), I put the ice-cube trays on a cookie sheet and placed it in the oven. After 5 minutes the
crayons were glistening and starting to melt. After another 5 minutes they were completely melted and I pulled them out of the oven. If after 10 minutes they aren’t melted, turn your oven off but leave the trays in the oven for a few more minutes. For the thicker crayons I had to actually press my finger on it (very carefully) to help it melt into the form.
While the crayons were cooking, I cut out different colored circles and the same number of white circles, but I made the white ones a bit smaller so that when I put them together I’d be able to see the color.
I have this great little scrapbook tool that made the circles in just a few minutes and with minimal effort on my part.
After the crayons had cooked for 10 minutes, I pulled them out and set them on the counter to cool. It only took about 20 minutes before they were completely cooled off and ready to be popped out. It was great, because during all that time I was able to prep dinner and get it on the stove.
By this point, the kids are starting to wake up and that’s when I have Joseph help me put the circles together. We glued the white circles on top of the colored ones and I wrote “Won’t you be my Valentine, for ‘crayon’ out loud!” on each one. I put a dollop of hot glue on the back of each crayon heart and he placed it in the middle of the Valentine!
It was so easy and simple, but turned out so adorable. The ironic thing is that I spent $3. 79 for a box of Valentines for Emma and the same for Benjamin but now both are saying that they want Valentines like these. I guess it pays to be creative!
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Something else really cute and very inexpensive to make is this Peek-a-boo Valentine. I found it filed away from years ago when Benjamin was just a little over a year old. I used some left over construction paper, but you can get as fancy as you want!
Fold a piece of paper in half, cut out the shape of a heart while leaving a flat edge that would attach both sides of the heart. Mount your picture on the inside and then mark where the eyes are and then punch holes so that your child can “peek” through.











































