DIY Countdown to Valentine’s Day

For the past few years, I have made an advent calendar for my children for Christmas. Each year, it has been a little bit different than the one before. They love it so much, that this year, I decided to do one for Valentine’s Day as well.

I know I am a bit late in getting this post out there, but I wanted to share it with you anyways in case it might spark some last minute inspiration!

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For this project, I decided to make handmade paper ornaments to celebrate the holiday and write activities on the back to do each day.

The ornaments were fairly simple using scrapbook paper and cut outs from scrapbook kits, stickers, wooden hearts, heart shaped doilies, and other random bits I found in my craft supplies. I added hemp cord to each one so that we could hang them on a white tree we still have in the entryway. It’s been there since Halloween and has now basically become our all holiday tree.

I wanted the majority of the activities to be acts of kindness and love, to get them focused on what they could do for others. The ideas include things like “Clean up after someone else,” “Make a handmade Valentine and mail it to someone special,” and “Give a compliment to someone at school today.”

As well as some just for fun ones like, “Wear something Pink or Red today.” and “Read a book with ‘Love’ or ‘Valentine’ in the title.”

And because I couldn’t resist, I threw in a couple of chocolates for each day as well. I found some in the bulk candy section and got a bag with Valentine’s candies in it.

Each ornament went inside a small paper bag with pink and white stripes and then I put red number stickers for each day from 1 to 14. Fairly simple to pull together (I literally started it the day before I put it out for them!).

I placed all of the bags on the little tree and Hazel and Owen were very excited when they woke up on February 1st. I must admit I love that too…watching their excitement and remembering how fun it is to be a kid.

As each day passes, we will take out the ornaments and hang them on the tree and eventually have it filled up with several handmade Valentine’s. I know it will be a special memory for them and fills in a bit of this long stretch of winter with a little more wonder, whimsy and excitement. Couldn’t we all use a little bit of that?

You can get a little peek, at the Valentine’s Day vignette I set up on our buffet in the dining room, which I will be revealing tomorrow. I hope you will come back for that and have a very loving month of February ahead!

Here is a supply list to get you started if you want to make a similar version of this countdown:
Scrapbook papers:
–American Craft Flea Market
–Maggie Holmes Open Book

Pink Striped Bags
Number Stickers
Paper Heart Doilies

Candy:
–Emoji foil wrapped chocolates
–Mars Valentine’s Chocolates Minis

Till next time…

~Alice W.