I have this awful habit of planning things well in advance, but not acting on them until the last minute. Everything gets done, but I’m working to beat the clock. It happens more in my personal life than anywhere else… often with my kids. Isn’t that horrible? But really, it’s the holidays and the parties and the presents and things of that nature that get put on the back burner, only to jump out and scream “HEY” at exactly the right wrong moment.
On the positive side, I’ve mastered the fast and cute gift/valentine, that is still a bit more than buying a box of them at the store. So, this year we did adorable throwback bracelets for all of my daughter’s first-grade friends. We started yesterday and finished them as the bus was pulling up (I totally counted wrong)!
I saw this idea on Pinterest, but everyone I looked at required some fancy cutting machine or scissor work, so here is the simple way.
Quick and Easy and ADORABLE Valentines
Materials:
Cardstock (50-70lbs) makes for sturdy cards
Hole Punch
Printer
Bracelet String (Embroidery Thread), multiple colors
Scissors/Paper Cutter
Safety Pin
an adorable child to write their name
Process:
We made these bracelets super easy, by just making a quick braid on each one. We chose three colors, cut them to about 7 inches (my child is in first grade, so I tested it on her wrist and it was PLENTY big) and tied them together and pinned them to my pants (I was going to relive 1993 if it was the last thing I ever did!). I got to work braiding them (this is the point where your child can help you, but mine chose not to learn this one, but rather tended to the cat who was constantly pawing at my string!).
Once the bracelets were complete (all 26 of them), I set to work to make a simple template for the valentine. I have attached it here. I printed it out on the card stock.
I have a paper cutter (not so straight with scissors) and used that to cut them out. Had the big child sign them, punched a couple of holes and then thread the bracelets through. I tied a loop on the back, just so they wouldn’t fall out of the card.
At this point I took that pretty picture, put them in a bag, and got them into her backpack as the bus arrived!
Happy Valentine’s Day!