Nothing says “I love you” like a homemade Valentine’s Day gift. Help your child or grandchild make their own creation (there’s one for every age group) and, in the process, teach them that creativity sometimes goes further than cash.
Baby Handprint Flowers
These “flowers” from Nanny She Can Do are a nice surprise to make for your spouse—just make sure to have a washcloth ready for quick clean up. Check out the blog for complete instructions, but you’ll be using paint and your baby’s hand to make flowers, then cutting them out and pasting them on a painted stem to make a keepsake bouquet.
Paint Strip Bookmarks
This craft, courtesy of the blog Trina’s Day, is super easy, but also super cute. It’s perfect for kids under the age of five, who have a huge amount of enthusiasm for crafting (and colors), but very few actual skills. All you do is take them on a fun trip to the paint store, and have them pick out a few pink and red paint sample strips. Then, using a heart hole punch like this one from Amazon, simply cut out hearts on one side of the strip and glue them on the other. Tie ribbons on the top heart and—voila—you’ll have bookmarks, which your little one will love giving to family and friends.
Glitter Rock Valentines
These glitter rocks, by Artful Parent, are cool enough to interest small children, but generally easy enough for the pre-school-and-up crowd. Gather a few small rocks, Elmer’s Glue or Mod Podge, a paintbrush and lots of glitter. Then, paint a heart on your rock, apply glitter generously, and shake off the excess.
Salt Dough Valentine Heart Necklaces
This craft is suitable for most kids in grade school. Check out Amazing Mae for details, but you’ll basically be making salt dough, rolling it out, then cutting out hearts, as well as small holes to string ribbons through. The fun part comes after they’re baked and you seal and paint them. Note: They can also be turned into magnets instead of necklaces.
Storing Seasonal Decorations
It used to be there were Christmas decorations—and that was about it. These days, we decorate (sometimes inside and out) to celebrate everything from Halloween to Saint Patrick’s Day. While that certainly is festive, it can really take a bite out of your storage space. If you find yourself running out of room, it’s worth looking into self storage units near your home. At StorageMart, you can rent a self storage unit as small as 25 square feet or so—or as large as a garage. Check out our storage unit guide or rent a unit online today. The great thing? There’s no long-term commitment, the whole process just takes a few minutes—and you’ll have plenty of room to enjoy life’s celebrations with the people you love.