Valentine's Day Love and Craftiness

I love Valentine's Day.  I love that it makes the whole nation take stock in what you love in life.  Who you love.  I love making shirts and special things for my kids.  Last year, I made the girls matching outfits,  this year I didn't feel up to making them outfits.  So I threw together a couple of shirts for all three kids.  It's difficult to come up with something for Monkey.  He is a boy after all and almost 9.  To make him something too cute could be the death of him at school.  The girls are way easier.  Cuteness is still acceptable for a long time.

I decided to make the kids Valentine's Day pillows.  I got this great idea from this website. http://www.howdoesshe.com/why-i-love-you-pillows-tutorial
Super cute.  My pillows are a little different.  I honestly didn't want to spend a ton of time on them since I had to make 3, but I wanted them to like them.  I also did a zipper pocket, because let's face it, kids like zippers.  It makes things seem more secret like.  Here is a picture of the pillows I did.

I started with a trip to JoAnns.  I have to say, it is so much easier picking Valentines material out for girls. Someone should invent heart fabric that is more masculine!  So my Monkey got a pillow with red flannel and red gingham.  I stopped into Michaels and saw these great felt words on their Valentines clearance.  Yay!  For $1.50 I got all 3 and can I just say that they had the one red and two pink, so I think it was meant for me!  Monkey's says LOVE and the girls say XOXO.  I just stitched those on and made a pouch with a zipper and sewed it onto the pillowcase, stuffed it with the pillows and they each have their own little Valentine pillow!  I had thought about having these done by Feb. 1 so I could put a note in them everyday, but, well, next year.


Last night at 9p, I was thinking that it would be nice to have a Valentines shirt to wear.  For the kids.  I have a dresser in my craft room that has one drawer that has only t-shirts in it.  I found a white shirt for both girls and grabbed the red t-shirt for Monkey.  I have been wanting to try this reversable applique that I saw on this link here
http://darnkat.wordpress.com/reverse-applique-tutorial/
Valentines Day isn't a day that screams masculinity so I was trying to come up with a way that I could do something for my Monkey without embarrassing him.  So, I cut a piece out of an old plaid shirt and made a small heart in the bottom left corner of his shirt.  Here is the final.

It looks pink but it's really red.  

For the girls I just cut out a couple of hearts out of a fabric that has cute cupcakes on it.  I did a regular applique on theirs.  

So it is about 9:30 now and my ADD is now satisfied with the completion of their shirts.  I think I am done!  

It's morning and now I have my kids line up do display their treasures for me.  I have such great kids!  Monkey was moments from heading out the door and didn't really want to take the time to do this, but he did it anyway, for me.  Love these kids!

Happy Valentines Day!