Pretty in Pink

We've been seeing a lot of pink around here lately. Pink hearts, pink valentines and, sadly, pink eyes! Chi-Chi and Muffy both came down with eye infections this week. As a result, we've been forced to stick pretty close to home. It feels like I've gone through about two weeks of craft ideas and activities in a mere forty eight hours!

The Valentine preparations are in full swing! Chi-Chi and Muffy have come to the conclusion that a beautifully decorated tree is a prerequisite to any holiday celebration. Yesterday afternoon, we errected the highly anticipated Valentine Tree and dove right into decoration making. That same red wool blanket that supplied the materials for my Advent calendar was pulled from the basement and I set to work cutting out little heart shapes. The boys kept busy stringing my hearts on red yarn using plastic darning needles from their sewing basket. After throwing some pink hearts into the mix, we were all very pleased with how the garlands turned out.

I'd like to thank my good friend April at Nurtured for the next great idea! She made a lovely set of fabric Valetines for her children to give to their friends. What a great alternative to those disposable, highly commercialized store-bought varieties! I borrowed her sweet idea and created a set of cloth hearts for our tree trimming efforts. With all the quilting activity taking place around here, I've managed to collect a rather large pile of scraps, absolutely perfect for these types of projects.

Though I'm not a fan of the commercialism that seems to go hand-in-hand with any and every holiday, I do see the importance of celebrating Valentines Day on a small scale. It is not a huge gift giving event in our family. Each of the boys will receive a couple of small treats and perhaps tiny mama-made item if time permits. It is much more about an expression of love. I recently pulled out our family Valentine mailbox. During the time leading up to February 14th, we will all take the time to make a few special love notes for the box - some more than others. My little cupids have been busy, busy, busy writing love letters so the box is almost bursting. During a cozy family dinner we will open and deliver the "mail". A chocolate heart shaped cake will likely top off our day.

Ah, there's nothing like a holiday tree in the house to add a festive feel to the air. Happy February everyone!