Life on the Concrete Prairie: Happy Heart Day

I like to do crafty things. There. I said it. Please take into consideration that I didn't say I was any good at being crafty. I just enjoy it. I was a little late on the trolley in exploring all of the interesting ideas that Pinterest has to offer, but oh my. It's a buffet of craftiness. My boards are chock full of ideas that made me think, "I could totally do that". However, despite the many pins I've added to my boards, I realized that I had yet to actually attempt any of them. I plan to attempt at least one pin per month this year. (I'm hoping that if I make this declaration on the blog, that I'll stick to it.) January's pin was for the octopus cake pops I made for Mia's birthday party. Mine didn't look like the picture I pinned, but I was okay with that. Despite my best efforts to channel Bakerella, I seriously struggle with cake pops. My candy melts are always too thick to coat well. By the time I started trying to decide the best way to construct the legs of my octopus creations, I was severely low on time to finish them. We needed to be leaving for Mia's party, so I just quickly did the best I could with a toothpick. I scold myself each year for running around like a crazy person the day of the party to finish everything, but alas, it always happens. I have the best intentions to be well organized and not take on so many projects, but who am I kidding? I know I'll do it again next year. My wish is for Mia (and Quinn) to have memorable birthdays with the people they love. That could certainly be accomplished without my alter ego "The Party Nazi", but I must admit that it's a title I readily accept. Haha! Maybe as I get older I'll be a more efficient party planner. We'll see. ;)

I made Mia's valentines for her class based on a Pinterest idea. I took a picture of her with her fist held out in front. I then used a template on the Walgreens website and had them print off Valentine's Day cards. They were (of course) on photo paper which was perfect to work with. That evening, I used a box cutter (because my exacto knife had sprouted legs and ran away apparently) to cut a slit at the top and bottom of Mia's fist in the pictures. Mia picked out a sucker for each of her classmates and made sure that I put the correct child's name on each valentine. I wasn't aware that she recognized each child's name by sight, but she impressed me by pointing to her friends' names one by one and telling me which friend would like cherry, orange, etc. Mia also wanted to help insert the lollipop stick into the valentines. I let her because after all they were her valentines, and I love that she likes to do craft projects with me. We had a couple that ripped when she got a little over eager and shoved the stick too hard, so I was glad I had ordered a few extra. I was really pleased with the way they turned out!

I wanted to make valentines for Quinn's class too, but I couldn't find a template on the Walgreens site that I liked to go with the picture of him I took. That is really too bad because oh.my.goodness. His Valentine's picture is beyond adorable. I might have to put a framed 8x10 of it on display at his wedding someday. It might embarrass him as an adult, but I can pretty much guarantee that his future wife will adore it. Haha! I saw a similar picture on Pinterest. Unfortunately, I can't find that picture on my boards now and can't find it on Pinterest. I'll add the link on here later if I can find it. Mine doesn't look nearly as polished or professional, but I just worked with what I had around the house to recreate it and borrowed the bow tie from a friend. I can't look at that picture without smiling. :)

Pinterest cake pops