I know I said the Valentine Tissue Wreath was one of my favorite Valentines craft, but this button craft is my favorite!
I absolutely love how this looks on my mantel right now. It glimmers and shines in the light.
Henry started with sorting buttons in a muffin tin. (I was planning on only using reds, pinks, and whites.) This would be a great way activity for older toddlers learning colors, I’ve shared a bunch of toddler learning activities for colors, shapes, letters and numbers.
What you’ll need to make this Heart Button Craft:
1 Red 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper
1 Pink 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper
School Glue
Buttons in all different colors and sizes (the brighter the better!)
This heart button craft is a colorful and pretty Valentine craft and can be a fun learning activity for kids too!
I know I said the Valentine Tissue Wreath was one of my favorite Valentines craft, but this button craft is my favorite!
MORE ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT LIKE
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I absolutely love how this looks on my mantel right now. It glimmers and shines in the light.
Henry started with sorting buttons in a muffin tin. (I was planning on only using reds, pinks, and whites.) This would be a great way activity for older toddlers learning colors, I’ve shared a bunch of toddler learning activities for colors, shapes, letters and numbers.
What you’ll need to make this Heart Button Craft:
1 Red 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper
1 Pink 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper
School Glue
Buttons in all different colors and sizes (the brighter the better!)
I cut out a large heart from the red piece of 12×12 scrapbook paper and made a swirl design in glue around and around the shape of the heart.
Henry just added buttons as he liked all around the heart until it was filled up. I joined him in adding buttons just as an activity for us to do together.
Henry wouldn’t have it with my previously mentioned color selection and used every single color. But I think that adds a lot of character to the heart as compared to if it was all reds and pinks. This surely brightens it up a lot!
Then I glued the completed button heart onto the pink piece of scrapbook paper at and angle to make it fit nicely and then propped it up against a picture frame on my mantel… and its oh-so-pretty.
We have an awesome cupcake store in our neighborhood and every now and then we take the kids by to enjoy a special treat. Without fail, their eyes are always drawn to the most colorful cupcakes in the display case. My kids may have no idea how a red velvet cupcake made with crimson food dye actually tastes, but put something like it in front of them and their immediate response is, “that one”.
My take on these cupcakes have a rich flavor, and while they aren’t as artificially red as the red velvet cupcakes which use chemical food dyes (and of course chocolate which this one doesn’t include), they (and their icing) get their bright, reddish-pink color from a surprising, delicious and 100% natural guest, roasted beets. Especially given the never-ending speculation about the connection between food dyes and hyperactivity in children, having smart alternatives for the artificially colored food that kids crave means I don’t have to deprive my little ones.
This doesn’t mean we’re not frequenting our local cupcake store any less often, but I always like reminding myself that whenever there’s something out there I may not be thrilled about my kids eating, figuring out how to make a healthier version is not at all impossible.
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large beet, roasted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Beet Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup beet puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Sift the first 4 ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and combine.
5. Pour about 1/3 cup into lined muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
6. Cool completely before frosting.
Beet Cream Cheese Frosting (Make 2 Cups)
1. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy. 2. Spread on cupcakes.
Valentine’s Day to my kids pretty much equate to pizza parties and candy – so I thought this fun Valentine’s Day Pizza Paper Plate craft would be a fun activity with them! It’s super easy to do with a class size of preschoolers or students and you can just swap out markers instead of paint for less mess!
Pizza Valentine’s Paper Plate Craft Materials:
2 paper plates Red, yellow, and brown craft paint Red foam sheet or colored paper Paint brushes
Black Sharpie marker Scissors
Hot glue / glue gun or glue stick
1. Place an old piece of newspaper onto your craft surface before you start.
2. Use your scissors to cut the sides off of one paper plate to make a large triangle.
3. Paint the slanted sides red for the sauce and let dry (use a hair dryer for a quicker dry time).
4. Then paint yellow inside the red outline for the cheese and let dry.
5. Next paint the top brown for the crust and let dry.
6. Cut several different sized small hearts from your craft foam or colored paper and glue them onto your pizza slice.
7. Now glue your pizza slice onto your paper plate and write “You stole a pizza my heart” onto your plate.
Red Beet Pancakes came to me courtesy of my husband.
My better half has discovered a passion for cooking. For me, this newfound culinary obsession of his is both a blessing and a curse. While on one hand it’s a huge relief because I don’t have to cook, it can also be a total pain in my tush (and not just because of the potential mess I likely find afterwards) because while he is completely focused on his latest creation, I am left in charge of two cranky, hungry kids.
It’s hard for me to get upset though. Hubby gets so excited about the whole process and the two hour mental voyages he takes while focussed on a new dish are kinda hilarious to watch. It’s like witnessing a 4 year old trying to finish a 50 piece jigsaw puzzle for the first time. Plus, I love watching how jazzed the kids get seeing Daddy work in what they consider to be Mommy’s turf.
One recent Saturday morning, Daddy decided to make a beet pancake recipe he had seen in Good to the Grain, a fabulously gorgeous book by Kim Boyce. As soon as Kenya heard the words “beet” and “pancakes” he said, “no way, that’s gross”. It didn’t take long for Chloe to jump on the “yucky” bandwagon. It seemed like this experiment was going to leave two out of four of us with empty tummies, but as soon as the kids got into helping Daddy stir, mash and measure, they apparently forgot all about their initial aversion. By the time the beautiful ruby discs finally came off of the griddle and onto everyone’s plates, the kids downed about five a piece.
My favorite part of this story though, came later on when my husband asked Kenya why he was so resistant at first to the beet pancakes. Kenya just looked at him and said, completely matter of fact, “who knew they were going to be that good!”
I’ve simplified Boyce’s recipe here, adding some whole wheat flour, more pureed beets to further brighten the color and some Greek yogurt too, making these red beet pancakes a breakfast that will make everyone’s eyes as big as their stomachs when you set them on the table.
He may make a bit of a mess and take a while finding his way around the kitchen, but I have to say it’s unbelievably charming watching hubby take over what I usually think of as my kitchen….and make it more of ours!
Ingredients
1 Cup all purpose flour
3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
2 medium beets, roasted and pureed (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/4 Cup milk
1/3 Cup plain greek yogurt
1 large egg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 Tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Sift the first 5 ingredients into a bowl.
2. Place the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined (you don’t want to overstir the batter — some lumps are good).
4. Drop about 2 tbsp of the pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
5. Serve with desired accompaniments.
* To freeze: Place the pancakes in labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months
Nothing says I love you quite like these Waffle Heart Sandwiches for Valentine’s Day! Crunchy, creamy filled heart sandwiches full of deliciousness that kids and adults simply love.
If you know anything about me you know I love coming up with fun, creative ways to make lunch for my kids. If there’s a holiday, you better believe I’m going to try to make their lunch box holiday themed! Valentine’s Day is no exception. In fact, it’s one of my favorite holidays! Every year I make these Waffle Heart Sandwiches for Kenya, Chloe and Gemma’s bento boxes and they absolutely love them!
These sandwiches are a fun treat to make with your kids too. They love cutting out the bread into hearts with a cookie cutter, filling them with cream cheese and raspberries, and finally, popping them into the waffle iron! I love these sandwiches too because they’re totally customizable. You can add any filling you want and they’ll be equally delicious!
We’ve made these with peanut butter and jelly before and they are absolutely incredible! The way they get crispy from the waffle iron cannot be matched. And it’s so easy! If you haven’t been making sandwiches in your waffle iron, this is your sign to do so asap!
I love any excuse to use my waffle maker too. There are tons of weelicious recipes for your waffle maker you’ve got to try like Waffle French Toast, Rainbow Waffles, and even Waffle Iron Eggs! There are endless way to use your waffle maker and it’s so much fun!
Valentine’s Day is one of the most fun holidays to come up with recipes for! We make these adorable Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts, Puff Pastry Berry Hearts and this really cute Valentine’s Day Snack Board. They’re great if you have a school party too and look adorable on any table!
Ingredients
4 slices sandwich bread
2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
honey, to taste
6-8 fresh raspberries
Preparation
1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Using a large heart shaped cookie cutter, cut the bread into hearts.
3. Spread half the cream cheese on 1 heart and drizzle with honey to taste. Flatten the raspberries by opening them up with your fingers. Place 3-4 raspberries on top of the cream cheese and top with another plain piece of heart bread. Place the sandwich in the waffle iron for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
These easy-to-make Valentine’s Day cards hold delicious surprises inside. Stuff them with treats, love-notes, and other sweet surprises. Plus, get adorable Valentine’s Day coloring pages and more creative cards. Follow these simple how-to instructions to put together your surprise-inside Valentines. You should be able to make each one in under 30 minutes. Download and print our free patterns before you start.
Play Cupid Cards
Colorful corrugated paper gives these heart-shape pockets pretty texture. Patterned paper straws make easy arrows.
Trace around a 5-inch heart-shape cookie cutter on corrugated paper and cut out. Fold the heart on a slight diagonal and punch a hole about 1/2 inch from the fold. When you unfold it, there should be two diagonal holes. Using pinking shears, cut another heart from corrugated paper in a contrasting color, making 1/4 inch larger on all sides.
Apply crafts tape along the small heart’s sides (not the top), the center it on the large heart and attach. Cut out two heads and two tails on cardstock with the pattern, then attach tail pieces to paper straw using crafts tape and fringe the tail. Thread a straw through the holes of the top heart and attach an arrowhead to the straw with crafts tape. Fill the heart with small candies, then seal the top with glue dots.
