Valentine's Day for the Grandparents

 Are you one of our grandparents? If so, you might want to skip this blog post until next week.

Okay, are they all gone? Phew. Can I talk about them now? Seriously, my mom just retired and now has time to read my blog. I said jokingly to her "So this means I can't swear anymore, huh?" and she seriously replied "Yup."

Anyhoo, so the last post I asked if anyone could identify the craft cobbled from a Mormon Mom blog that we were preparing for. My friend Teniciah thought it was making heart shaped crayons. BUZZ! Sorry, T, for once I am actually ahead of all those Mormon Mommies and their pinning and crayon making. We made heart shaped crayons four years ago for Oscar's kindergarten Valentines. (I'll post pictures if I can find them.)

No, actually we were making these wax paper crayon hearts from Design Mom, reblogged from Martha Stewart. It was very easy and very cheap! I bought a 69¢ box of crayons from Target and we used the pink, red, and violet. I actually had wax paper from a time when I sen Evan to the store for parchment paper and he returned with wax paper. What do you use wax paper for, anyhow?

So as Oscar is showing in the above picture, you use a pencil sharpener and grate up the crayons. Spread them between a couple sheets of wax paper, put kraft paper (or Trader Joe's shopping bags, which is what we had) and iron them together.

 The wrinkles are from the creases in the shopping bags. After we cut them out I pressed them one more time on uncreased sections and they looked better, as you will see in the sewing bit.

Lucy and I cut out two different heart shapes.

I arranged them in three lines and strung them together by sewing a seam in the middle using embroidery floss. 

 Here's one, all strung up. I should have gotten a picture in the sunlight -- they really are pretty!

(In the background you can see a path of Legos from the boys' room all around the living room, down the hall, and into the den.  I never figured out exactly why they were there. Mysteries of six-year-olds.)

I cajoled everyone to gather around the table (yes Mom, I know you're reading this, and I will send you a picture of our new dining room table if we ever clean off the homework, crafts, mail, keys, crayons...) and crayoned up some self portraits for the cards.

 The Goose draws herself as Cthulhu, Arlo is an angry angel, and I think Oscar is freaked out by his siblings.

 And then there's the one where everyone was a member of the Bat Family!

So, grandparents' cards and crafts in the mail today. Tomorrow we make classroom Valentines -- 20 for The Goose, 29 for Arlo, and 31 (!!!) for Oscar. Wish me luck.