February 1, 2010

Valentines Day is for the birds

Valentines Day and I haven't always gotten along. In high school I dressed my single self all in black every February 14. Later, when  had a boyfriend and then husband, I still disliked a holiday that celebrates with obligatory, over-priced roses and cheap chocolate.

Now that I'm a mom of a preschooler, me and V-day are back on speaking terms. This year, I'm ready (and even excited) for some heart-themed, super-sappy fun! We'll be focusing on love and heart-themed books and crafts for the next couple weeks... starting with a heart birdseed feeder.


With all the snow we got (YAY SNOW!!!) the birds have been converging on my neighbors' feeder. I wanted to get in on some of that action! I found this super-easy craft from Sophie @ Eco-DIY Weddings. Here's how we did it:

1. Toast a slice of bread and cut out with a heart cookie cutter. Don't have one? You can get a pack of multi-sized hearts at any Walmart or Target. Or you can do what Sophie did: simply cut out a paper heart and use it as a template to cut out the bread shape.

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2. Have your child spread with PB. (I'm a "choosy mom"... only the best for our birds!)

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3. Press into birdseed.

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4. Pose for the camera... because that's what children of bloggers do!

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5. Let sit overnight or put in a 200 degree oven until dried out and stiff.

6. Poke a hole in one corner. Hang with twine or string from the nearest tree for your birdies to enjoy!

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Just make sure you keep it out of reach from the cat! Unless of course, your cat is Splat...


Love, Splat (Splat the Cat) by Rob Scotton

Love, Splat (Splat the Cat)Have you met, Splat the Cat yet? He is so cute, even a vowed cat-hater such as myself will be completely charmed. In this story, Splat has a crush on Kitten and makes her a very special Valentine. But when cocky Spike gives Kitten his valentine, Splat is sure there is no hope Kitten will ever like him. Will Splat find puppy kitty love?

The story is cute, but it's the illustrations that make this a great book. The cartoon-like pictures are quirky with a monochromatic palette and bold splashes of color; you and your child will enjoy every page.




8 comments:

  1. It's so funny how children change our perspective on life..

    I am gonna check out Splat- he looks like the kind of cat I would like!

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  2. so sweet. My daughter is sitting here with me and wants to make that today.

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  3. Can the birds actually eat the seed if it's baked in? It is absolutely precious!

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  4. I had to have a giggle i wrote something similar a few days ago about not celebrating V-Day until i saw all the cute V-Day crafts that i could do with/for the kids : ) and then i had another giggle at posing for the camera as that is what children of bloggers do! The bird feeder looks super cute.

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  5. oh... I am totally going to make these tomorrow! SO super cute.

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  6. Thanks, Christianne, for the tutorial! I have taken an HTML class (long ago), so I sort of know what to do!

    Tami

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  7. You inspired me and I made this project with my grandson. See my blog post at http://heleadethk.blogspot.com/2010/02/feed-birds.html. I linked to your blog.

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  8. Um, okay, we totally did this same thing but with cardboard instead of bread! :)

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