Paper tube heart stamps

It took having children to get me to enjoy Valentine's Day. I love my hubby, but we're both way too independent to enjoy a holiday that dictates romance. So, I channel my inner pink-fanatic at the start of February and dive with my children into a world of hearts, hugs, and warm fuzzies.

Using a couple toilet paper tubes and some red and pink paint, I created heart stamps for the girls. It took a bit of practice to get the heart just right, but once it was firmly creased it worked well as a simple and disposable stamp.

A enjoyed the stamp for about 5 seconds before she moved on to full-blown finger painting. My "H is for Heart" turned into "H is for a horrendous, happy mess!"

E did a great job on her card. I love how the paint splattered in spots... although I later found out it was non-washable paint, and I spent part of the afternoon carefully scraping it off of my dining room table!

Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas

Lily tries to create the perfect valentine for her mom. Each day she makes a new heart, but each day it isn't quite right: too lopsided, too skinny, too pointy. At the end of the week a frustrated Lily gives her mom all of the rejected hearts only to have her mom exclaim, "Oh, Lily! You made me one for every day of the week!"

This simple story has sweet illustrations and subtly teaches days of the week and shapes to young children in a gentle story that kids will easily relate to.