Yearly Family Valentine

17 Feb Yearly Family Valentine

Okay, so I know it’s not Valentine’s Day, but I tried to post this Friday, and for some reason, my site will not let me upload pictures.  I have just discovered a way around the problem, but it takes about twelve years to get everything done.  My site manager is working on this problem, so hopefully, all will be back to normal soon.

Since our oldest was born, I have made the same type of valentine for my husband every year.  He loved it so much the first year I made one, I decided to continue the theme.  I’ve made seven of these family valentines now, and it is so much fun to look at all of their little faces and how they have changed.  When taking these photos, I try to capture lots of little things that emphasize their personalities.  Here’s a look at these family treasures…

They are pretty easy to make, so even if you’re not much of a crafter, I think you can do this. : ) Plus there’s just something special about homemade cards, right?  They may not be magazine worthy, but they are yours, and they are sentimental, and they were created with your time and hands.

Here’s how I make my family valentines…

First, get yourself a large white poster board and a pair of scissors.  Fold it in half and then cut your heart shape.  I just eyeball the shape, but you could draw it with a pencil if you would like.  Cut it out, open it up, and you’re ready to get to forming your valentine.

At this point, I sort through my valentine photos and make a pile of my favorites (which is usually a lot of them, ha).  I always have a little photo session with the kids to use on the valentine, and it just helps it look cohesive and valentine-y.

I learned after the first couple of years of making these that it is a good idea to make sure there is a midline down the center of your valentine.  As we added more kids each year, and the valentine got larger, it was difficult to store these in a drawer or document box.  Being able to fold the valentines in half without putting a crease in several of the pictures preserves them a little better.

I use double stick tape to adhere my photos to the poster board.  You could use glue, but every once in awhile, I have to move a picture, and it would be much more difficult to do that with glue.  I also used to lay out all of the photos and then affix them, but that takes too much time.  It’s much simpler to do it as you go.  Don’t worry about trimming the photos to make the heart shape until you are done.  You will have lots of photo overhang, which is fine.

Once you have gotten all of your photos adhered to the valentine, and all of the little pieces taped tightly, it’s time to cut your valentine into a heart shape.  Turn the valentine over and use the edge of your poster board to trim it to size.

On the back of the valentine, I  always write a little note, and then I get each of the kids to tell me what they want to say to their Dad for Valentines Day.  I always write exactly what they say, which is sometimes pretty funny.  For little ones, I simply trace their hand.  This was the first year my oldest wrote and composed his entire note by himself.  It’s bittersweet this growing up.

How I love all of their little expressions and all they tell me with their sweet eyes.

Hope you had a great weekend!