I really enjoy handmade goodies of any kind, but for me there is something a little extra special about a handmade valentine. I think it has something to do with the fact that from 3rd-8th grade this is how my Valentine's Days rolled. At my school the typical kiddo friendly boxed valentines were forbidden, and in their place a rather lovely tradition was implemented instead. The concept was simple, but yet so sweet and so kind. Much like a "Secret Santa" names were picked at random, and kept secret until the revealing ceremony on Valentine's Day. In order to stretch our creative minds, we had to craft our own valentines. Buying cards, candy, or other trinkets was out of the question, it was all about what you could make with some paper and a glue stick! Every single child got ONE valentine. Of course some cards were far more DIY fabulous than others, but the point was that everyone felt loved, and no one felt left out or more popular than the others. We all felt proud of the cards we created, and we all felt special knowing that the cards we received were just for us. I love knowing that this tradition still lives on there, since sadly many of the other important ones have been let go of.
My mom actually works at my old school, and although she moans and groans about how much she dislikes being "stuck" in this tradition, I always looked forward to our nights of valentine card crafting together. It was a really nice time for us to share together, letting our minds wander, me offering up color combination and cut out heart placement advice, my mom struggling with the hot glue gun, but all the while the two of us laughing and smiling. So while unfortunately this year I will not be at home to share in a night of crafting with my mom, I did make sure to craft up a storm here in Brooklyn by myself. And so now that I have talked your ear off, and traveled back in time to a gawky middle schooler ready to unveil her most recent valentine creation (can we say braces, bangs, a bad perm, and glasses!), I'll give you a glimpse at some of the valentines I crafted up this year, and that will be making their way to some special mailboxes very soon!
