Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and your kiddos probably have a Valentine’s Day party. This is your reminder because, if you’re anything like me, you probably will be pulling together valentines the night before while cursing out school holiday parties.
I mean, I want to be that Pinterest Mom. I’ve been scrolling for weeks trying to find the right valentine for my boys to give to their friends. I’m a sucker for a good theme and I want the gift to stand out. I’m looking for something cute and clever without being overly cutesy; something that my boys will not only like but that other parents will think is crafty. I’ve been inspired by these adorable crayon hearts and other home-made valentines and think, “I could totally do that!”
But I won’t.
Hi, my name is Katie and I’m a Last-Minute Mom with Pinterest Aspirations.
I know I could just buy the pre-made valentines from the store and tape on some candy, but that doesn’t live up to my Pinterest aspirations and I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet. So instead, I’ll be pulling together a last-minute valentine, without spending lots of money while still being (sort of) crafty.
We Last-Minute Moms have to stick together, so here are my ideas (with printables!) that are sure to be a hit.
Idea #1: Get inspired by the clearance and dollar sections.
Last-Minute Level: It’s the week of Valentine’s Day and you’re planning to head to the store.
Congratulations! You’re not pulling this together at bedtime the night before the kids’ party. Take a walk through the nearest clearance section or dollar section and see if the inspiration strikes you.
Funny glasses, toy cars, stickers; there are so many options.
Last year, I picked up a pack of 20 New Year’s silver bead necklaces on clearance for $1.50 and a pack of heart stickers from the dollar section. I made a little card that read “Shine Bright Like Diamonds, Valentine” and had the kids add stickers and colored it themselves.
Boom.
20 valentines for $2.50 that were the talk of school pick-up.
Idea #2: Ransack your kiddo’s art supplies.
Last-Minute Level: It’s a day or two before the party. You could make an emergency run to the store if absolutely necessary.
Maybe it’s just my kids, but we have a ton of random art and craft supplies on hand. Enough so that if we took the unused supplies and repurposed them no one would know the difference.
Have lots of unopened Play-Doh? “Have an a’doh’able Valentine’s Day!”
Surplus of googly eyes? “Here’s looking at you, Valentine!”
An idea I heard from another mom at daycare last year is to give two crayons with a themed coloring scene. Throughout the year, she collected the unused crayons the kids got from random places (restaurants, activity packs, etc.) and attached two crayons to the valentine she printed herself. It was clever and the kids loved it! I was shocked when she admitted she pulled it together the day before. I recreated a version of her card so you can be the hit of Valentine’s Day, too!
Idea #3: Raid your pantry.
Last-Minute Level: It’s the night before the party and you’re desperate.
If you stock your pantry with snacks for your kiddos (and no one in their class has allergies) you have so many options here! Individually packaged snacks work best and there are so many options beyond the traditional candies.
Have Goldfish packages? “We’re o-fish-ally valentines!”
Tons of Apple sauce pouches? “Valentine, I think you’re awesome sauce!”
Still have baby teething biscuits? “I’m bananas for you, Valentine!”
Have popcorn packets on hand? “Have a poppin’ Valentine’s Day!”
One of my favorite valentines I’ve done was a bag of Teddy Grahams (you could do gummy bears, too) with a printed tag I created that read “Bear hugs.” It was super easy to put together and super easy for you, too!
So there you go, lots of “last minute” inspiration and three new valentines so you can be the Pinterest Mom that you aspire to be.
And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’re a Last-Minute Mom like me.
