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Toy Heart Photo Valentines [using Skylanders, Legos, Stuffies, & Monster High Dolls]

Yesterday, we made Homemade Valentines with what we have around the house….and what did we have around the house? Toys, toys, and more toys!!!
We formed our toys into heart shapes, photographed them, added text with free online photo-editing tools, and printed them out in small format to give to friends and family.

Notes to the adults in the room: If you want a more grown-up approach, you could do something similar for your sweetheart by swapping toys for other around-the-house items such as kitchen tools, high-heeled shoes, bowties, shop tools (nails, screws etc) – and you could certainly be a little naughtier with your text.

Toy Heart Photo Valentines

Supplies
Sheet, Tablecloth, Plain Blanket, or Bare Floor
Toys or other Household Items: Skylanders, Legos, Stuffies, Monster High Dolls, shoes, spoons, tools, ties, balls of yarn, etc…
A Chair or Step-Stool
Digital Camera
Computer with internet access
Colour/Photo Printer
Photo Paper
Scissors
Sharpie or other photograph-writable writing utensil

Method
Lay a blanket, tablecloth or other plain fabric on a flat surface, or clear a flat surface of any clutter.
Arrange toys in a heart shape.
[If you'd like, have your child "photo-bomb" the heart by laying down with their head inserted among all of the toys...or take a picture if the child pointing to the heart, etc.]
Standing on a chair, step-stool, or just on the floor nearby, take a photo of the heart [and child] from above.
Upload the photo to your computer.
Use a free online photo-editing site such as www.fotoflexer.com, or use your own photo software, to add text and borders to your photo file.
Choose something simple like “Be My Valentine, Love Bea & Tobes” or something toy-specific, like “Don’t Lego My Heart, Tobes” or “Bear with Me, Always, Love, Bea.”
Print your valentines in multiples of 6-12 per page for small, school-size valentines or in a larger format for family and friends.
Cut photo-cards to size.
You can use a sharpie to add the addressee’s name to an area of the photo or to the back of the print, or you can purchase small envelopes to do the job.

Here are the photos we took with our iphone camera!

Here’s just a sampling of our completed valentines!

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Summer of Funner : The Lunchbox Season : In Defense of Burning

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January 20, 2013

Looking Backward, Love

“If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.” – Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward

While it may have appeared as if we’ve been off hibernating since our marathon Advent Shadowbox Calendar project at the end of 2012, we’ve actually been out flexing our muscles in the winter weather. Plenty of snow has meant plenty of sledding down our local hill. We’ve also been preparing for the weeks ahead, particularly the upcoming holidays: Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Ash Wednesday, and Valentine’s Day!

Of course, such recreation has made us think, most particularly, on our hearts.

So, here are the links to last year’s Valentine’s posts:

Valentine’s Lunchbox Treats: Caramel Kissed Chocolate Thumbprints & Mini-Kissed Chocolate Hearts

Handmade Holidays: Valentines for School

Stay tuned for new posts starting this week….and get yourselves ready for MARCH breAK! 2013 by checking out our MARCH breAK! archive for all of the fun & excitement from last year!
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Quick Links for Mobile Users
Summer of Funner : The Lunchbox Season : In Defense of Burning

February 13, 2012

Handmade Holidays: Valentines for School

February 12-14, 2012

It’s time to disseminate Valentine Cards in the classroom. This year, when the kids received their lists of names from school, we decided to go ahead and make our own little cards. It took us about an hour from start to finish…

Supplies:
Plain paper, Pencils, Markers or Gel Pens, Scanner, Computer, Printer, Scissors, Permanent Marker

The Process:
1) Have your child draw an image in pencil on a piece of plain white paper.
2) When they are satisfied with the image, have them colour it in with markers or gel pens.
3) Scan the image onto your computer.
4) Use photo editing software (like the free tools at fotoflexer) to add borders and text (“Happy Valentine’s Day,” or “Be Mine,” ”To:” and “From: Your Child’s Name”).
5) Using your photo-printing software or by copying the images into a word document, print multiple copies of your valentines on sheets of 8.5×11 plain or glossy photo paper.
6) Cut out the valentines and write the recipient’s names on them. (We used permanent marker on our photo printouts.)

If you don’t have access to a colour printer, simply have the kids draw the images in black and white, scan and print them, or bring them to a photocopy place to do so, and have fun colouring the cards individually.

The Results
Here are the kids’ original drawings (Bea made two):

Tobes (Skylander Shooting Hearts):