Monday, February 3, 2014

'You Rock' DIY Valentine by Brandi

Even though I call her a 'mean mom', she is actually a super cool mom that comes up with lots of fun ideas and inspirations for her boys, shhhh don't tell her I said that;)! When Brandi from Balee Images posted this Valentine on IG, I knew I wanted to share! Its earthy, rustic, not to mention adorable; but even better its in-expensive and perfect for boys!

'You Rock' Valentine 
By Brandi
Ashley may have dubbed me “the mean mom” for not putting candy in my kids’ Valentines, but I hope this project gets me back in their good graces.  Plus, she was kidding about that, wasn’t she???

My boys, ages 7 & 4, love to collect things – store bought, handmade, or just “treasures” they find – and the smaller the better.  When I scoured Pinterest for some inspiration for their class Valentines, my two requirements were A) no candy (okay, maybe that’s a little mean?) and B) no mushy-gushy romance stuff.  When I stumbled upon the rock idea, something they already collect, I knew it would be a winner!

This whole project took me about 20 minutes and couldn’t have been simpler.  I got everything I needed at Hobby Lobby, and I even pulled a few supplies out of my closet to keep the cost down.

Supplies
--rocks (if you don’t already have a collection, you can find bags of them in the floral section at Hobby Lobby)
--card stock or trading cards (you could use any shape, size, or color)
--hot glue gun & glue sticks
--stamp and/or markers
--paint pens

I originally envisioned myself hand-painting the faces on the rocks with acrylic paint and tiny brushes.  I found myself cursing my lack of tiny brushes when I went to start the project, but immediately rejoiced when I found my huge stock of paint pens!  This was 100 times easier than paint brushes ever would have been, and I absolutely recommend it.  I CANNOT draw, so we kept it simple: eyes, a basic smile, an occasional pair of eyebrows, and a few hearts.  I love how they each look different and unique, just like the recipients.

The original design that inspired this project featured a “you rock” stamp, with a little design and hearts.  I didn’t find anything similar but was pretty stoked to find a new product I’d never seen before in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby – score!  The Prima Press block lets you attach letters to form words for stamping.  I love this even more than a pre-made stamp because it kept the finished project looking simple and clean. 


I painted the rocks, attached them to the trading cards with my hot glue gun, stamped “you rock” on each one, and we still had a little bit of room left for a “signature.” Done and done. I hope these sweet boys of mine keep wanting to do projects with their mean mom forever!





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