The first step was to choose pictures from Bella's many coloring books that fit the theme. Valentine's day is easy because you can add hearts to anything, but I tried to choose pages that seemed lovey or that evoked Bella's personality (and that didn't contain a scribble in some can't-work-around-it spot).
Then I allowed Bella to choose from the selected pages. We chose one page per teacher for a flat card, though you could do multiple pages for a folded card or larger sized piece of paper. After choosing her pages, Bella carefully colored each page using "cweative-tivity" to make the pages special.
After she finished the first page, I cut out the main image while Bella moved on to the next page. We spread this part out over a couple days so coloring didn't lose its fun. After the image was cut, Bella applied glue (using a stick) and mounted the image on a piece of construction or scrapbook paper (or any nice paper you have, you know, that doesn't have scribbles on it).
The final step was to write a message on the page and sign the card. I wrote the message (Happy Valentine's Day! in this case) and Bella signed her name (anywhere she wanted and any way she wanted). Obviously, you could go further and really fancy these up, but the ones we gave out really felt like Bella's Valentines -- and you don't want to lose that effect.
The best part is that I didn't have to sit with Bella and pull out all the stamps and stickers and paints and glitter. I didn't spend any extra money and I didn't stress out about perfection (by which I mean that I focused furiously on deadlines while she colored).
Her teachers were beaming when they received their special cards. It's a win-win-win.
***This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday and Wordful Wednesday.***
Sounds and looks like the PERFECT Valentines. :)
It looks like she had fun!
What a creative and fun way to do it! So nice!
excellent no-fuss way to get the job done!
those turned out really cute, i love using coloring book pages but making them your own and original! love them!
What a great idea! And they did such a great job on them - they turned out perfect! :)
WW: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Princess Nagger Style
She's pretty good! The Dudes made nothing for Valentine's Day. They aren't crafty like that.
I think recipients would choose a handmade card like what Bella created, 10 times out of 10!
This was a great idea. If only I could get him to sit and color for longer than 5 minutes...
Great idea. And no mess. Even better.
Love this. I'm a scrapbooker/card maker. We love to tear out the paper and cut and decorate and glue. Well, I enjoy it with my oldest. The youngest is still too messy.
I love it so much. You are the best Mommy!