Thriftilicious Thursday—Just Say No to Store-Bought Valentines!
I know this may come as a shock to you, but I’m not one of these moms who has her Valentine’s Day crafts picked out mid-January and helps her children create intricate masterpieces to pass out to their friends. Nope. I’m usually at Wal-Mart about 8 p.m. the night before the kids’ parties, fighting for the last box of Higglytown Heroes or Looney Tunes Valentines (which, of course, are not my children’s first, second, or third choices, but that’s what happens when you have a organizationally challenged mom).
This year was no exception. Boys #1 and #2 both have their class parties tomorrow because they don’t have school on Friday. And when did we start making our Martha Stewart recycled Golden Graham cereal box Valentine card boxes and writing out our heartfelt Valentine messages? Yeah, that’s right. 8:00. Tonight.
In the name of thriftiliciousness, I decided to download and print free Valentines for the kids to give to their friends. Let’s face it: what do the kids really do with 25 Spider-Man and Hello Kitty Valentines? So Boy #2 got on board with me and chose one of the designs I found. Boy #1, though? Yeah. Tweeniness got the best of him, and I soon found myself on the way to Wal-Mart in search of Valentines that weren’t “stupid.” Fortunately, Boy #1 decided that sports Valentines were, in fact, not stupid, so we settled on those and only had to spend $2.50. I figure it’s his last year to exchange class Valentines, so letting him hand out Valentines that aren’t “so embarrassing!” is something I can probably do for him. I guess.
So if you’re like me and don’t have your cutesy handmade Valentines already crafted, this post is for you. There are oodles of free Valentines out there on the Interweb, ready to print on white paper or cardstock, cut, address, and deliver. Alls you gotta do is browse, choose, print, and go!
Boy #2 chose these Valentines for his first-grade class.
Disney printable Valentines here.
Got a Cyberchase fan? Class set of Valentines here.
Clever and funky Valentines here.
What says “Happy Valentines Day” better than zebras?
Conversation hearts make for a classic Valentine.
Whooo wouldn’t love these owl Valentines?
Beautiful artwork on these Valentines.
Giddy-up! These Valentines are great for the little cowboy or cowgirl.
Amazing wood-cut Valentine featuring an adorable squirrel here.
And before you throw away all your kids’ Valentines that are strewn about the house in an effort to plunder all the candy (Or does that just happen at my house?) see oh amanda’s great post about how to reuse those little cards! (By the way, I met cutie-patootie oh amanda last weekend, along with her sweet, sweet baby.)
This is one area where we really don’t have to spend much money to make fun memories for our kids. Search your favorite blogs and Web sites and just say no to overpriced cards and fuzzy gorrilas holding a red satin heart (Yes, even if the gorilla does play “Unchained Melody” when you pull its finger.)
How about, “Just say no to Valentine’s Day! Period.”
Another made-up Hallmark holiday.
Does not go back past middle ages, when Chaucer made it up (and it wasn’t in February).
Then reinvented in America in the 1840s by the greeting card industry.
BLECH!
Those are some cute Valentine's to print off! Don't know why I didn't think about printing. Well, I guess it was because my Mom bought Emily's cards a couple of weeks ago. She got some really neat 3D Valentines, with Shamu on them, lol. Not my pick, but they are neat.
And you got to meet Amanda? How cool & isn't she the sweetest?? I met her in April 08. Our daughters are the same age & we belong to a group on Ivillage & a bunch of us met in Atlanta last year. She's so much fun!
I’m all for just saying no to V-Day! I didn’t realize that Chaucer had made it up…interesting! Yeah, I’m not big on the holiday. Everything is so overpriced, and I would much rather my husband tell me he loves me on his own than feel pressured to by society! Much more meaningful!
Amy, how cool that you met Amanda also! Sounds like your Shamu Valentines will do the trick. You know, the oldest didn’t appreciate my frugality and we had to buy the sports ones!
Those are fun. We always buy Boo’s long in advance, otherwise I would be at the store at 8 pm the night before.
Thanks for the shout out. I love all the links you posted. I LOVE the idea of doing these instead of a big plastic-y, commercial hoopdedoo!
(and yay! we met in real life!)
(and yay, I met AmyG! How fun that we bumped into each other here, too!)
hi, and thanks for the linkage love! your blog name cracks me up.