Valentine's Day Cards & Cake Pops made with L-O-V-E

Next year...I'm going to Walmart to get Kaden's Valentine's Day cards.

While we had a {cake} ball making this craft, there was no shortage of hard work. Thank goodness I did not charge Kaden for my part of the labor. He would most likely owe me his milk money for school.

The cards we made for Valentine's Day were simple. Last year, or maybe the year before, I came across a cool card on a website. I can't remember exactly what site it was, but Pinterest now provides endless inspiration and variations to most craft ideas you could ever ask for. (Need an invite? Just say so in the comments section.)

My pictures are not the best quality  because there was way too much going on. I just snapped to give you an idea.

Here are the steps we used to make Kaden's Valentine's Day cards:

1. Snap a picture of your child with their hand in a fist. You can place it at any angle or direction you want. Just make sure it's coming toward you. You can take it in front of a cool background like a brick wall, beautiful tree or add text or graphics using computer software. Kaden wore his chalkboard t-shirt and wrote 'Happy Valentine's Day' on it (we rushed a bit, so there is a glare...oops).

Make as many copies as you need cards. We made extra in case we messed up. 

2. If you want to, round the corners of the pictures. We used the X-Acto X-2009 Designer Corner Round Paper Punch.

3. Select a backing of choice such as scrap paper or construction paper. Another option may be wallpaper samples, magazines, cardstock, or whatever your creative mind desires. We chose scrapbooking paper. Keeping with the whole Valentine's Day theme, we chose all red.

The picture we chose is a 4x6, so make sure you cut the paper so that there is a little border for the sides of the picture.

Using the X-ACTO DESIGNER 9" GUILLOTINE PAPER TRIMMER, we cut several 6 x 6 inch squares.

4. Adhere the photograph to the paper. Use glue, tape, or spray adhesive. We used Elmer's Craft Bond Acid-Free Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive.

 5. Optional: Use scissors to decorate the edge. We used X-ACTO's DECORATIVE EDGE SCISSORS to give our edges a little jazz.

We also added glitter. This was a huge fail. It must have been the quality of the glitter. It did not work out so well. It is still everywhere. I apologize to the parents and teacher now. My bad! The next time I will use the glitter glue to decorate.

We also drew hearts on the card with  Elmer's Project Popperz® Permanent Markers.

Next, it was on to the Cake Pops.

I'll have to say, they are easy to make, but A LOT of work. I just need time to perfect the craft. 

1. Bake a cake as normal. 

2. After the cake cools, break the cake up as much as you can with your hands into a large bowl. Then, use a mixer to mix the cake into smaller, fine pieces. 

3. Add icing to serve as the 'glue' for your cake pops. Again, use the mixer to make sure all the cake and icing are combined to make a dough-like mixture.

4. Depending on what size you want to make (don't go too large), scoop up a spoonful of mix. Roll it in your palm to make a ball. Then, place them on wax paper to harden a bit.

You may even want to place them in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool a bit. This makes it easier for the chocolate to stick.

5. Melt chocolate as instructed. 

Dip the end of the cake pop stick into a bit of chocolate. Stick it into the flat part of the cake pop that was resting on the wax paper/tray. 

Dip it quickly into the chocolate. Shake of excess. 

6. You can add any decorative element to the cake pop – candies, sprinkles, edible eyes, crumbles of something. The possibilities are endless.

Before hand, you'll want to cover Styrofoam with plastic to stick the finished pops into it. I just used pieces from an old package and covered it with plastic wrap. 

 7. Once the chocolate hardens, cover with little baggies. I used Wilton clear treat bags for cake pops. 

Then, I tied red ribbon around each to secure. 

8. Finally, I put a slip at the top of Kaden's hands on the picture and one at the bottom to secure it. Because of the weight of the cake pops, there was a little puckering. If you use lollipops, the extra slit at the bottom is not necessary.

So, there you have it! 

I know I could have just gone to the store and picked out a box of Valentine's Day cards like we did the other years. However, Kaden and I both like making crafts. Besides, it has been awhile since we personalized his cards. Remember this: 

So, tell me: Did you make a special craft for Valentine's Day?

P.S. I know it seems like I used a lot of products from Elmer's and X-ACTO. The truth is, I own them all and was not required to mention them. They just serve me well when I'm doing crafts. That is all.