Valentine Factory

About this time every year, we took a break from our routine to turn our house into a craft supply store. You could have shopped there for paper in any color, an array of craft supplies, scissors of all kinds, markers, paint and brushes, tape and glue, and every type of glitter manufactured in this country.

Our event? Valentines.

Our home was a Valentine factory, making scores of cards and notes that found their way to mailboxes far and wide. I let my sons follow their imaginations -- which took us to some wild places.

They enjoyed this tremendously. They created poetry, wrote funny short stories, and explored new crafts and art projects. The boys tended toward animal themes. I favored garden motifs. I used paper lace and ribbons. They savored fake animal fur and black and brown markers. We all borrowed from our favorite stories, magazines, and art books.

I let them express themselves. I let them be themselves. There were no rules, except for the requirement that they make earnest efforts to create. Silly was in. Funny was hip. Sappy was allowable. For up to three days, we let ourselves go.

Now, those days are some of my favorite memories.

I especially remember one card made for my husband. The front of the card has a smiley face which looks normal except for the mouth. Instead of smiling, the mouth is drawn in a straight horizontal line. When I open the card, it says:

Have a day.

Love,

Joshua

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What kinds of valentines does your family like? What do you prefer?