Making Valentine's Cards with the Elderly

You've Touched My Heart

You've given me a reason
For smiling once again,
You've filled my life with peaceful dreams
and you've become my closest friend.

You've shared your heartfelt secrets
And your trust you've given me,
You showed me how to feel again
To laugh, and love, and see.

If life should end tomorrow
And from this world I should part,
I shall be forever young
For you have touched my heart.

~unknown

This past Thursday, we visited a lovely Senior Center with some homeschooling friends to sing and make Valentine's Day cards with some of the special residents at this home.

To see the smiles on the faces was just such a gift. So many Grandma's lit up with such joy! The little ones paired up with the elderly and made special cards together. It was a wonderful tradition and one that we hope to continue every year!

Our modern culture has made such a mistake in bypassing the wisdom and grace of our elderly, instead of nurturing friendships and building bonds with those who have walked in our footsteps not so long ago.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Valentine's Herbal Sachets & Felt Heart-Shaped Candy Holders

This week, we are hosting the Younger Girls Club outing through one of our local homeschooling groups and will be making lavender/rose-bud sachets in honor of Valentine's Day. This craft can be found in the wonderful book Earthways by Carol Petrash. The girls and I tested them out at home first and it was an easy craft that even younger children can do without much help (my 6 year olds did need a bit of help with the cutting out of the hearts).

We got out our supplies:
- felt (red, pink, or white would be nice)
- cookie cutter in the shape of a heart (or you can cut freehand)
- quilters pen to trace the shape
- scissors
- needle and thread (embroidery floss works well with felt)
- our herbal mixtures


1. Trace the shape of your heart and cut it out (or cut your own heart freehand)

2. Trace and cut a second one.

3. Using a whip stitch, sew them together. It helps to hide the knot by starting in between the two pieces of felt. I found a really nice tutorial at this mamma's blog.

4. Stop stitching when you are 3/4 of the way finished.

5. Fill your sachet with your desired herbs. We used lavender and rose buds which are available at most crafting stores. They are also available for wholesale prices in San Francisco at this lovely shop here if you need to buy in bulk.

6. Once you are finished stuffing, finish stitching and knot off the end.

And Voila! You have a lovely smelling herbal sachet to give to someone you love. Note: you can attach a piece of yarn and turn it into a necklace or something to hang in the closet or just place it in a drawer or hang in the entryway to your home!

The girls worked on a sachet for their best friend, who happens to live next door (how convenient for me - lol!)...and they also deviated a bit and we created a nice felt candy holder pouch to give to her, as well.

Cut out two hearts (larger ones work better for this) and stitch together a little more than half way. Knot off the end and then attach a piece of yarn to the top (see pictures below) and fill with candy, stickers, felted animals, or something little! Makes a cute little pouch/purse and can even be left as a nice surprise on a neighbor's door knob!

Happy early Valentine's Day!