One word...X 3 !



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Loved, loved, loved!

Loved by grandma, loved by grandpa, loved by mommy, by daddy, by cousins, aunties, uncles, family pets......loved, LOVED, loved! - by everyone who has ever laid eyes on our little cherubs! Am I describing your grandchildren too? Of course I am!

And letting everyone in the world know how much, and by how many our grandchildren are cherished is a significant responsibility for a devoted grandma.

The job of this easily crafted Valentine's Day t-shirt is to help advertise that very, very important message!

Plain white or red cotton shirts and iron-on letters are all you need for this project unless you opt to add a big floppy bow to the shoulder of the one you make for your granddaughter. The combination of those items and an hour or so of your time will result in designer boutique style gifts to present to your little cupids on Valentine's Day. And the final price of the finished items will amaze you - translating into leftover cash to invest in bigger, better heart-shaped boxes of candy and fatter, fluffier, cuter teddy bears for every little grand-kiddo on your gift list!

I found the 3/4" embroidered iron on letter set and the pretty white t-shirt (size 2T) at Hobby Lobby. Using the weekly coupon for each item brought the final cost to about eight dollars for one shirt - a little more, of course, if you need to buy ribbon for the bow. For the boys, JoAnn Fabrics had everything I needed. Red shirts (size 4T) and a 1" white letter set by Dritz (lots of fonts to choose from!) purchased with coupons for each item brought that final price to about five dollars each. Keep in mind, however, that the darn letter "v" only shows up once in each package, so buy accordingly if you plan on making more than one shirt.

No problems at all with ironing the word onto the shirts with either type of letters.

While I was ironing away, it occurred to me that another grandma might prefer to spell out a grandchild's affectionate nickname - and make a matching shirt for herself! Lots of possibilities for making something really special with a minimal investment in cost and effort with this simple, appealing craft!

I like to make a holiday gift for each mom of my grandchildren - an item destined to become a keepsake because it permanently records today's wonderful moments in our lives. It's interesting that the most meaningful of these are also the most inexpensive and simple to make! Over the past year, I have been inspired by Pinterest to print the little feet of my grandchildren as snow people, Christmas trees and ghosts. Each daughter has repeatedly told me how much they will enjoy displaying these framed and matted pictures every year as their children grow. So, in advance, I know my Valentine idea will be appreciated too!

After considering all heart shaped variations of hands and feet, I settled on a charming way to let mom and dad know they are loved by their little Valentine. Perhaps my teaching background kept bringing this idea to mind, but I cannot think of a simpler, more straight forward way to express a sentiment and record a tiny little hand forever than this one!

To make hand printing easier, I typed the "Raise your hand if you love mommy and daddy" message in Microsoft Word, placed it under the print on a light box, and traced it with a fine point black marker.

                            HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!