Pom-Pom Valentines

K I D S.

H E L P T H E M T H R I V E I N E V E R Y W A Y

TH E RE ’ S A FLU FF Y C R AF T F I T F O R E V E RY A G E F R O M L I T T L E K I D T O T W E E N .

The possibilities are endless, whether you opt to DIY or buy.

Pom- Pom Valentine s!

Get the kids crafting their hearts out with super-fun gifts and cards made with warm-and-fuzzy puffs.

crafts by A S H L E Y T O T H photographs by

T E D + C H E L S E A C AV A N A U G H

Sweet miniatures add the perfect pop to a backpack or a pencil case.

Ice-Cream Charms

W H AT Y O U ’ L L N E E D

Scissors

Pink glitter felt and/or rose-gold felt ($6 for 5x19 in.; thefeltpod.com) Hot-glue gun 3 cm pom-poms in various colors, like fuchsia, mint, pink, off-white, and seafoam ($7.50 for ten; thefeltpod.com) Ball chains ($8.50 for 100; amazon.com) Neon-pink mini pom-poms (Pop! Possibilities 100 ct

Assorted Pom Poms – Neon, $4.50; joann.com) Small paintbrush Découpage or tacky glue (optional) Chunky glitter (optional) Mint-green cardstock 1⅛-in. hole punch Marker

M A K E I T

1. Cut felt into a triangular shape with a rounded bottom edge, 1½ in. tall and 3 in. wide. 2. Roll felt into a cone about 1 in. wide and secure with hot glue. Trim the top flat so it looks like an ice-cream cone. 3. Hot-glue a stack of two pom-poms in different colors over the cone’s opening. 4. Hot-glue the middle of a ball chain to top pom-pom. 5. Hot-glue a small neon-pink pom-pom on top for a cherry, overlapping the ball chain. 6. Using a paintbrush, dab découpage glue over the tops of the pom-poms, if using. Sprinkle with glitter and press down gently to adhere. Let dry. 7. Cut small rectangles from cardstock. Punch a hole in one end. Write “Supercool” on tag; thread ball chain through the hole and close.

Pom Posies

( F O R I N S T R U C T I O N S , S E E P A G E 2 0 . )

These bright and happy �lowers will never wilt or fade—no watering needed.

Monster Pencil Toppers

W H AT Y O U ’ L L N E E D

Customizable pencils in colors (Custom pencil set starting at $14; thepencilboutiqueco.com) Yarn in various colors Scissors Pom-poms in various colors and sizes (Pop! Possibilities 100 ct

Assorted Pom Poms – Neon, $4.50; joann.com) Hot-glue gun Googly eyes in various sizes and colors

M A K E I T

1. Get pencils customized with the phrase “You’re a real scream!” (Or use plain pencils and make a washi-tape flag with the phrase.) 2. To make a homemade pom-pom (like those on the mint and orange pencils): Wrap yarn around two fingers about 15 times. Slide the bundle of yarn off your fingers and tie tightly in the middle with the same yarn. Snip open the loops and fluff into a pom-pom, trimming as needed. (You can mix yarns and make larger or smaller bundles to get different sizes of pom-poms.) 3. To make a multicolor monster using store-bought pom-poms (like those on the pink and red pencils), cut a medium or large pom-pom in half and glue to another half. Glue on additional pom-poms if desired. 4. Hot-glue the top of the pencil to the bottom of the monster. 5. Hot-glue on googly eyes and small pom-poms for features.

Scare up the Valentine’s Day fun with some pretty sketchy creatures.