Well, I’m pleased as punch to announce a crafty event for boys and girls ages 8 to 12 with myself and my new pal Clare Crespo. You may remember Clare from the post I wrote in December featuring her cookbooks the Secret Life of Food and Hello There, Cupcake! and her show the Yummyfun Kooking Series. We’ve put our noggins together and thinking ourselves quite clever have planned a fun morning of crafts, snacks and  a special guest appearance by a furry friend!

Inspired by vintage sugar eggs, participants will create spring candy dioramas packed with tasty birds, bugs, bunnies and a whole lot of imagination. Clare will be concocting a special (surprise!) spring snack and a punchbowl of fun. And we’ve confirmed that the kind folks from the Pasadena Humane Society will be bringing a live bunny for ooohs, ahhhs and gentle pats on the head! Egg-ceptional!

The event will be had at the lovely Home Ec store in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Visit the Home Ec site to sign up (space is very limited) or call the shop at (323) 906-8826.

Do you remember making dioramas as a kid? They seem to be a classroom staple - the basic idea being to create a miniature world inside a box. And for this project, that little universe will be viewed through a small hole in one end of the box - the results are magical! Stocked with bowls of sweets, Clare and I will walk your kiddo through some basic steps of crafting candy critters and then let them stretch their imaginations to create anything they like to populate their tiny box landscapes. We’ll have diorama boxes available in bubblegum pink and chocolate brown - crafters choice! Come join us - don’t miss out on all the fun!

Today a chorus of Vintage Valentine’s cards to finish up our two week round-up. And what better way to go out than with a song. Wishing you and yours a very happy Valentine’s Day. xo

Oh boy, I get a kick out of these fella-focused cards and especially the rhyming sentiments on the inside. I’m sure some of you may be suffering from vintage Valentine’s Day card fatigue at this point - but rest assured tomorrow will be my final installment!

Aren’t double entendres fun? I’m gonna leave it at that.

Today it’s pigs kids in space! I’m telling you, astronaut uniforms were much cooler in the 50s. Want to see more? Check out Dreams of Space, a blog exploring non-fiction children’s books about space flight from 1945-1975.  Blast off!

Above: What do you think were the other options Vera and Carl considered before deciding to send their young friend this maniacal clown card? I’d say their choice was a big Valentine fail.

Below: Can a six year old file a restraining order against another six year old? If not, I fear Johnnie may grow up to play the role of James Caan in Misery.

Above: Now it seems clear to me that this horrified squirrel thinks he has reason to hide. Either that or he just sat on his stash of acorns.

Today I’ve corralled a little collection of animal themed vintage Valentine’s Day cards complete with the requisite corny wordplay… a tradition that continues today over at Cute Overload where you can spend hours (literally) looking at pics of cute animals all with baby-speak captions.

Can’t get enough?  Might I suggest picking up a copy of the Daily Puppy or attending the next meeting of the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee.

Gimme an L!
Gimme an O!
Gimme a V!
Gimme an E!

What’s it spell?

Given that yesterday was Superbowl Sunday, it seems apt that we tackle the sports section of our vintage Valentine’s Card countdown.

“Well life’s on a farm is kinda laid back
Ain’t much an old country boy like me can’t hack
It’s early to rise early in the sack
Thank God I’m a country boy”

Today’s vintage Valentine’s Day cards take us out to the farm where the poster boy of old school country boys is singing his heart out. And while I love vintage John Denver, my guess is that your kiddos would rather hear it sung by Hampton and the Hampsters.

Today’s continuation of my vintage Valentine’s Day card round-up makes a detour through the drive-through with a transportation theme.

Honestly though, when I think of transportation themed Valentine’s Day cards I think of  the one Lisa Simpson gave to pitiful classmate Ralph Wiggun (way back in season 4) featuring a locomotive and the phrase, “I Choo Choo Choose You!” See a clip from this classic Simpsons episode here or download and print a high res version of the card for your little Valentine here.  Even better?  Try your hand at these adorable “I Choo Choo Choose You!” cupcakes!