Copycat Handprint Valentine Tree for Kids

I love receiving an Oriental Trading catalog in the mail, and not because I'm planning party after party around here. I love glancing through their prepackaged projects and thinking of ways I can recreate them myself for FREE!

I tore out a few Valentine's Day projects, and I thought I'd share one of my favorites before this year's day to spread a little bit of love. If you're stuck inside because of snow up north or rain as we are down here, this is an easy Valentine with which to surprise someone in your family. I made a couple this year, and might make them again next year with better materials for more of a keepsake craft.

Materials:
Green and brown construction paper or cardstock
Red paint
Scissors
Contact paper/laminating paper

 You can see the original project on the clipping on the right. I traced his hand and cut out the prints and tree shapes. Don't worry; that tree trunk was shortened.

The Sheriff took a break from cutting practice to show me how proud he was of his work and then help me glue the pieces of the tree together.

I helped him use his thumbs to create a few hearts on our tree and then let him have at it himself for a bit.

At nap time I printed out the poem below, added it to the tree, and stuck some contact paper around the entire Valentine. Aren't these words perfect for sending to out of town family?!

I'm proud of our copycat finished product. We'll hopefully send it to work with Daddy, and by next year we'll perfect our technique, grab some sturdier materials, and create a little something that can last through the years.