Be a crafty sweetie

with these Family Fun

ideas and treats

CUP-O-KINDNESS

Treat someone to a warm sip, a sweet sentiment—and a reusable cup cozy.

FOR THE COZY, open a card- board cup cozy at its seam, trace it on glitter felt, and cut it out (for a zigzag edge, use pinking shears).

With tacky glue, adhere other felt shapes as desired.

To add sequin-strand trim (avail- able at fabric stores), draw guidelines in pencil, put the trim on top, and cut it to the right length.

Trace the lines with a tacky glue pen (we used Aleene’s brand) or tacky glue and a toothpick, then lay the trim over the glue and let

dry. Wrap the cozy around a heat-safe paper cup and pin the overlap. Remove the cozy, glue it along the overlap, and clamp it with clothespins until dry.

FOR THE DUNKER, knot one end of a 7-inch length of baker’s twine.

Thread it through a marshmallow with a plastic yarn needle wiped with vegetable oil.

Tape a tag to the twine.Package the dunker and a cocoa pack with the cup.

HEART TARTS

Calling all sweetie pies! This home- made take on toaster pastries makes a lip-smacking valentine snack. To serve it as a classroom treat, simply multiply the recipe as needed.

INGREDIENTS: For the tarts • Prepared piecrust • Jar of strawberry jam • 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water For the frosting and decorations • 21/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted • 1 tablespoon water • 1 tablespoon softened butter • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup • Red food coloring • Nonpareils or colored sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with parch- ment paper.

2. On a floured surface, roll out the piecrust to a 1/8-inch thickness. Use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter (ours measures 4 inches wide) to make pairs of hearts, gathering the scraps and rerolling the dough as necessary.

3. For each tart, spread 2 teaspoons of strawberry jam on a heart, leaving a 1/2-inch margin on all sides. Brush the egg mixture around the edge before placing a second heart on top. Use the

tines of a fork to seal the edges, then brush the tops with the egg mixture.

4. Bake the hearts on the prepared cookie sheet until their edges are just beginning to brown, about 15 min- utes. Let them rest on the sheet a few minutes, then move them to a rack and let them cool completely.

5. Whisk the first four frosting ingredients in a medium bowl, add- ing more water a teaspoon at a time if needed to make a smooth, creamy frosting. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix until well blended. Spoon the frosting into a Ziplock bag, snip off a corner, and squeeze it onto the tarts. Top them with nonpareils or colored sugar.

HEARTSTRING

Transform cardboard tubes into love tokens, then display them as a mantel garland or door decoration.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Cardboard tube

• Paintbrush and red paint

• Pushpin • Needle

• Embroidery thread

• Beads (with holes large enough for the needle to pass through)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the tube in half and brush the halves inside and out with red paint. Let them dry.

2. Flatten the tubes and cut them into one-inch segments. To make the heart shape, push one creased side toward the center. Pierce holes in the top and bottom with a pushpin.

3. Thread the needle and knot the end. Slide on a bead until it stops at the knotted end, then loop back and push the needle through the bead again, going from bottom to top. Thread on a heart, then add a bead just above it, using the same looping technique to secure it in place. Repeat to create a string of hearts and beads.

GO FOR GOLD

Everyone’s a winner with these super-easy gold medals. To make one, sandwich two lengths of rib- bon between two gold stickers (we used Avery Notarial Labels). Cut an angled notch in each ribbon’s tail. Write a message on the medal’s front with permanent marker and use a glue dot to affix a foil- wrapped chocolate to the back.

MORE MESSAGES:

You take the prize; To a first- place friend; You’ve won my heart

ON-A-ROLL

To put a fun spin on your V-day wishes, cut a rectangle of colorful wrapping paper sized to wrap a few times around a roll of candy. Print your message on the paper’s blank side (adding stickers if you like), then tape one end to the candy pack- aging. Roll the paper around the treat and secure it with a sticker.

MORE MESSAGES:

See you around!; Let’s rock and roll!; You’re a lifesaver (with Life Savers candy)