Sweet Valentine's Journal

My favorite holiday is just around the corner: Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day used to mean wishing I had a valentine to lavish attention on, and then when I fell in love it meant a fabulous date. Now it means making class Valentine mailboxes, getting four different sets of valentines to give out to said classes, making heart-shaped pancakes and cookies, helping out in class Valentine parties, and finally crashing onto the couch to enjoy late-night Chinese takeout with my husband. But I still love it.

Why do I love it so much? I think it's because I get to show my family how much I love them but I don't have to fulfill big expectations. I usually give my kids a little something, but it doesn't have to be fancy, just heartfelt. And I love decorating with red and pink hearts in the middle of what is usually a cold and dreary month.

For the next few Mondays I'll share some Valentine's goodies. This week I'm showing you these sweet journals I made for my big girls. I'll write a note in them and invite them to write a note back. If the idea takes off we'll have a mommy and me journal, and if it doesn't take off they can enjoy my note to them and use the rest of the journal however they would like.

Construction is simple: I took composition books (I chose red ones because I wanted the red binding) and covered them with decorative cardstock. I used diecuts for their names, but a computer-generated label would work just fine. Add a sticker and you're done. Easy-peasy. Here is a close-up of the cover and a picture of the backs.