We’ve been making lots of Valentine’s Day cards and crafts to send, but Veronika wanted something to be hers around the house! This “stuffie” heart was the perfect Valentine’s friend to keep.

First, I knew we’d need to cover a large area with paint so I laid down our roll of craft paper. I decided the easiest way for her to paint this would be simply to dollop paint all over the paper and let her smear it with a wide-bristle paintbrush.

We used three shades of red, pink, and purple, one of which was glittery, so it all combined into a nice mix.

Once we had covered the paper, I set it upstairs to dry where little feet wouldn’t accidentally walk across it!

Later in the day, it was time to make the heart into a “stuffed animal”. I drew a heart shape on the paper and cut out, then traced it so we had two hearts. Use hot glue to attach these at the edges (so much easier than sewing!).

We used cotton roving for stuffing, but if you don’t have any roving, wadded up newspaper would probably work just fine.

I drew on a smiley face as the final touch.

It turns out Veronika wasn’t the only one smitten with this new stuffed friend. It brought an instant smile to big brother Travis’s face.

And needed a big hug, too!

Kids are sure to love this Valentine’s Day friend.