Valentines Buckets

Before I get too far into this blog, I hope everyone realizes that although I make these projects, I cannot take credit for all of them. Many of my projects are inspired from some of the brilliant bloggers I've come across the last few weeks.  Every time I get an idea, I will be sure to give credit to the inspirers.  :-)


Every Valentine's Day, Mr. Mike and I tried to give something SMALL to our children.  Nothing big...never enough for them to expect a big gift each year.  Some years we simply made cookies.  Other years, we've bought a DVD for the family.  This year, I came across THIS idea from Kierste at Brown Paper Packages.  How simple, and helps me to extend the "Advent Calendar" idea into February, too.  I'm not usually big on the candy, but this gives each kid a small sugar treat daily... and then I don't feel guilty when I'm not buying a big ol' box of chocolates to be inhaled all in one day.  And I was sure to not do it daily... there are a few other goodies in there.  (Mostly "consumable" too... am I the only one that rejoices when the kids get consumable gifts?  Stickers?  Tattoos?  Yep, they'll be worn away or in the trash within 24 hours.  Candy?  Gone in a day.  Silly little toys?  UGH...I would be tripping over those suckers for months... so I avoid them like the plague!!!  Am I right?)

Ever see those little painted tin buckets in the dollar section of Target?  Ever wonder, "Cute... but what would I do with those?"  Now you can splurge and spend those big bucks, and know that you can use these year after year.... even if you decide to give them to other kids, the paint is removable with Chalk Pens.  Heh heh heh.  (only kidding... I probably won't give them to other kids)

For every day in February until Valentine's Day, I will put small candy or trinkets into the buckets.  (All from Target's dollar section or the Dollar Tree... love those places!)  I even found books for a dollar, on various reading levels!  I'm thinking the sugar treats will (from now on) only be given on school days, not the snow days like today.  (sigh... lesson learned)

Needs:

Mini tin buckets ($1 each at Target... even found at Oriental Trading once)

White ChalkPen (can be removed if I want to)

Goodies (chocolates, candy bracelets, candy hearts, pixie sticks, stickers, playing cards, books, chapsticks, etc.)

A good memory, to remember to fill 'em up

Steps:

1.  Use pen to write names on the buckets

2.  Remember to fill 'em up every night.  Done.

If I was a little more ambitious, I might have pulled out the Cricut and cut out some names onto the sticky vinyl.  However when at 10pm last night, I realized that TODAY was February 1 and I hadn't yet put names on the buckets, a quick paint pen was so much easier!