Photo Puzzle Valentine

I've been excited to create some fun Valentines for the sweet grandparents in our family...I hope this puts smiles on their faces!! I know I sure had a perma-grin while making them during Brooks' nap today :) That photo of him in the tub (first posted here) is a treasure of mine. And tonight he'll be able to draw his own little love note on the back of each one before I send them off in the mail!

Thought I'd share a detailed tutorial if you want to make some for your valentines too :) The possibilities are endless because the photo aspect makes them wonderfully unique...

SUPPLIES:

- photo (I developed more than one for multiple valentines...size 8x8")

- 3 pieces of card stock (I used 2 white and 1 red)

- scissors

- Mod Podge

- pencil

- pen or marker (I used a metallic silver Sharpie)

- Velcro (mine were "Sticky Back" circles from Walmart)

STEP 1 - Spread a thin layer of Mod Podge on the back of the photo, then press and smooth onto the first piece of white card stock (makes the puzzle pieces more sturdy).

STEP 2 - Cut photo into a heart shape.
STEP 3 - Using your marker, draw puzzle pieces...they'll all be different and imperfect, that's okay :)

STEP 4 - Cut out puzzle pieces.

STEP 5 - Press Velcro (both top & bottom pieces!) onto the back of each puzzle piece.

STEP 6 - Put puzzle together on the red card stock, pressing each piece so that the bottom Velcro sticks...then when you lift off the puzzle piece you'll have the top Velcro on the puzzle piece and the bottom Velcro on the red paper in the spot it's supposed to be :)
STEP 7 - Using the pencil, trace where each puzzle piece on the red paper...then use the marker on top of the pencil lines.

STEP 8 - Cut out the heart...leaving about a 1/2-inch boarder around the marked puzzle.
STEP 9 - Spread a thin layer of Mod Podge on the back of the heart.

STEP 10 - Press and smooth the heart onto the second piece of white card stock...making your puzzle base.
STEP 11 - Leaving another 1/2-inch boarder, cut around the puzzle base...I created a small scalloped design with my scissors.

STEP 12 - Put puzzle together on your finished Valentine!
PS - I put my puzzle pieces into an envelope that I'll put with the puzzle base (with a message on back) and send them off in a manila envelope :)

PPS - You can see the Valentines we sent out last year here!

PPPS - I'm sharing my tutorial over at the lovely blog, WhipperBerry!! Go and you'll get all sorts of fantastic inspiration...that blog is a favorite of mine :)

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Spiritual Health:

Read "Exhort Them to Pray" by President Henry B. Eyring

I loved how President Eyring said that when he was a young boy he prayed with a picture of God in his mind...but He was far away. As the years have passed and his faith has grown stronger, that picture of Heavenly Father is now of Him being very close and He is filled with light and love for him as His son. What a blessing to know that when my family and I pray, we are praying to our Heavenly Father who wants to listen and wants to communicate with us, his children :)