Arts & Crafts Evolving Kids Evolving Motherhood Holiday

Valentine’s Day Potato Stamped Heart Bookmarks

written by Catherine January 29, 2013

It’s pretty well documented that crafting plays a large part of the mother daughter bonding ritual around here. Obviously cooking is the other major bonding time activity. Luke generally does all the active bonging things. Bikes, roller blading, playing at the park. I can’t help it I just enjoy other things. Coloring for hours, crafting, cooking, reading piles of books. Don’t get me wrong I have a bike and I know how to use it but if given the choice I’d much rather raid the bookshelf or the craft closet for something to so than put on my shoes and go outside. This last Saturday Madeline and I put on our thinking caps, dug through the crafting supplies and came up with a bunch of fun homemade Valentine’s Day card ideas. They are all pretty easy and we had a blast making so many fun cards together. Over the next week I’ll share them with you here on Evolving Mommy. You never know, you might find the perfect valentine for your kiddo to make and give out to their classmates. Or maybe you’ll find the perfect Valentine for your kiddo to make with you for a family member. I hear grandmas love homemade valentines.

We’ll kick off the virtual valentines exchange with Potato Stamped Heart Bookmarks. Cuteness and functionality all in one.

Supplies Needed to Make Potato Stamped Heart Bookmarks

2×6 inch strips of paper (your choice of colors, lighter shades will work better)
1 potato (baking potatoes are a good size for kids to hold onto and for making into stamps)
A 1.5 inch heart cookie cutter
A knife
paint (your choice of color)
Small plate or paint pallet to hold the paint
Hole punch
ribbon
scissors
marker, pen or pencil (whatever your child is comfortable writing with)

How to Make Potato Stamps

This requires using a sharp knife and is therefore an adult job, although older children may be able to do this with close supervision. Use your best judgement please.

Step 1. Cut a medium sized potato in half.

Step 2. Starting on on one half of the potato, push the cookie cutter into the cut side.

Step 3. Using the knife, cut into the potato towards the side of the cookie cutter. Work the knife around the cookie cutter. This will cut off a ring of potato from around the cookie cutter but leave potato intact to form the heart stamp.

Step 4. Repeat steps 1-3 on the other half of the potato.

Now you have two heart shaped stamps ready to go!

How to Make Potato Stamped Heart Bookmarks

Step 1. Put a thin layer of pain on the plate to dip the heart stamps into. Too much paint will just get junky so you may have to add a bit of paint to the plate as you go along if you are making several bookmarks.

Step 2. Dip the potato stamp into the paint. Stamp hearts onto the bookmarks. Encourage your child to play around with using different amounts of paint, making patterns, or stamping multiple times before dipping the stamp back in paint. Each will make for a fun design. I especially love Madeline’s ombre heart bookmark and how the hearts fade from dark to medium to light pink. Set the stamped bookmarks to the side to dry.

Step 3. While the bookmarks dry measure 6-7inch lengths of ribbon. The number and color you need are up to you. We chose to do three ribbons for each bookmark. A light pink, dark pink and turquoise.

Step 4. Punch a hole in the center at the top of the bookmark. Feed the number of ribbons you have decided on through the hole, gather them together and then tie them in a knot just above the edge of the paper.

Step 5. Write a message on the back of the bookmark or a simple To: and From: and viola! Cute bookmarks, creative valentines, and fun crafting time rolled into one.

These little cuties are fun and easy to customize with your kiddos favorite colors. I know there are a few people in Madeline’s life that will be very excited to get one of these valentines.

Have you ever made potato stamps before?

Catherine

Catherine, The Evolving Mommy, is the mom behind the Evolving Motherhood. As the mom to two young girls, Catherine spends a good deal of her time feeding her family, cleaning up after feeding her family and planning the next meal she will feed her family. When she isn't feeding people, cleaning, running errands or volunteering in her daughter's school, she enjoys running, reading, writing, and cooking for fun. Motherhood is a jungle so we have to keep evolving and learning from the everyday.