A Fun and Easy Valentine's Craft, ages 2-5Michelle Gonzalez

Make a special Valentine with your child.
My daughter and I had SO much fun putting this together, that I thought I'd share it with you. Make an adorable Valentine's card for friends and relatives in minutes.

Materials-

Construction Paper
Glue Stick
Left over wrapping paper or other "pretty" paper (optional)

Parent, trace a large heart onto one side of a piece of construction paper. Use any color you like, such as white, pink or red.

Parent, cut out the heart leaving about a quarter inch all the way around. It should look like a semi heart shaped "blob" when you're done.

Parent, cut different colors of construction paper and/or other paper (I used left over wrapping paper) into various shapes. I found it easiest to cut the paper into a long rectangular strip, then cut the strip into small triangles. This was quick and easy, but you can cut the paper into any shapes, or even use a punch out heart from a craft store.

Mix the pieces up in a little bowl so many different colors are present.

The fun part:

Place the heart shaped blob on a piece of newspaper, with the traced heart facing down. Gently go over it with the glue stick. Instruct your child to choose paper from the bowl and place it on the heart. My three year old loved making her own designs and deciding where each color went. Let them overlap the papers and go over the edges as much as they want to, as it adds dimension to the project when it's done.

Once the paper is covered with pretty paper shapes, simply let it dry and cut the heart out. You have a very unique card! You can write a message on the empty side of the heart, or (as I did), print a short note and picture of your child. Don't forget to add the date, and I guarantee that grandparents will pull this out and enjoy it for many years to come.

About the Author

Michelle Gonzalez is the editor of both www.youthweekly.com and www.inspiredparent.com . A mother of three, she enjoys writing articles as well as poems and stories in her spare time. Her passions around childrens literacy and good parenting led her to create her two successful ezines.

Onyx in High End Interior Design

Onyx is gaining popularity as an interior design material for properties in the top end of the residential and commercial market. Onyx is quite rare, compared to other natural stones, which is partly responsible for the relatively high prices it commands. It is also considered to be a semi-precious natural stone, along with alabaster and lapis lazuli.

Its main attractions are translucency, colour and natural pattern. Translucency makes onyx a unique natural stone and helps create outstanding interior designs. Onyx is typically highly polished to enhance its natural translucency. It comes mainly in white, yellow (or honey), brown, pink and green colours. The most popular colours are currently white and honey, the latter being chemically similar to white onyx with an addition of iron oxides. White onyx originates mainly from Persia and honey onyx is quarried mainly in Turkey.

Natural patterns of onyx form unique and intricate designs. When lit up, patterns become almost three dimensional. Back lit onyx panels are very popular interior design elements, especially when made of yellow or brown onyx. They are particularly recommended for bars and restaurants where lighting is usually dim. However, even in a well lit room such panels will stand out. The richness of the pattern is very important. Other popular items often combined with appropriate lighting include lamp stands, table tops, bar stands, skirting, windowsills and stair risers. Even a small item can make a lot of difference to a room.

Onyx also used for wall cladding and various stonework, including bath surrounds and vanity units. It is similar to marble in this sort of applications. In many cases, marble or limestone may be more appropriate. Your natural stone supplier should recommend most suitable materials, giving consideration also to the technical characteristics of different natural stones. It has to be said that onyx is quite a delicate natural stone. Thin panels made of onyx could also be experimented with as an alternative to stained glass windows, again due to translucent properties of onyx.

. Erika provides interior design advice to Stoneville (UK) Ltd. More info on onyx and other natural stones can be found at http://www.stoneville.co.uk/.