Sailor Valentines date back to the 1800's. Traditionally made from seashells arranged in intricate designs, usually hearts or flowers. My version uses noodles dyed with food coloring and heart doilies. Of course if you have sea shells why not create an authentic Sailor Valentine.
Begin by dying your noodles. We made a ton to give away as party favors for a craft themed party. I boxed them up in some stationary boxes and wrapped a strip of paper and ribbon around them. I did write on the back, DO NOT EAT! Just in case...
The instructions for coloring the noodles can be found all over the blogging world. Basically all you need is noodles, food coloring and rubbing alcohol or Purell. Be aware food coloring stains and if little hands are helping you they are bound to get quite colorful. This is especially important for kids who do not like to be dirty. It really bugged Lu that after washing her hands 5X that they were still stained. Plastic gloves can solve this problem.
Next glue your doilies to a piece of card board. Dry and then cut out.
There are two types of kids, one who glues noodle by noodle and is very methodical and the other just dumps the noodles on is ready to make another one. If you have the second kind of child make several of these because they will be ready to move on quickly.
Squirt glue into the center of the heart - be liberal with the glue. Place a handful of noodles in a child safe container and let them arrange the noodles on the heart. I say a handful of noodles because the likelihood of them ending up on the floor is very high. You can always refill the container. After they are finished they can add a little glitter to the top. These hearts can be added to Valentines, attached to a gift or glued together as a hanging decoration (make two, sandwich a string or ribbon between the two, glue, dry and hang.)