Valentine's Day Favors

I'm excited because my kids actually get to have a party at school next month. Their school allows two parties per year and it appears Valentine's Day and the "end-of-the-year" parties have been deemed acceptable to celebrate.

Yes, I realize it's January and Valentine's Day is still more than a month away, but I like to plan ahead, and there's no time like the present...

Although my boys have yet to decide what kind of valentines they want to send this year (a very big, important decision), they have decided (with a little help from me since I am, after all, the one paying for and putting these things together) what kind of favors they're going to share with their classmates. I love these favors because they're so easy, not terribly expensive, can be made in advance and are too doggone cute!

Here's what we're doing... We're decorating and filling Wilton miniature favor tins with valentine M&Ms. You can find these tins online or in stores (Michaels and Oriental Trading are where I found ours). The ones I found at Michaels (in the wedding supplies aisle) are my favorites because they come in a kit with pages of stickers that you can either a) run through your computer (using cute valentine computer graphics) or b) rubber stamp with your choice of valentine stamps. The sticker goes on the clear plastic lid of the tin.

PLEASE NOTE: You might want to put small pieces of tape on either side of the tins once they're filled, otherwise the lids can tend to come off and the contents will spill everywhere. Trust me, I've learned from experience since we have used these as favors for other events. And I believe I have seen this tin in the shape of a heart as well, but because I had the round ones on hand, I'm going with those this time around.

I took a few pictures of items we used for our favors and then, of course, a picture of our finished product. Click on any picture for a closer view.

Are you making something special (with or without kids) for Valentine's Day this year? Please share as I'm always on the lookout for fun, creative ideas.