Pocket Hearts

© shoutingforha

My sister is the proud mama to three beautiful little kids, two girls and a boy.  In addition to taking care of her brood and running her household, she works full time.  I honestly don't know how she manages to get it all done.  I know that I wouldn't last a minute in her shoes.

© shoutingforha

Her oldest daughter is an independent first grader that is overflowing with boundless energy, never runs out of things to talk about, is deeply thoughtful and loves to be creative.  The wee man of the house is only sixteen months old.  Although he is learning to talk and races around like a maniac, he still requires a lot of attention as all tiny people do.  

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The middle child, my niece, well... She reminds me of my boy.  She is silly, talkative, feisty and, at times, highly emotional.  She also has this incredibly tender side that loves to snuggle and longs to be near the people she loves every moment of every day.  Needless to say, she has been having a hard time when her beloved mommy heads off to work.

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My sister and I were discussing this situation last week (she always calls me during her commute home).  Her desire was to find some way to remind her sweet little girl how much she loves her even when they can't be together.  

I suggested a jar of pocket hearts.  

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I had remembered seeing the cute little felt hearts in one of our local shops several years ago, although I cannot remember where. The hearts can be tucked into a pocket within easy reach should a child need a little reminder of their parent's love.  I thought they would be perfect for my niece.  

© shoutingforha

My sister loved the idea, but since she works harder than anyone else I know, I offered to do all the crafting myself.  To make the pocket hearts, I cut hearts out of different colors of felt, stuffed them with a little bit of polyfill and used embroidery floss and a simple blanket stitch to seal the edges. 

© shoutingforha

The hearts are so easy to make that I decided to give my sister an entire jar full.  With three kids, it's only a matter of time before a few disappear like so many socks in the laundry.  Besides, sharing is highly overrated.

***  UPDATE:  A friend told me that Curly Birds recently did a post on pocket hearts over at her blog.  Stop by and check them out.