Home Made Valentine Cards

Unwanted fence now landmark

UNION GROVE — When Mickey Zibung learned the state was putting up a fence at her parent’s Union Grove house, she and her family weren’t happy about it. 

For years Zibung, 46, and her family elaborately decorated their yard at 1358 Main St. for holidays. But when the state widened the street three years ago, workers sliced off a portion of the family’s front hill and then put up the fence. 

“I didn’t like it. It was kind of a big wall. It was ugly,” Zibung said.

“Boring.” That is the one word Zibung’s mother, Rae Immenschuh, 76, used to describe her initial reaction to the new white picket fence in her yard.

That was before the fence took on a life of its own and became the village landmark it is today along Highway 45. 

The first Christmas the fence was up, Zibung said she didn’t know what to do. The yard that her mother used to carefully decorate with her homemade Nativity scene was hidden behind the fence. If she put up the inflatable decorations she used to or the family’s 10-foot Grinch, no one would see them, Zibung said. 

On top of that, Immenschuh, a retired Union Grove special education teacher, was in the hospital that Christmas because of complications due to Parkinson’s disease. 

When Immenschuh was set to come home in February, Zibung knew they had to do something special to surprise her. 

When she arrived home in her wheelchair, the fence was covered with heart garlands and Valentine’s Day banners and hearts made from plastic candy canes. 

“It brought her back to life. It cheered her up,” said Rae’s husband, Al, 77, who is retired from Twin Disc and formerly ran Al’s Garage Door Service out of his house.

It’s been decorated ever since, said Zibung, who lives in Raymond and works at Manheim Milwaukee Auto Auction just off 7 Mile Road. 

There are shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, and bunnies and eggs for Easter. And this month there are backpacks, large crayons and notebook pads to mark the beginning of the school year.

Valentine's Day Kids' Crafts – Homemade Valentine Cards ...

It's fun to surprise a friend on Valentine's Day with a special card. Crafting the card yourself and writing just the right words on it will make a valentine even more special. Try your hand at making an accordion-style valentine card and a matching envelope . It's important to seal the card inside the envelope because when your lucky recipient takes the valentine out, the card will unfold into a surprising, 12-inch-long string of hearts!

Some of the steps for making the card might seem a little difficult at first, and you might need an adult's help to get you started. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be on your way to making unique valentines for everyone on your Valentine's Day list.

Make a Handmade Valentine to Surprise Your Friends

Items needed:

Construction paper in several colors Scrap paper Lightweight cardboard (such as cereal-box cardboard) Ruler Pencil A quarter Scissors Marking pens Glue stick Wax paper

Instructions for making the valentine card template:

Cut a 2" x 3" piece of lightweight cardboard. Mark a pencil dot on each 2" edge at the 1" center point. Mark a dot 1/2" from the top center dot and connect the two dots. Place a quarter so that it is touching one side edge, the top edge and the 1/2" center pencil line. Trace a pencil line around the top arc of the quarter. Repeat on the other side. Mark pencil dots 1 1/4" up from the bottom on both sides of the cardboard. Connect the bottom center dot to the two side dots. Cut on the pencil lines, creating a heart shape with flat sections on the sides. (See illustration 2 following this article.)

Instructions for making the valentine card:

Cut a 3" x 12" strip of construction paper for the main body of your card. Mark small pencil dots every two inches along each long edge. Starting at one short end, accordion fold the paper on the marked fold lines, just as though you're going to make paper dolls.

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