I had never heard of a snow day until one morning in January of 1986, when I was in first grade. My mom woke me up to tell me that there was no school because of the snow. My little mind was blown! Even though I genuinely loved school, the idea of a spontaneous day off because of the weather seemed like the most magically wondrous thing imaginable. Mom was a teacher, so happily she had the day off as well. She bundled my brother and me up, and we walked through knee-deep snow to the corner book store where we loaded up on red doilies and heart stickers. We then spent the day making Valentines! Ever since that day, I have had a love of making and giving Valentines. And not just to my husband. I think Valentine's day is a time to notice and appreciate all of the different types of love in my life. Romantic love is great, but so is the love of friendship and family. I am incredibly lucky to love and be loved by so many. Nothing is worth more to me in my life than this! 
The idea of making a heart tile had been in the back of my mind for years, but it seemed slightly out of step with the rest of my tile line so I never did anything about it until early this year, when Janine from Dancing Eye Gallery in Northville, MI reached out to say that customers were requesting hearts, and would I consider making one? The prospect of cutting little heart shapes out of clay and then embellishing them filled me with joy, which was reason enough to say, "YES!" I ended up making five different heart designs.
Even though this project was a delight to work on, I was still initially hesitant to add them to the online store since they are a bit different from my normal work. However, the response to these has been so overwhelmingly positive that I realized I had to add them. After all, love goes with everything!
(Why yes, I did trace my own hand to make the "heart in hand" tile.)
Dancing Eye gallery had their heart tiles glazed in red by special request. If you happen to be in Northville, you can get them there today! If you aren't in MI, you can still order them by mail. Not in time for Valentine's day, but isn't love a year-round thing, anyway?
Thanks, Janine, for nudging me to make these heart tiles. Happy Valentine's Day, one and all! Whether you are single or part of a couple, there is love in your life. I promise! Make sure you take the time to notice it, today and every day.
