When it was time to purchase valentines and get them in the mail, there was a snow on the ground, the sidewalk and driveway were slick and my gait was somewhat wobbly. So I missed that annual adventure.

"Shoot, I can still make valentines," I said. So, from basket and box, even an old barrel, I sought the makings.

There were snippets of lace, picoted pieces of ribbon, beautiful buttons, scraps of calico, little bottles of seed pearls and sequins and, always, a supply of words just ready to be written.

Glue, scissors, needle, thread and thimble were assembled, even a crochet hook and pink silk crochet thread, probably left over from the 1940s. I planned to make some miniature crocheted hearts to decorate the larger valentines.

I wasted a little time searching for a crocheted heart pattern until I, belatedly, realized that I need no pattern. Shoot, I'd made plenty of them in my lifetime. Why, I even made up a new pattern as I progressed on them. My fingers balked somewhat on the double, triple and slip stitch but that just made the hearts look warm and fuzzy.

My favorite of all the valentines I made was put together like this: For Christmas, one of my gifts was two little square scraps of fabric sewn together to make a pocket. Into this little pocket went crushed cloves and cinnamon sticks. The pocket was closed and the purpose of the little resulting pad was to have a hot mug of tea, coffee or cocoa set on it. The heat of the mug activates the spices and makes such a pleasant aroma as one sits sipping.

I stole the idea. Left over from this year's Christmas decorations were some scraps of red felt. I cut out two valentine-sized hearts from the red felt, suitable in size to set a hot mug on. With fabric glue I applied white ruffled lace around the edge of one heart, deposited two tablespoons of crushed spices in the middle then glued the other red felt valentine on top. Some little fuzzy crocheted hearts were glued to the top side, outside the range of a mug bottom and, presto, I had a utilitarian valentine.

Other valentines were made of calico-covered cardboard hearts with smiling faces, eyes and curling mouths of sequins, buttons or pearls. Still others were of pink satin, with the entire top covered with concentric rows of lace and a heart sticker in the middle. These stickers came with the many address labels I receive via the mail. Inside or pasted on the back of such creations were little verses:

Violets are blue

Roses are red

Don't let this sentiment

Go to your head.

Or

Love is like a little tune

That brings your face to mind

Sharp and clear the picture grows

Til I shout, "Wow, what a find!"

If, perchance, you didn't get one of my creations, please believe:

My felt and laces could not be found

This is a work of fiction

But my love for you does abound

And is not political diction

REJOICE!

Jean Bell Mosley is an author and longtime resident of Cape Girardeau.