Paint Chip Valentine Bookmarks

Hi, friends. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Right now, I'm on I-95 making my way back to Wilmington. I had a great time visiting my grandma and family in Maryland. It was also great to spend so much time with my mom. I miss that lady :) And it was also nice to spend time in the wonderlands that are Ikea and REI.

I have a fun Valentine craft for you all today... Paint Chip Valentine Bookmarks!

It costs practically nothing. I sort of stole the paint chips from a hardware store (and it shall remained unnamed), the ribbon was 50 cents, and the heart hole punch was $2.13 from Michael's (with a mobile coupon). I can only imagine how much fun I will have with that hole punch for future Valentine days-- totally worth the $2.13.

Anyway, I love this craft because it doesn't require any artistic or creative ability whatsoever. A child could make these!

You will need some paint chips, a regular circular hole punch, a  heart hole punch, ribbon, and scissors or a paper cutter.

Cut or trim the paint chips to the desired size. Use the hole punches to make fun patters or designs. Finally, add ribbon through the circular hole. Ta-da! And now you have a fun Valentine's book mark. If you have kiddos or co-workers, these would be so fun to pass out on Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine crafting & have a wonderful week :)

If you're looking for more DIY Valentine ideas, check out this post.

DIY Valentine Round-up

Hi, friends. Happy Friday!!! I hope all of you had a great week and that you have an even better weekend. I'm heading out to Maryland to see my grandma tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited. I'm also pretty happy about spending some quality time with my mom. We're meeting up in a central locating and making the drive together. Road trip!!

I've been spending some of my free crafting up some Valentine-themed goodies over the last few weeks. It's no surprise that I adore Valentine's Day. I'm a Valentine baby after all. Yes, my parents were deprived of a Valentine's day until I reached dating age.

Valentine's Day is all about the good stuff: hearts, candy, and love. It's perfectly acceptable (and preferred) to get a little creative and have some fun with diy gifts and tokens of love. Here are just a few ideas of mine from years past. I'm sure your Valentine will adore anything you gift them, as long as it comes from the heart <3

Strawberry Bread with Glaze

Valentine Burlap Votive Holders

Candy-Filled Valentine Flower Pots

Fabric Button Earrings

Valentine Pennant Wreath

Polymer Clay Heart Charms

DIY Heart Banner

I'll be back next with more fitness, recipes, and new diy Valentine ideas.

Covered Button Earrings + Valentine Printable

Happy Sunday! I'm so excited to share a super simple DIY project with you: Covered Button Earrings. I've been meaning to share them for a while, but now they can be turned into a super cute Valentine to give out to the special ladies in your life. Depending on which type of fabric you choose, you can create a look that everyone will love-- from children to grandmas, you can't go wrong with these easy earrings! 

To make Valentine gifting a bit easier, I've included free printables.

All you need is some scrap fabric, earring posts and backs, and a button kit. Button kits can be purchased online and in craft stores and they come in all sorts of sizes, so choose whatever size you'd like to rock on your ears!

Begin by cutting a scrap of fabric about 1.5 times the size of the button. Place the fabric into the form. Next, place the button top in the form. 

Place the excess fabric scraps into the button and place the button bottom (the part with the metal loop) into the form. 

Place the button press over the button and firmly press it in until it is well secured.

Remove the button from the form. With a pair of small pliers, remove the loop from the back of the button. 

Finally, glue an earring post to the back of the button. You now have an earring! 

To make a super cute Valentine, just print your favorite printable (from below) on some card stock, cut out the heart, secure the earrings through the heart, and you're good to go!

Feel free to use my Valentine printables. Just right-click to save or copy/paste!

Hope you all have an amazing week :)

Valentine Burlap Votive Holders {Inspired by Target}

When you live on an island in the middle of nowhere, going to Target is a real treat. I love browsing their seasonal decor! The last time I was at Target, they were stocked for Valentine's Day. I remember seeing small votive holders that were wrapped in burlap and pained to look "Valentine-y." I almost bought them, but I quickly remembered I had everything at home to make them myself! So, here's my Target copycat Valentine Burlap Votive Holders.

You don't need much to make these-- just a votive holder (can be found at the $ store), burlap (Wal-Mart or your favorite craft store), a hot glue gun or craft glue, and paint.

Begin by cutting a strip of burlap to wrap around your votive holder. Make sure it wraps around completely!

Next, paint the burlap as desired-- polka dots, stripes, chevron, hearts, a love message, etc. Let the paint dry. Finally, secure the burlap with a few dabs of glue. Once the burlap os secured, the votive holder is ready for a candle. Now you have a pretty, easy, and inexpensive Valentine's decoration.

What are you up to this weekend?

I'm heading to Raleigh, NC for a Pilates workshop. I'm super excited, but nervous as I'm brand-new to Pilates. Any advice?

Candy Filled Flowerpot {Cheap Valentine Ideas}

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I did! My Pilates workshop was great. I learned a lot {I practically knew nothing about Pilates before Sunday}and if I can get the hang of it, I'll start teaching it next month.

 I'm back to share another Valentine project with you today.

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to tell someone how much they mean to you and to share the love! This easy craft will do just that, but will cost you very little. That's a win in my book! If you have kiddos, they will love to get involved with this project-- let them paint the mini flower pot and fill it with sweet treats for neighbors, teachers, grandparents, and more.

Supplies:

 All you need is a miniature flower pot, some paint, a paintbrush, candy, and a mini cellophane bag. I was able to find the flower pots and cellophane bags at the dollar store. Score!

Directions:

Lay down some newspaper and paint the flower pot as desired; it couldn't be easier. Some simple hearts would be adorable and a hand-painted love note would be even sweeter. After the flower pot dries, fill it with a treat and it's ready to be gifted!

An easy and inexpensive way to show someone that you've been thinking about them!

Share a link to your Valentine projects in the comment box below. I'd love to see them :)

Polymer Clay Heart Charm with Fingerprint

It's officially February. I'm thrilled! I'm not only excited to share a few Valentine crafts and recipes with you, but I'm incredibly excited for my 23rd birthday, which happens to be Valentine's Day! Ahhhh... Valentine's Day!

And the best part about today (being February 1st) is that I can now share my first Valentine Craft with you all and not feel crazy about it! For my first DIY Valentine project, I'm sharing a Polymer Clay Heart Charm.

All you need is polymer clay, a heart-shaped cookie cutter, a rolling pin, and a piece of ribbon.

The options here are really limitless. The heart is a blank slate, just waiting for your imagination!

Begin by rolling out the polymer clay with a rolling pin or drinking glass. I actually used a smooth pint glass, just because my rolling pin is wooden and very porous. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to create a heart.

If you have kids, I bet Grandma and Grandpa would love to get a heart charm with the kiddo's fingerprints! Just have your child press firmly into the clay with their finger (or thumb) to create a heart shape. If you want to hang the charm, be sure to make a hole at the top! Toothpicks and push-pins work like a charm...

To harden the charms, just bake them at 275*F for about 30 minutes. You can use a toaster oven or a regular oven - just line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. After the charms have hardened, attach a pretty ribbon and ta-da! A pretty Valentine to give :)

If you choose not to make these with a fingerprint, make your own conversation heart by painting a Valentine-themed phrase like, "love", "xoxo", etc.

Have you already started crafting for Valentine's Day?

What are you up to this weekend?

Saturday will be a day of relaxation and Sunday evening will be spent watching Super Bowl commercials. Fingers crossed for a great half-time show!

My Valentine/Birthday Breakfast!

I adore french toast and all things sweet for breakfast. The problem is that I usually can't justify eating these foods for breakfast, so I choose bran cereal, add a few raisins, and pour some skim milk over it! This morning, however, I totally justified eating whatever I want for breakfast as it is not only Valentine's Day, but also my 22nd birthday!

I wanted to make baked french toast that would be sweet enough to satisfy me, but not so sweet that I couldn't eat my birthday cake later. And so I can go get that mocha later :) I think that there's something special about having a moment to yourself on your birthday, so this is why this recipe serves just one! Feel free to double, triple, or even quadruple it.

 Ingredients:

1/4 loaf of crusty bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
1/16 cup granulated sugar
1/16 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* F.
In a small baking dish, spray the bottom and edges with nonstick cooking spray.
Tear bread into small pieces and place on the bottom of the dish.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.
Pour the mixture over the bread.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden and the consistency is the way you like it.

Optional: Serve with fresh fruit, top with whipped cream, and/or drizzle with syrup!

DIY Valentine Pennant Wreath

 

I can hardly believe that Valentine's Day is almost here! It's amazing how fast time flies. I know it's a bit late, but here's a DIY Valentine Pennant Wreath that is super simple to make. I have seen many like it on Etsy, so I thought I would give it a try. It completely embodies the characteristics of my favorite kind of wreath: a bit rustic, really simple, and just the right amount of "cuteness"!

Here's what you will need:

Grapevine wreath
Scraps of burlap
Scraps of red felt
Red acrylic paint
12" hemp, string, or yarn
Paint brush
Hot glue gun

Here's what you do:

Cut out four small triangles from the burlap scraps and four small triangles from the felt. (I printed out a triangle to use as a template so that all of my triangles were the same size.)

Place a dab of glue in the each of the corners of the felt triangle and adhere it to the burlap triangle.

Place the triangles felt side up and place a small line of glue at the top of each triangle, attaching the hemp to the back of the triangles, creating a mini pennant banner.

 

Flip the triangles back over (burlap side up) and freehand or trace a heart onto each triangle. Paint it with the red acrylic paint (or whatever color you want).

Once the paint dries, tie each end of the mini banner to the grapevine wreath, trimming the excess hemp.

Free Valentine Printables

I'm loving the free Valentine's Day printables that I've seen on some of the blogs out there. Though there are really an abundant amount out there, I've found four that I particularly like and I wanted to share them with you. These ladies are just so creative; I wish I had their skills! I'm printing out some of these now to display in frames, but I think they would also make lovely Valentine's if you printed them out as a 4x6.

I love this one from 36th Avenue. It captures all the lovey-dovey goodness of Valentine's Day!

 

This one from 36th Avenue is pretty great too; some sunshine is just what I needed!

And this one from The Diary of Daves Wife is perfect! I love the chalkboard theme going on.

 

And last but not least, I stumbled across this one from The Diary of Daves Wife today. So sweet. And mushy. 

 

 

Cheers! And don't forget your Valentine!

DIY V-Day Banner and Ikea Wreath

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and if you didn't know, February 14th is more than just candy in flowers in this house. Valentine's Day is also my birthday! Just like any other holiday, I love decorating for Valentine's Day. Check out this wreath I found at IKEA a few weeks before Christmas. It's so cute and for just under $10, I'm not sure I could have even made one for that price.

I also made this V-Day banner last year. I bought some scrapbook paper from Michael's, traced hearts with a cookie cutter, used a standard size hole punch to make the holes, and pieced it together with pink ribbon. It was so easy and inexpensive to make it. You may not be able to tell from the photo, but the white hearts are textured scrapbook paper and the pink hearts are textured and have a "glittery" sheen to them. The banner is hung on the window in front of my bed and though it may sound silly, I get such a joy out seeing it every time I get in and out of bed. It's the little things that make me happy...

 

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? Have any big plans for V-Day? Or do you even celebrate it? I wanna know!