Happy {Heart} Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! My Valentine's this year also included a picture of the kids, and Walter dog. Look at Walter's face... he's so ticked off that I made him get in the group photo. He wanted a solo shot. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of my homemade Valentine, but I did remember to photograph the gift I made.

 

I made some really cute lavender filled sachets for gifts.  

 

Each muslin bag was stamped with hearts on the front and back. Then, I filled the bags with dried lavender. I used a tapestry needle to attach the felted balls to the strings of the bags. They turned out really cute and smelled heavenly!

 

Then, I wrapped them up in a pillow box, tied with satin ribbon and attached my own personalized sticker. 

 

I think the gifts were a hit! I love to make stuff, and I think it's even more fun to give the gift when a friend isn't expecting one. How did you spread the love this Valentines Day?

Hearts + Hugs

I love Valentine's Day. I think I love it because it's all pink and red with chocolate all over! Stephen thinks it's a made up holiday so Hallmark can make more money. I've been trying to change his mind for years. This year I made some fun heart garland that I tied on to my dining room chandelier. It turned out so cute!

The tulips? From Stephen? No... got them at Costco. They look so pretty and they were only $6!!! I just couldn't pass them up.

The dining room looked so nice that the kids decided to make their Valentine's in there. Mac just stuck stickers on the back of a sucker, but Anna and Elan went to town! Anna actually made all 28 of hers from start to finish. She decorated a glassine envelope and stuck a chocolate inside. Complete with hearts, jewels, polka dot stickers and a cute mini red clothespin. 

Elan did good just signing his name on 23 Valentines! In the process, he ate several pieces of chocolate.

This is the Valentine I made Stephen... It's very glittery. The plaid paper is from My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found" collection and I LOVE it! The "X" and "O" are covered in little red and white seed beads. Cute, huh?! 

And that concludes my Valentine decor/card/activity for the night. Have a good night. ;)

Sweet Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! My day has been filled with play dates, cupcakes, sweet cards and maybe even some pretty bling. ;)

Just wanted to pop in quickly and share some of the Valentine's I made this year:

A pretty, pink collage of sweetness...
A simpler version, but still cute!
This one was for one of my niece's and I love how it turned out...And another for a baby niece... the colors are precious on this one...

I had so much fun making my Valentines, all 22 of them!

I hope you have a great day filled with sweets and surprises!

Card Patterns Sketch

I have never played along with Card Patterns, but it's a great challenge blog and this is the year that I'm trying new things! I saw the sketch and loved it and immediately thought of a Valentine. The sketch for this week is:

I made this card in no time flat... I already had the felt heart laying on my desk with the die cut (just waiting... begging to be used!):

The card base is Paper-Source in strawberry, the background is a scrap from my stash, I believe it's Bo-Bunny, the die cut and stamp is from Taylored Expressions, the "XOXO" sticker is SRM, and the heart and fabric were put together by moi. I added some cross stitches to the die cut and "ruffled" the fabric just slightly by running my thread through the middle and giving it a little tug.

And closer...

I love the end result of my card and hope you do too! The Card Patterns sketch was fun to play with, and I hope you get a chance to play this week! :)

A Valentine Puzzle...

Are you puzzled on what to send your nieces, nephews or "little friends" for Valentine's Day? Look no further, I have got you covered! As I was cleaning out my stash over the weekend, I came across some cute, white puzzle cards. I know they are like 10 years old, but I also know Michael's still carries them. Anyway, I got them out and started stamping...
I used a harlequin stamp, inked in pink, and the sentiment and hearts are inked in poppy red. Then, with a fine point Sharpie, I wrote around the edges. Then, I broke the pieces apart, and packaged them with a little note and some confetti. Tied with a ribbon and voile! A cute Valentine for anyone over the age of 4.
I believe the puzzles are sold at Michael's in packs of 3-4 for around $5.

We had another snow day today. My dryer has been running non-stop (I'm afraid it's going to blow up) and seriously, how much hot chocolate can a kid drink in a day? I have made 9 cups in the past 7 hours. Although, it's kinda nice to be forced to stay home... I finished all my Valentine projects and caught up on the laundry. We are having the boys birthday party this weekend, so the favors have been made and the menu planned.

Hope you can stay warm and find a moment to create!

Je t'aime, Valentine

Je t'aime! I love this little girl drinking out of her decorative little mug! I love the colors and the vintage feel of the whole thing! The red heart with image is courtesy of the super crafty and talented, Emily Martin at Inside A Black Apple. She posted on her blog the free Valentine print out to use as you wish, and there are two other images too (enjoy!). I plan to add a Starbucks or Heine Brothers Coffee gift card to the inside with "You warm my heart" sentiment. Perfect for moms, best friends and teachers!

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink; Solid Cardstock: Paper-Source; Other: ribbon, vintage buttons, border punch, and crochet blossom.

Go print out your free Valentine images and start crafting! Have a great night!