valentine spinners
February 11, 2013 § 1 Comment
I get my inspiration from lots of different sources: friends, magazines, craft stores, Pinterest and, yes definitely, my children. Last year, we had a blast making our awesome owl valentines to exchange with friends and at school, but this year I was looking for a new project. I asked Sophie and – out of the blue – she said, “I want to make game spinners.” Where did that come from?
It was the spark I needed to get my creative juices flowing. I picked up a pack of 6×6 chipboard squares and some valentine scrapbook papers. We cut the arrows out of chipboard, covered them with Washi tape, and used a felt sticker heart for the tips. My girlie had fun assembling them and especially stamping on the cute messages. We taped a pixie stick to the back along with our to/from because according to Soph: “the kids really care most about the candy.” That may be true, but I like to think that the smiles on their faces might be just a little bit bigger when they see these super cool valentines. That makes me happy!
valentine treat bags
February 9, 2013 § Leave a comment
Sophie and I have had fun today assembling these sweet little Valentine’s Day treat bags for her friends. Inspired by a gift from my friend Stephanie and several Pinterest pics, I’ve been incorporating wax paper treat bags into my recent craft projects. There are so many of these bags on the market right now. I got mine at my local Paper Source store, and you can find a ton of really pretty ones on The Sugar Diva’s website. For Bella’s birthday craft party and for this project, I sewed the bags shut as an added touch. Some may think I’m crazy, but I think going the extra mile makes all the difference. Love is in the details!
valentine tags
January 23, 2013 § Leave a comment
As soon as the Valentine’s Day crafting supplies make their appearance in the stores, I can feel my excitement level rise. I love Valentine’s Day, probably not shocking considering this is a holiday where crafting takes center stage. This week I was so anxious to break into my valentine supplies that I didn’t even wait to clean up the craft room from Bella’s birthday party – I just set up camp on the floor and started in.
I have a big box of shipping tags that I got at an office supply store (I like incorporating industrial elements into my projects) and decided to use them to make pretty Valentine tags using some of my stash of supplies: a mat stack of papers from Crate Paper, felt hearts, some awesome washi tape, cupcake liners, ribbons and a repurposed used book. I’m not even sure who I’m making these tags for, but I smile thinking of how lovely they’ll look tied to a gift for someone special in my world. Cheers to the beginning of the Valentine’s Day crafting season!
If you need some Valentine’s Day project inspiration, be sure to check out a couple of my favorites from last year: crafty owls and valentine bookmarks.
valentine bookmarks
February 12, 2012 § 3 Comments
For the last three years, I’ve made Valentine’s Day bookmarks to give to my girls along with a great book. Bookmarks are so fun and easy to make – I love them! I get mine from one of my favorite basic supply companies, Paper Accents. The girls know they’re coming and have already asked me about theirs for this year, but for now they are safely tucked away with cool old copies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Nurse Matilda (the basis for the “Nanny McPhee” movies) that I bought at a local used bookstore. I leave the flowers and chocolate to Daddy – the bookmarks are something that the girls and I share. It’s never too late to start a new tradition, and having these little things to look forward to makes our life even sweeter.
crafty owls
January 29, 2012 § 4 Comments
Since our recent snow days, the girls and I have been obsessed with this great owl Valentine’s Day project. My friend Stacy made the template from a felt owl decoration she’s had for years. The best part of this project – once I precut a ton of owl bodies and wings and beaks and feet and eyes – is putting the pieces together. It is so fun to mix and match all the great Valentine’s paper I’ve collected, and each owl looks so cute and unique. “The possibilities are endless!” said Stacy to me in one of our many phone conversations back and forth about this project. (Yes, I’ll admit it: we spend A LOT of time talking on the phone about crafting.) We’ve been mass producing them for friends and family, and my Sophie is going to make them for her class Valentine exchange with sayings like “OWL always be your friend” and “WHOO loves you?” on the back.
I absolutely love the fact that my girls have inherited my craftiness. We even kicked Drew out of the office (he didn’t really need it anyway) and have turned it into a full-time craft room. I don’t think he knew what he was getting into when he married me, and my girlies are just the same. I have to ask Bella where craft supplies are because she is constantly working on her own little projects. She has a sewing machine and loves to knit and stitch as well as do paper crafts. And Sophie usually always has a painting going at her easel or is building some kind of elaborate 3D model using paper and glue sticks. It’s not unusual to hear me yell out across the house, “Where are my Cutter Bee detail scissors?” or “Has anyone seen the Diamond Glaze and Modge Podge?” followed by girls’ quick responses and retrievals. Poor Drew had better just stand back – in this crafty house he is seriously outnumbered. We’ve got Glue Dots, and we aren’t afraid to use them!!
little things i love 