DIY Vintage Style Wood Valentine's Day Heart Decoration Tutorial

Today, I'm doing my first DIY project in a very long time. It's a DIY vintage style wood Valentine's day heart decoration for the front porch of the farmhouse. Even though I'm using it against a wall this year, I made it two sided so that I can use it in a window (where it will be seen from both sides) in the future.

Hand Made Flower Seed Paper Plantable Heart Favors

Today I'd like to show you how to make a fun and Eco-friendly way to celebrate love: Plantable flower seed heart favors made from hand made paper.  Sure, Valentine's Day is just around the corner but these recycled paper hearts would make great favors for wedding guests, bridal showers or Mother's day brunch and making hand made paper is a great kids craft too! 

Valentine's Day Door Decoration Feather Cupid Wings and Arrows

I thought that I'd try something different on my front door for Valentine's day this year. Instead of a wreath, I chose fluffy white feather "cupid wings" to go with the DIY gold cupid arrows arrows and quiver that I made a few weeks ago.

DIY Valentine's Day Decor: Cupid Arrows and Quiver

As a mom of two sons, it kind of surprises me that I didn't think of this Valentine's day decoration while my boys were still young. This year, my Valentine's day decor involves weapons. Yep, you read that right. Weapons.  Specifically, DIY Cupid's Arrows complete with their very own quiver!

Easy Non-Candy Valentine {kids craft}

Today, I'm showing you how to make easy, non-candy Valentines. As simple as a single heart with a pencil "arrow" or a "pocket" for filling with gift cards, small toys, small gifts, flowers, note pads, tickets to the movies, and yes, even candy.

Heart Shaped French Toast with Strawberry Butter {Recipe}

It has been a long time since I've shared a favorite recipe and I thought that with Valentine's day coming up, this is the perfect time to share a super easy way to make simple French toast special without spending a lot of time doing it. Heart shaped cookie cutters and whipped strawberry butter turn ordinary French toast into a Valentine's day breakfast that your sweetheart is sure to love. 

Easy Valentine's Cupcake and Cookie Party

I love Valentine's Day!  Heck, let's be honest, I love pretty much any day that gives me a reason to bake pretty food, set a pretty table, and celebrate the people that are closest to me.  Especially when the pretty food consists only of sweets...cupcakes and cookies and, of course, chocolate.

DIY Repurposed Valentine's Day Mantel Decor

This year my Valentine's day mantel is a collection of vintage and repurposed items that I already had on hand.  It was really easy to put together now that our storage locker is empty and I happen to have enough spare house parts and bins of craft supplies lining the walls of the garage to darned near build a second home and make seasonally appropriate decor to with it.

 If you're wondering why, you're not alone.

Little Houses Poem Canvas Wall Art: Free Printable

Ever wonder how a $4 photo copy of the words to a country song by Doug Stone, a little craft paint and  a 3x3 foot canvas could possibly be integrated into French farmhouse decorating?  I don't blame you. There was a point in 2012 after I heard this song for the first time that I would have wondered too.  Today I'm going to tell you why this song has new meaning in my life and a new place in my home but first, I've got a confession to make:

                              Sometimes I forget the amazing parts of living in a small house.

Easy Valentine's Day Feather Heart Wreath Craft DIY

When is a tutorial not a tutorial? For me, it's when the craft project is so easy that a couple of photos are all you need in order to make it.  So, are you ready for a little more Valentine's Day craft that's so simple that a six year old can handle it?  Well, you're in luck because today  I'm going to show you how create an easy heart-shaped wreath in under ten minutes.

To tell you the truth, I decided that I can't even call this post a tutorial because the materials list consists of a heart shaped Styrofoam wreath form , a couple of rolls of feather trim from Hobby Lobby and some hot glue and the rest is pretty much self explanatory.

Simple DIY Valentines Day Door Decor

The Valentine's day decor on my front door this year may look familiar.

Do you recognize it?                                    

..No?

DIY Heart Shaped Flower Wreath Tutorial

Happy Friday! I'm so glad that you stopped by.  Today I'm sharing a tutorial for how to make a super simple, heart shaped Valentine's Day wreath using $6 worth of baby's breath flowers that I got at the grocery store, a little waxed twine and a white wire coat hanger. That's it.  Easy.

Pottery Barn Inspired Valentine's Day Monogrammed Towel

Happy New Year! I don't make resolutions but I have decided that 2014 is going to be my year of doing more for less. For example, I made these monogrammed Valentine's day towels which were inspired by some that I found at Pottery Barn  by repurposing two napkins that I already had on hand and adding a little embellishment..

Valentine's Day Fresh Strawberry Cream Bread {Recipe}

When I woke up this morning, it was  four degrees Fahrenheit...before the wind.... and I live the suburbs of the "windy city" so you can imagine how cold it was.  Our furnace ran continuously through the night and it was still chilly in the kitchen this morning.  Baking anything seemed like a good idea. Baking bread that didn't require leaving home for ingredients seemed like a great  one.

Valentine's Day Decor and A Free Printable

E.E. Cummings has long been one of my favorite artists. He was a prolific writer, painter and poet. His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays, several essays and numerous paintings and drawings. But today, I wanted to share one of his poems....

                                                                                                                            ....you may recognize it.

Cream Filled Chocolate Sandwich and Sugar Cookies

 I took part in  my very first cover shoot this morning.

                                                                                     In my kitchen.

Actually, I was the baker, the stylist and the photographer. I pretty much was the shoot...

                                                              ...me, and a couple of  my favorite Martha Stewart cookie recipes.

Valentines Day Mantel (Easy Decorating}

There's nothing I like more than free decorating. Yes, you read that correctly...free...zero dollars. Made from supplies that I already had on hand.  (Let me apologize in advance for the bad humor...keep reading....you'll know why in a minute.)

Vintage Valentine's Day Dining Room Decor...and a Love Story

I'm a hopeful  romantic.                
                                            I have been, for as long as I can recall....

Yep, all the way back to the first time that John Fowler arrived at the bus stop on my very first day of first grade.

Valentines Day Heart Paintings and One of Life's Lessons

Did you grow up with the Beatles? I did....well, sort of...

You see, I don't actually remember the Beatles, although I'm guessing that I probably saw them on television.

Valentines Day Felt Wreath and Pillows



Remember the cute felt wreath that my friend, Diane Passi told me how to make?  The hot pink one on the mantel in the prior post? Well, I liked it so much that I made another one! It's red this time, for the kitchen. Since a couple of you asked, here's a recap of the materials and a couple of close ups of the wreath in progress:

Materials: Heart wreath form, 1/2 yard of wide felt cut into 3 inch circles, ribbon in the same color as your felt, straight pins.

 Wrap the wreath form with the ribbon, fold the circles into quarters and pin them to the form...that's it!

Since I had some felt left over and my sofa was looking a little bland after the holidays, I decided to make a few felt pillows to make things a little more "cheery". Here's what I came up with for the family room:



I love working with felt!!!! It is pretty inexpensive, doesn't fray when you cut it, and it comes in fabulous colors! I used the least expensive felt at JoAnn's Fabric and had a 50% off coupon. I think that I ended up paying about $2.50 per yard for 72 inch wide felt. 

These pillows above are a combination of hand stitching and machine stitching but there's absolutely no reason that they could not have been done entirely by hand or using hot glue and/or spray adhesive. I decided to stitch mine since I hope to use them for a couple of years. I downloaded the pattern for the Cherub and made up the rest of the patterns as I went along.

I have a sewing machine that embroiders which I used to embroider the word "Love" on the cherub pillow and the "Be Mine" on the heart pillow. You could hand embroider or even use fabric paint for these.

I'm currently working on the family room mantel. Here's the ribbon and fabric garland that I'm using (it's easy to make. Cut cotton twine to the desired length leaving some on the ends to hang with. Cut 6 to 8 inch lengths of ribbon, felt, fabric, tulle, lace, or what ever else you have around (you may also want to add some hearts and wire "curls") tie the ribbons on the twine and, viola!, "almost instant" garland!

I'll show you the mantel and a few other projects that I'm working on in a few days. Until then, they're finally forecasting some snow for the 'burbs, so I should probably at least try to find my mittens! 

xo,

S