Make // Minecraft Valentines - Free Printable

My six year old loves Minecraft, so this year we decided to make Minecraft Valentine's Day cards for his class. I kept it simple with swords for the boys and hearts for the girls-- All in the pixelated-Minecraft theme of course!

Perler Beads lend themselves perfectly for this. I have to admit that I kind of like working with them-- slow, pedantic and somewhat relaxing if you're not in a rush.  I had a bit of practice with Perler Beads when we threw a Minecraft-themed birthday party last summer (details HERE). 

You can obviously do a lot more with Perler Beads and the Minecraft theme-- Minecraft Creepers, Steves and Mobs, etc. If you're looking for more design ideas, check out these Perler Bead cupcake picks.

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Make // Marbleized Glass Hearts

I saw this technique used for fingernails a few years ago and tucked the idea away for a future project. I'm not one for painting my nails, so I found this to be the perfect way to use some of the nail polish that I have stockpiled in my vanity. Why do I have so much polish when I hardly ever paint my nails? Who knows?! I guess I'm attracted to all those pretty colors, but when it comes down to it, only my toe nails get gussied up…. And that's only during sandal-wearing season.

Anyhow… This project is easy. It's messy. There are fumes involved. That about sums it up. Luckily, if you have nail polish remover on-hand and you work in a well-ventilated area, it's not too bad. I think the end results are pretty eye-catching!

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

From the Archives // Handmade Valentine Projects

Itchin' for a Valentine's Day DIY Project? Here are a few that I pulled from the archives. Some can go beyond V-Day… I have that Instagram Heart hanging up in my house year-round. There's a little something for everyone-- from decorating the mantel, to making a crafty wreath, to designing a fashionable heart top. Happy creating!

Click "Read more" for the Tutorial Links 

From the Archives // Valentine's Day Projects for Kids

Over the past few years I've made Valentine's Day Cards for my kids to hand out to their classmates. It started out as something fun to do… Remember when those 3D photo cards came out? I think I first saw them in 2009. Then I started to get a little more creative and personalize the cards to what my kids were into at the time. The last couple of years it's all about sugar-free Valentine treats. Our school has all the kids from the same grade exchange Valentines… When everyone gives candy, it seriously feels like Halloween in February. Our little sugar-free treats just balance out all the candy, or in the case of the party blower, probably enhance the sugar high!  ;)

It was fun to look at all of these again… Like a walk down memory lane! 

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Make // Party Blower Valentine's Day Cards- Free Printable

Last week I shared my 7-year old's Mustache Valentine's Day cards for his 2nd grade class. Today, I'm sharing my 5-year old's cards for his Kindergarten class--

To know my 5-year old is to love him. In our family, he's the life of the party. We'll probably have to worry about that more later on, but right now he's all about squawking loud noises, confetti and dancing around like a lunatic basically having a good time. So Party Blower Valentines are not only apropos, but kind of necessary.

 Click "Read more" for the Free Printable & Tutorial

Make // Mustache Valentine's Day Cards - Free Printable

We're no strangers to mustaches around here-- see our funny lil' man party  and cowboy party. Since they are fun and also a sugar-free option, I thought we'd incorporate them into my 7-year old's class Valentine's Day cards. I made a couple of versions.

One that's a straightforward declaration…

And another that's more for the faint of heart (aka, one that won't embarrass a 2nd grade boy)...

Click "Read more" for the free printable cards

Happy Valentine's Day! // Photoshop Brush Tutorial

Mwah!  You guys are the best!

Do you have Photoshop and want to make your own lip art?

Click "Read more" for a Basic Photoshop Brush Tutorial

[Inspired By] St. Valentine

Here are a few of my favorite Valentine's Day projects from around the web.  I love the creativity. The fact that it is amazing eye-candy is an added bonus.

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[Make] Instagram Photo Heart

Do you Instagram?  I signed up last February and have been instagramming ever since. Something about those little square photographs with their rainbow array of special effects just speaks to me.

After about a year, I decided to do something with all the fun little photos that have been hanging out on my phone's Instagram app**. It's time to display them!

**If you're wondering, I'm a little slow to warm up to social networking (lets just call it... paranoia. that and having one more thing to keep up with), so my account is currently private. In fact, after 3 years of hemming & hawing, I just started a facebook page for this site... but more on that later.  If I decide to make my Instagram account public, you'll be the first to know!  :)

Click "Read more" for the how-to

[Make] An A-MAZE-ING Valentine

Is it amazing?  Well... no, not really. But it has a maze... bah-dah-dum.   :)

These are the class valentines that I made for my 1st grader. It was a bit of a last-minute thing, but I think it works. I had something else in mind, but waited too long and couldn't find what I needed in our local stores. Bummer! Ah well... next year I'll plan better. Thank goodness he's not too picky about these kind of things.

Click "Read more" for the free printable

[Make] J.Crew-esque Heart Top

I usual shy away from DIY-ing my clothes, but I've been wanting a top with a big wonky heart on it for a while. Something between J Crew's Heart Me Sweater and the more casual heart tops by Wildfox Couture.

I knew that I wouldn't get that much use out if it (I'll probably be hearted-out by Feb 15th), so instead of making a purchase, I decided to DIY it.

In true DIY/Upcycle fashion, I used a top that I already had. Call it my guinea pig top-- comfy, but almost ready for the donate pile since I hardly wear it. The blah color and the baggy, not-so-figure-flattering fit are detractors. So basically I chose something that I wouldn't be too upset about if I messed up.  :)

In hindsight, the heart should have been a bit higher... or bigger.
 And look at me trying to pose. Har-har!

BTW, if you can't find Freezer Paper, I found a good alternative.

Click "Read more" for the how-to

[Make] Fish Bowl Valentine's Card

Valentine's Day... It's a love/hate thing for me. Love the plethora of hearts. Love the romance. Love the Valentine's Day parties. What do I hate? The candy! Some candy is fine  (preferably a smooth dark chocolate), but a bag full of processed sugar? Add in two small boys... Eh, no thanks. I know I can't prevent it, but this year I decided not to join the sugar brigade.

Since 4 year old Happy Vee loves fish-- he got a betta for his 4th birthday-- I thought a fish bowl valentine would be perfect. And since he also has a palate for goldfish crackers... 

it even stands up by itself!

Click "Read more" for the free download and tutorial

[Make] Decorative Heart Box #3

The last of the heart boxes! Are you tired of hearts yet?  I hope not because I have a couple more blood-pumping projects up my sleeve.  Heh-heh... blood-pumping...  I really shouldn't write these posts late at night.  :)

Anyhow, the tutorial for the burlap and wood heart is coming up after the jump. If you missed it,  the green heart-on-heart tutorial is here and the brass chevron box tute is here.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Make] Decorative Heart Box #2

Last week I shared the tutorial for the 3-dimensional heart box. Next up is this brass chevron heart box. I really wanted something modern, clean... and shiny. I think this hits all points. 

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Make] Sequined Heart

While cleaning up my craft supplies (yep, still working on organizing), I found a small foam heart that was half-decorated then abandoned. If my guess-timation is correct, it's been sitting in it's half-done state for about 15 years. Yikes... Definitely time to make something with it! So I removed the previous decoration and started fresh.

I usually stay away from the traditional pink and red hearts, but I still wanted something colorful and fun. I think the candy-colored sequins do the trick!

glitzy!

Click "Read more" for the details.

[Make] Decorative Heart Box #1

While browsing the aisles of a craft store (my favorite past-time) I found some papier mache heart boxes. They are sturdy and just the right size to hold a small gift (Valentine's teacher's gift perhaps?) or to use as a trinket box. I purposely tried to make them timeless so, although Valentine's Day is looming, no pink or red on these hearts!

I get fidgety when I have to make the same thing twice, so they are all quite different. After pondering a few of my favorite things-- shiny metallics, wood, geometric shapes, burlap, succulents-- here's what I ended up with...

First up is this 3-dimensional heart box:

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Pin It // Make It] Heart-in-Hand Gloves

Pinterest... Do you pin?  I was lucky to have joined when it was in beta mode and I've been a dedicated pinner ever since. If you haven't tried it, it's a great tool to capture and share inspiration and resources.

However, how many times do you pin things and how many times do you actually do something with that pin? Except for a few party planning ideas, my record is pretty bad. So, as a little push for myself, I thought I'd start a new series-- Pin It // Make It.  Sounds easy enough, right?  :) 

A week ago I pinned these heart gloves and, after a little research, tracked down the original source at eu.Fab.com and also yastikizi on Etsy. Cute, huh. Since there's not a tutorial, I had to create my own. Now, if you know me, I hardly ever sew and just learned to thread a needle a few years ago. So, ahem, don't judge me too hard. Anyhow, with my basic skills, I thought I would recreate these heart gloves.

Well, there are a few differences. First of all, mine is the much cheaper version...$1 gloves and $0.25 acrylic felt. Also, the heart could've been a little bigger... If I wore gloves more often, I'd invest in a nice wool pair and also use a wool felt. But I hardly ever wear them, so this will do.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Hearts & Blooms

I made a special Valentine's lunch for the boys.

Before you start thinking I'm super (crazy) mom, these are all ideas that I've seen elsewhere but, unfortunately, I didn't bookmark the source.  Yeah, so it was another super (crazy) mom or dad that came up with the carved banana and heart sprinkles sandwich. Since my boys were so excited for Valentine's Day that they kept calling it Halloween, I decided they needed a fun (but not too girly!) lunch.

The Mister did good. I woke up this morning with that "if I lean over too far my head feels like a sandbag is on top of it" feeling.  You know that feeling? But when I came home to this bright and happy bouquet,  I found that I just need to gaze at those awesomely green chrysanthemums for a quick pick-me-up. Sandbag be gone!  He also wrote me the best card ever... but I won't be sharing that.  :)  I'm a lucky girl!

Smooch!

[Inspired by] Hearts