our valentines day decorations

love is in the air! and on the mantle and the entry way table and all over the house. :)

when i set out looking for valentines decorations, i fully intended on just picking up some paper and cutting out hearts on my own.  and then i got to the store, and went a little crazy.

first, i stumbled upon these fun corrugated hearts from hobby lobby!  instead of cutting out all the hearts on my own, i just taped the die cut hearts onto some twine, pinned it to the mantle, and voila! a $5 valentines mantle in ten minutes! :)

i've had my eye on the teeny tiny mail boxes in the target dollar spot for a while, and i finally took the plunge!   initially, i was excited to use them as "love bug special delivery" boxes, but after getting them home, i realized they are too tiny for any of the cards or gifts i (i mean the love bug...) wanted to share, but they are the perfect size for my mantle, so i consider it $3 well spent. :)

i had decided to try something different for the entry way, and then i found these larger paper mache mailboxes. can you say "meant to be"?!  they are the perfect size for cards and little bags of candy....which i may or may not have already sampled. #sorryimnotsorry i even grabbed a few extras to stash in the closet for any future littles! :)

i can't wait for EG to be big enough to be excited about these silly little things.  for now, i'm just going to pretend that's she's into it. :)

paper mache mailbox // hobby lobby
corrugated hearts // hobby lobby (similar here)
scrap book paper // michael's (available at any craft store)
sweetheart printable // studio calico
pink frame // target (similar here)
mini mail boxes, burlap runner // target dollar spot
gold frames // goodwill

happy valentines from emma grace

i think valentines day is such a fun holiday.  hearts, pink, candy, hugs and kisses....what's not to love? 

i hope my family and friends know how much i love them every day of the year, but how great is it that we have a day specifically dedicated to appreciating our loved ones?

at our last mama/baby craft day, our host mama set up the most adorable baby photo booth. if that's not the cutest thing on the planet i'm not sure what is.  she used wrapping paper on the wall, foam board and chalk pens for the signs, and even made baby sized bunting. 

the babies were photobombing, i mean, helping each other out...providing advice on poses and the most effective way to get the best chewing angle on the sign. gotta help a baby friend out. 

we printed off these pictures and are going to incorporate them into a little valentines gift for the grandparents.  babies and grandbabies make gifting so easy. :)

this sweet little love bug of mine is the best valentine i could have ever asked for.

fun with felt // baby girl DIY

i've recently entered the world of baby girl bow mania.

i know...i'm a little late to the game. but i'm making up for lost time.

my new obsession combined with an audit of my craft closet resulted in....valentine felt bows for eg!

i've been getting so many questions about them, i decided to take a stab at a tutorial. #marthawannabe

i'm not a tutorial expert, but here it goes.

what you need:

felt

scissors 

embroidery thread

large-ish needle (that's the technical term)

hot glue gun

pencil

elastic (mine is 1/8 inch wide...ish) and/or alligator clips 

what you do:

first, decide what shape you want to cut out, and trace it with a pencil.  i did a few circles and a few hearts in different sizes, and then i'd decided to get a little crazy and did a little "e". :)

next, carefully glue the pieces together.  i think it's best to have two layers, but it probably just depends on the quality of felt you end up with.  oh, and don't go too crazy with the glue.  if you're going to add stitching, it's harder to stitch through the portions that have been glued, so plan accordingly. 

then, if you want to add a little extra pizzaz, you can stitch around the edges with the embroidery thread.  i chose a lilac purple, because that's what i had left in my craft drawer, and surprisingly, it turned out pretty great! 

lastly, carefully glue the alligator clip to the back of the felt cut out. or, if you're using elastic, space out your pieces and glue them on accordingly.  i added an extra piece of felt on the back to smooth out the portion that would be on baby girl's head. 

oh, the actual last step is really putting the bow on the babe and snapping a bazillion and one photos so you can overshare on instagram :) 

pretty sure this is going to be my new favorite holiday tradition.  

watch out president's day....it's about to get cray. 

my sweet valentine.

you know your husband loves you when....

he doesn't say a negative thing about the pink hearts hanging all over the apartment,

and when he let's you put a bow on the world's cutest puppy,

and when he willingly offers to watch "brave" with you.

#realmenlovedisneycartoons

our first valentines as mr. and mrs. was one for the memory books.

bub-hub made me a yummy fajita feast and we spent the evening watching 

cartoons and cuddling with sweet raider. 

marital maturity at its finest.

i'm so blessed to have such a sweet valentine. :)

sweet treat goodness

confession:

i love sweets.

valentines treats are probably my favorite.

here are a few cute ideas i've been pinning lately.

how cute are these thumbprint cookies.

not only are they covered in sprinkles but they are topped with sweet pink icing.

adorbs.

Source: americancupcakeabroad.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

puppy chow wins every time:

Source: lifeloveandsugar.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

and of course...duh duh duh donuts:

Source: lovefromtheoven.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

this is a perfect example of how cookie cutters can be multi purpose.

pancakes, sandwiches, cheesecake.

perfection.

Source: lilluna.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

and i'm pretty sure this is going to be my co-worker gift this year:

Source: penniesonaplatter.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

and now my tummy is officially rumbling.

what are your favorite valentine's sweet treats?

be my valentine?

ooo valentines. such a fun time to spoil your friends and loved ones with mushy cards and chocolate and candy.

 

 

i love nerdy valentines. especially ones that involve puns.

they're so punny!

Source: thompsonandspring.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

who doesn't love a corney pick up line?

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

and anything that requires a little bit of glue...meant to be!

Source: todaysmama.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

and if you want to keep it classy, there's always this beautiful piece:

Source: shoptomkat.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

or for the inner pyro in us all:

Source: make-it-do.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

like tick tick.

 

have you picked out your valentines yet?

are you a store-bought or a make-them-at-home-valentines-giver?