We can now count the hours until Valentine’s Day! and if you want to put some last minute “love” in your decor…I’ve got some SIMPLE ways to do it! Time is ticking…but it’s not too late for some easy holiday “hacks” to add a touch of festivity! Check out these tricks…letting you cut corners but never style!
It’s time to start thinking about sweet tokens to hand out to those you love, like, and admire! It never has to be big…just a simple reminder of how much you care! Today I’ll share some fun ways to dress up your holiday packages…sometimes those little extras really show the recipient you made it look special just for them! You can get as creative as you wish…but it often doesn’t take much to make a gift shine! Kind of like sprinkles on a cake…the simple, crowning touches! These are a few of the little packages to hold special treats for my Valentines this year…hope you can find some inspiration for yours!
Every now and again, I like to make a special breakfast for my boys…especially as holidays draw near! It’s now February and Valentine’s day is especially fun for making treats…hearts can be found almost everywhere you look and that wonderful tool, the cookie cutter, can turn tons of different foods into that traditional holiday shape! And even though the big day falls over a weekend, I can still serve up easy breakfasts to help start some school-day mornings off with smiles! This year I wanted to come up with some fun ideas that would be healthier but still provide some festivity…something that we don’t often have before heading off to class! So in preparation of the upcoming treats, I HAD to test some out to make sure they were acceptable! I’d like to share a couple easy and tasty winners! This is what I’ll be dishing out this Valentine holiday…some morning fun…healthy bites…and holiday joy!
I love wool…whether it’s a cheerful, plaid throw or fuzzy sweater, I’m pretty partial to those snuggly fibers! When I found these lovely little hearts a few years ago at Target, I just had to have them! At the time I purchased them they were part of a Valentine garland. It was completely adorable…but after I’ve used my decorations for a while, I try to recycle them into something different! What I love most about re-purposing my favorite things is that I can hang on to them a little longer AND create something new and fresh! This garland had been used in my Valentine displays for several years and it was time to give new life to these sweet, wooly hearts! So I decided to cut them apart. How cute would they be as fuzzy tags on a gift or maybe adorning my candy jars? I really wanted to find a new place for these colorful little guys…so they had a slight reformation for the holiday!
You all know by now how much I like paper! I really think paper can be one of the most simple & economical supplies to create just about anything your mind can imagine! It comes in many sizes, weights, patterns, and shapes! You can create your own designs or find wonderful paper craft kits that help you along the way! Most crafting stores have isles and isles of paper possibilities…from tissues and actual sheets of parchment to cardboard boxes and die-cut shapes galore! You can find banners and garlands and flags and confetti…all perfect for more than their original purpose! If I’ve learned anything over my years of creating & crafting it’s to always look past what the packaging SAYS it is and think of all the other things it COULD be! So Valentine’s Day is on its way and I suggest anyone can find inspiration wandering around favorite craft and party stores…always full of infinite possibilities! Today I’ll share with you the simple creation I made for a holiday centerpiece using not much more than, you guessed it, paper!
So I promised to show the EASY step-by-step instructions for tissue poms! It really is such a simple thing to do, and when you make them yourself you’ll save a load of money! The great thing about poms is that they look so festive and can make any occasion look extra special…even everyday celebrations can feel like a party when you hang a cluster of poms! And since they cost so little to create you can make plenty for ANY area of your home! I sometimes even hang them outside on my covered patio…if they get a little tattered from the elements I can just toss them out and make new! Take a look at these simple instructions…even minor mishaps can be covered up with ease! Grab your favorite tissue colors and patters and…
Even though winter has really just begun…I’m ready for some spring color! Maybe it’s because the weather has been so warm and the grass in our backyard is actually still green? Maybe the thermometer has given the false impression that spring is just around the corner? Or maybe the festivity of the holiday has merely spilled over making me want to keep everything happy and bright? I’m not sure the real reason! And even though I LOVE hunkering down indoors during the long winter nights I guess there’s no rule that states I can’t do that while surrounded by some cheerful hues! So with the thought of Valentines Day on the distant horizon I added some pinks & purples just to make me smile! I absolutely love tissue paper tassels and poms for making a room look whimsical and festive! Mostly we think of using them for parties…but why wait for a celebration to perk up your spaces, right? They’re easy and inexpensive to make…and now you can buy kits that have them practically put together for you! So if you’re feeling the need for some colorful cheer…let some tassels & poms brighten your spaces!
Here we are in 2016! I hope everyone has gotten off to a great start in the first few days of the New Year! I enjoyed the holiday break visiting with family and friends, eating way too much, and remaining 95% unplugged from technology for the entirety of our Christmas vacation! The week prior to Christmas I was having some technical difficulties with the blog photos…any of you who view with your phones may have noticed that the photos were upside down or sideways! I was planning on trying to figure out what was up with this technological glitch but honestly decided not to fret about it during the holiday! I’m testing something new this morning and hope it works but if not, I promise to get to the bottom of this with much needed help from my friend who knows more about computers than I do! But until then, I will keep moving forward with some DIY fun! I don’t know about you, but when the holidays are over and all the decorations come down…my house seems a bit barren! But I have mixed feelings about seeing everything go…while it’s sad to think of packing up all the festivity, the Christmas tree’s finest moments had withered and gone and I was feeling anxious for something fresh again. I’d been thinking a little ahead over the break and I knew I wanted to make some kind of “artwork” to set on the cabinet in my living room after the holiday decor was gone. It’s funny how ideas come to you sometimes isn’t it? But while I was working on some Giggle mini magnet boards I found my inspiration. I often come across interesting things inside the frames I purchase…and behind a framed 1943 teaching certificate was a simple piece of fabric turned backwards to fill the space between the paper and the backing. When I flipped the fabric over I absolutely fell in love! The pattern was so fun and graphic I decided to keep it in that small frame and use it in my home somewhere. So that silly little scrap of vintage fabric inspired my DIY artwork for the empty space in my living room!
Still looking for some gift ideas? Or maybe just a project to do with the kids over the long holiday break? Either way, this DIY project is fun, easy, and useful! Earlier this year my mom brought me some lotion that her creatively gifted friend had made. It was so wonderfully scented and luxuriously creamy I used mine up rather quickly and had to find out how she made it! Well, it turned out to be a pretty simple recipe and I thought it would not only make wonderful gifts but a nice way to treat myself from time to time! So if you’re in need of some holiday favors, hostess gifts, or presents for under the tree…take a peek at this wonderful DIY project!
I get so excited to decorate my holiday table for Christmas dinner! I also love to try new recipes…but since my family members are creatures of habit, I often serve up many of the same recipes for our holiday meal each year! It’s hard to deviate from something that works and everyone looks forward to! But as far as decorations are concerned…I have plenty of freedom to experiment! I don’t think I’ll hear any complaining about the color I choose for the table runner, but it would be an outrage if there was no sweet potato casserole! So since the menu is pretty set…I’ll be content to play around with the table decor and create something special for our meal together! I haven’t yet decided on a centerpiece…but I can tell you it will be simple! But while busily crafting for Giggle this season, I’ve had the opportunity to have plenty of holiday supplies on hand, some of which inspired the idea for place cards on my Christmas table! I love simple DIY projects…and this one is so easy and requires minimal AND inexpensive supplies from the craft store! Have a peek at what I’m making…