Decorating For Valentine's Day on a Dime

Yesterday, a few of us girls were able to pull off a Valentine's Day surprise for our husbands that ended with a lot of laughs and a lot of fun! They had to drive around town to pick up clues (along with the other Valentine's Day stuff that was left for them). Then, they were directed to our house for dinner and games!

So, since they were coming to our house, I wanted to make sure I had the whole thing all dec'd out.  The only problem?  I didn't have any decor!

Here's what I came up with:

I started by making these two banners (the one above and the one below).

How did I do it?  I just found some scrapbook paper that fit the bill, and then added a few things.

First, I found an old songbook that had love songs in it, and then ripped out a few song pages and cut them into banner shapes.  Then I glued them onto the scrapbook pages, and added pick hearts.  Finally, I hot glued them to some string and -- viola!  Valentine's Day banners! :)

Next, I got out my trusty candy jars and bought some Valentine's Day candy to bring them to life.  Then, I surrounded them with a few confetti hearts from the dollar store for a final touch.

The following table decor was pulled together by simply placing a (previously purchased) Hug Book on the table.  Then, I simply grabbed another piece of scrapbook paper, glued a "bear hugs" addition on top of that,.  I then placed it in a currently unused 5 x 7 frame.  Perfect.

I actually have quite a few spare frames laying around, so I decided to add another one to the scene.  I did this by grabbing a scrapbook page, some ink, and my family members.  Then, we inked our thumbs, and made some hearts.  We wrote our numbers under them, and framed it.  We loved how it turned out!

I used the last frame to give some love to very boring heart.  I glued the glittering heart onto a glittering scrapbook paper, and framed it.  All of the sudden that boring heart wasn't so boring after all.  

The final decor picture is probably the best.  I grabbed some scrapbook paper and made some hearts.  Then I used some ribbons and hung them from the lights.  It gave the whole scene just the right touch.

And just for your viewing pleasure, here are the desserts from that fabulous evening:

The whole thing turned out great!  Hopefully you can use some of these ideas to create your home Valentine's Day success! :)

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

We had Teacher Appreciation this week, and I came up with a new gift idea that I wanted to share.

It's a jar full of raisins, and the lid is covered with a cupcake baking cup.

The note reads:

 "You're the RAISIN I'm learning so much!

Thanks for being such a great teacher!"

Valentine's Day Boxes

Can I just say that I am currently in love with duct tape?! The kids decided they wanted to do their Valentine's boxes today, so they asked my husband and me to help them. The task would have been much more daunting if I hadn't seen an idea for using duct tape online! I am now a huge fan of this fantastic adhesive!! Why have I never done this before?! So many colors! So many options! No painting! It's amazing! I highly recommend it! My husband worked on the robot with my older son. He did an awesome job, don't you think? I was one proud wife!! And I made the minion with my younger boy. So much fun!

Rocket Cake

For this cake, I just baked two round cakes and then designed the rocket from there.

I wish I would have taken pictures of the whole process for you, but since I didn't, hopefully you'll be able to get an idea by just looking at the final product.

One suggestion: freeze the cake before you cut it or try to ice it!  It makes things so much easier!
Also, it is best to put one layer of icing on, freeze it again (for an hour or two), and then put on the final layer of icing

I used sprees and Red Hots for the designs, as well as pull-apart licorice, and an ice cream cone.

It was a big hit!!

Above:  Birthday party #1

Below: Birthday party #2

Once There Was a Snowman!

I painted these for Christmas this year, and I just wanted to share! :)

Homemade Lip Balm

Ever wonder what 200 containers of homemade lip balm looks like?  Well, now you don't have to - you're welcome! :)

What it is:

• 2 parts coconut oil
• 1 part beeswax
• a few drops of vitamin E
• pina colada flavoring

How to make it:

View this blog. :)

Thanksgiving Felt Craft

Here's another felt craft for you!  This time it's for Thanksgiving instead of Halloween, but I did everything by using the exact same process as I did before.  So, if you would like to see the (very simple) instructions on how to make felt crafts, then just click here. :)