Valentine's Mini Mason Jar Photo Holder

We have another Valentine's project to share with you today and this one is actually based off a Christmas Mini Mason Jar Photo Holder project we made a couple of years ago. If you want to see our Christmas version of this jar then you can find that post here.

Anyway today's project is continuing with the theme of Valentine's and you can actually use the photo magnet from the previous post and use it in this project too!

To make this jar we used a Tim Holtz Mini Mason Jar and we also used one of his Mini Mason Jar Photo Clip Kits that work with the jars - unfortunately these are now both discontinued!! (but you may be able to get from some sellers - check my links) However you can simply use any mason jar - obviously a smaller one is better - but who's to say you can't go big! You will just need a lot of sweets to fill it!!!

The photo clip kit essentially included a long screw, a wing nut and a washer. You also got a miniature hinge clip to clip your photo in place and lids with holes pre-drilled in. However the screws and clips can easily be found at DIY and stationery stores.

Alongside these pieces you may want to pick yourself up some red paint and Tim Holtz Distress Micro Glaze (magic stuff!), plus some red and white twine and a small heart charm (Tim Holtz Heart Charms).

To get started you will need to paint your lid in red or a colour of your choice. Once the paint has dried (may need 2 coats), rub some Tim Holtz Distress Micro Glaze over the top - you only need a tiny amount. You can then buff this off with a cloth to leave a lovely smooth finish to the lid. 

If your lid doesn't already have a hole in, simply punch a hole through the middle of the lid and then put the long screw up through the base and then slide down the washer and screw on the wing nut.

You can then use the hinge clip to secure a photo in place.

Add some sweets to your jar before screwing the lid in place. Then wrap the twine around the lid a couple of times and add your heart charm.

The project is now complete! These are great gifts that can be used at different times throughout the year to put your loved ones favourite sweet treats in. I actually came across this idea to share on the blog as it's a gift I actually gave to Conor a few years ago - each year I give it a little spruce up, add some choccies and print a new photo. A great way to up-cycle as well as starting a new tradition.

Valentine's Photo Pocket Cards

So it's only been 4 weeks since Christmas and I'm already thinking about the next seasonal holiday - Valentine's Day. With just over 3 weeks to go until this love fest day, I thought to myself that I need to start thinking of some Valentine makes. 

Rifling through my collection of die sets, I found this Tim Holtz Gift Card Bag and instantly had an idea. I was also hoping to find his Treat Bag thinlits die set, but unfortunately that isn't one I have in my stash, so may need to purchase...

I started by cutting the bag from kraft card and a light pink Bazzill Basics card stock. I then used the included alphabet dies that you get in the set to spell out some love phrases and hash tags. To make the lettering stand out I placed some black, white and pink card stock behind it to make it pop! Once you have finished the lettering you can then stick your bag together using the tabs.

To make the photo magnet cards, I just used a word processing program on my Mac and inserted a photo into the document (I used a website called FotoFlexer to tint the photo black and white before resizing). 

I re-sized and cropped the photo to approx. 5cm x 7cm and then added a slight border to make it look a bit like an Instax photo. I printed the photos onto regular glossy photo paper and then cut around my design. I then used some thin self adhesive magnet paper and cut it to the same size as my photos to stick on the back. To finish them off I used my Dymo label maker to add some "love"ly messages.

I initially thought that I might use these bags to put little sweet treats inside but once I had made them I soon realised that my treats would need to be quite flat to fit inside - I will be on the look out in case I see anything suitable!

For now though the magnets I created sit comfortably inside the pocket and also make a wonderful little present that your loved one can display on their fridge or notice board.

Remember Valentines Day isn't just for your boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancé's, husbands, wives - but for everyone in your life that you love and cherish. 

I don't want to forever be reminding you all about the year 2020, but it is times like that which really shine a light on the importance of sharing the love and showing appreciation for those who are special to you.

So this year, make a little effort....because it really will mean a lot to someone!

Designing Wedding Invitations in a Pandemic

So if you have been following my blog for at least a year you will know that I am due to get married at the end of April 2021...pause for laughter...

I know that to some people they will be telling me to dream on taking into account the state the country is in at the minute, but my word for the first 4 months of this year is "Optimism" and I still have lots of it. Not getting into the ins and outs of why I believe this but one has to stay positive otherwise what's the point!

Anyway with the ongoing pandemic I have yet to send out my main wedding invitation. The constant uncertainty has made me push back designing the invitations until now and I've had to include things and write things that I hadn't considered before this pandemic. Sometimes it's difficult to know what is the right thing to say and when I think about people receiving these invitations I don't want them to be confused about the day. For some of it, we still don't have confirmation from the venue with regards to exactly what we are eating on the day (we have a roundabout idea - Afternoon Tea, Fish and Chip Supper) and also if there are rooms available for our guests to stay at the hotel, so when it comes to writing food menus or accommodation details, we are having to fill in the blanks.

I have waited my whole crafting life for the moment when I can design my own wedding invitations and even though I feel the stress and pressure of designing them, I am also excited and want to create something that will introduce our guests to the theming of the wedding. Considering designing a less elaborate version of the invitation for Covid's sake wasn't an option! It's all or nothing! - and I have had days when I almost considered the nothing!

So aside from the usual details you would include in a normal wedding invitation, we have also included a note to our friends and family to obviously take note of the pandemic and explain that things will likely be uncertain until weeks before the wedding. For this reason we are also asking for our guests to RSVP with an email address and mobile number so that we can then keep updating them with the details of the day and if we have to reduce numbers we may notify our guests this way.

The other aspect of the invitation we had difficulty wording was about Gifts. I've read lots of different things about whether to include that on the invitation, writing poems, including websites or gift lists etc. For us we are hoping to be able to honeymoon (in the UK) after the wedding and have said from the beginning that we would most likely ask for honeymoon donations. However last night I was thinking, would our guests want to give cash? Cash has become almost obsolete in the Covid-19 world of shopping and everything is card or contactless. I started investigating websites that might offer this service but I'm also wary of using a company for our guests to donate to, as well as it feeling a bit pushy to thrust a website upon people to give us money.

In the end we opted for a poem that hinted at honeymoon donations and we will leave it up to our guests to decide. At the end of the day all we really want is to be able to celebrate with the ones we love and if we are able to see their face on the day, that will be better then any gift we could ask for.

So now that we have confirmed the wording on the wedding invitation, I am still finalising the colours and intricate details before I get to making. I am hoping to finish them all by the end of January so I can get them sent out and hopefully that will be enough time for our guests to decide by the end of February if they would still like to come!

Fingers crossed!

I will be sharing more photos of our main invitations in a Wedding Series on the blog that will be featured in May - no sneak peeks until then I'm afraid!

Happy New Year! Resolutions & Hopes for 2021

 Happy New Year bloggers and welcome to 2021! I think it goes without saying that we are all hoping for a better year after a difficult 2020. New Year always bring me great optimism for what the year might hold and this year is no different. I often make a list of resolutions or tasks for the year and I usually never document these for fear that when I look back half way through the year, I can see a list of tasks that I gave up on or forgot about!

This year however I'm feeling a slightly different attitude to New Year's resolutions and I do have a few things that I want to achieve and persist with throughout the year. I'm also trying to think about things that I know are realistic for me to achieve or maintain so that I'm more likely to keep it up and stay on track. I thought I would actually share these resolutions with you this year to maybe spark some inspiration for yourself and to document for me to look back on in a few months time.

So in no particular order, these are my 10 resolutions for 2021...

1. Start selling on Etsy

So the first task or hope for 2021 is to start selling on Etsy. Me and mum have talked about this for a long time (years and years.....and years!) but we finally want to make this happen. With the restrictions of Covid-19 last year, it was difficult for us to sell our makes at Christmas fairs and it became much clearer that we needed an online outlet, and an opportunity to reach more people. The items we sell may also include project kits as well as stationery items such as cards and invitations. The sky is the limit and we think we are finally ready to jump on board the online selling train. Of course there are other platforms we could use but we feel like Etsy may be the perfect starting point.

2. Paint my nails once a week

It may seem like this resolution is a bit small in comparison to the first one we listed above, but it is actually something I want to do as a pick me up for me! I was inspired by my sister's love of nail art and it occurred to me that I wanted to do something for myself that will make me feel better and look pretty! As a crafter I very often don't bother with nail polish as it will literally last 5 minutes sometimes by the time I start painting and inking etc. However if I give myself the task of painting them once a week then it doesn't matter how long it lasts because I can just take it off and re-apply!

3. Write a daily diary

Now we are not necessarily talking Bridget Jones style here, but instead maybe just a few words about what I've done that day, how I'm feeling or a thought or two that has occurred to me that day (which will tie into my next resolution). I've already completed the first step... which is buying a diary, and now all I have to do is write in it. In past years I have purchased fancy Heidi Swapp journals or planners which I have had enthusiasm for when I want to document my life, e.g. going on holiday, birthdays, Christmas, reaching milestones etc. But if those events aren't happening, such as the mundane of going to work etc, then I often pushed the planners to one side and left weeks of pages empty. This time I've gone for a plain old diary with a full page for each day - let the writing commence!

4. Write down one positive thought every day

2020 may have taught us a lot of things, but for many of us, it will be to take care of our mental health. This can mean a lot of different things to many people and we all have our own ways of dealing with it to keep us going. For me, I want to embrace positivity and make myself see the world in a more positive light. We had to cope with a lot of negativity in 2020 and at times when I felt lonely, it was easy for me to begin thinking that way and get lost in a negative spiral. This year I want to try this exercise of writing down a positive thought each day to remind me of the good in the world and the good in me. I've tried a few positive thought books before and if I'm honest they haven't lasted and I have yet again brushed it to one side. However I want to incorporate it in my daily diary this year and in doing so it will hopefully mean I will at least fill each day of the diary with a positive thought if nothing else!

5. Go for 3 walks per week

This resolution also ties in with mental health and is an activity a lot of us have probably found ourselves doing lately. As idyllic as the picture above looks, I know that not everyone can access a beautiful nature walk easily and even if it's a walk around your neighbourhood, it is an activity that will stimulate your mind and body. I am lucky that I have a few nature walks local to me and I will often drive to a location if I know I will gain some beautiful scenery. I chose walking as an activity rather than just saying "I'm going to exercise more", mainly because I know I won't complete the exercise more resolution. I was one of those people who woke up and did PE with Joe in the first lockdown, and as much as I enjoyed it, it only lasted for the first couple of months before the enthusiasm started to dwindle. Walking is also an activity that doesn't have to be too strenuous and I know I will still be able to fit in three walks a week when I'm back at work.

6. Write 4 blog posts each month

Over the past 2 years, my joy of blogging has grown again and I really love to share items that we make, project kits we have designed and also things that have been happening in our lives. I know that our blog doesn't necessarily reach a lot of people, but the people that it does reach, often communicate with us about what we have written and how it may have inspired them or that they simply enjoyed reading it. For us it is also a way of documenting who we are and what we are doing. I have had thoughts of moving from a blog to vlog (video log) but I'm not sure I have the confidence just yet to get in front of the lens! So for now I want to try and keep the posts going and for 2021 I want to try and share with you at least 4 posts per month. So one down and three to go for January already! :)

7. Donate to one charity every month

If I'm honest, I thought twice about writing this resolution on the blog as I was worried how people might respond to this. I know lots of people that donate regularly to charities and often have long running direct debits with particular charities that are close to their heart. I'm not a person who donates regularly, nor am I someone who doesn't ever donate to charity. I have participated in quite a few charity events and made donations to different appeals as and when it suits me. However this year I want to engage more with charities, who we all know have had a difficult year in 2020, losing out on a lot of funding they may usually have gained from fund-raising events and of course money raised from charity shops. I am hoping to donate to 12 different charities in 2021 (one charity per month), with the same amount being donated to each charity.

8. Try one new recipe per month

When it comes to cooking dinners or baking cakes I am that person who opts for an easy life and sticks to the same old recipes and flavours. This year I want to introduce some new meals into my life and shake it up in the kitchen. Being realistic I have only given myself this task once per month as life often has a way of getting in the way of such tasks and I know I will end up sliding into old patterns if I over commit myself. The recipes can range from breakfast to dinner or even a sweet treat in-between so I can make it as easy or complicated as I like, it just needs to be different!

9. Spend More Think Less

So I'm not talking reckless spending and getting myself into debt. I also realise I have a mortgage and house to upkeep so I'm not thinking anything irresponsible. However those people that know me, know I am someone who consistently watches the pennies and would rather save then spend. I am still going to be hunting for the best bargain, but rather then let that bargain past me by, I am going to snap it up instead. This will also co-incide with my need to become more decisive, but I couldn't quite get myself to commit to that in my resolutions! Remember I am choosing resolutions that I know won't overwhelm me and that I can commit to! 

10. Enjoy Life

2020 acted as a constant reminder that life is short and therefore we all need to make the most of the life we have and ENJOY it!! Understandably there are still restrictions in place regarding Covid and we can't just jump on a plane and enjoy life in the sunshine for an eternity. But take in those little moments that might usually pass you by and embrace what you do have! Dance in the rain, feel the wind on your face and laugh yourself silly whenever you can! 

So that sums up my resolutions for 2021 and looking through the list I think I have a good variety of resolutions and hopes for the year ahead. I tried to choose things that will need to be kept up through the year, rather then just ticking things off the list. I'll see how I get on and keep you posted...

Happy New Year!