Countdown to Valentine's Day

Hello 2023! Wow.... it's definitely been a while!

I wanted to kick off the year with a creative project and as someone who can't resist an advent calendar....or two, I thought why not create an advent calendar for the romantic season of Valentine's Day.

The idea came about as I was packing away my Christmas advent calendar (that we made in 2020 - blog post here). I was looking at the red baking tray and suddenly thought that I could create a similar type of advent calendar for Valentine's Day. I then started to look on Pinterest to find some ideas but nothing really jumped out at me, so then I delved into my craft stash to see what I could find to inspire me.

I pulled out a die set by Tim Holtz called Gift Card Bag. 

Once I saw this die set, the idea to create an advent calendar that included daily activities to do with your loved one sprang to mind. However when I looked at the size of the die, I knew I wouldn't be able to fit 14 of these bags on the baking tray, so I started to think how I could alter it in some way.

I then looked at cropping it to a smaller size and began experimenting.

I measured the size of card that I thought would work and then laid out the die. I knew that I would need to create my own bottom tab once I had die cut the paper so made allowances on the measurements for this.

The above photo shows how the bag came out once I had die cut it and added my own tab. Once folded up, it creates a cute little pocket that will fit a 2x2 inch card inside.

    Once I had assembled all my pockets I got to decorating them and printed out some photos, approx. 3cm x 4cm each and then added some romantic words and most importantly the advent number. I decided for ease to just use some gold Thicker stickers that I had in the cupboard.

To make the activity cards, I typed up some activities that would fit on the 2x2 inch cards. I chose a range of activities that I knew we could fit in around our day to day lives and didn't have to be too extravagant.

I will include a list of the activities I chose below as it might help as inspiration for your own advent calendar:-

1. Tell each other the top 5 things you love about one another.

2. Learn how to say I Love You in a different language.

3. Tell each other your favourite memory.

4. Go for a romantic walk

5. Watch a movie together

6. Give each other a massage

7. Sit around a log fire and look at the stars

8. Buy each other a sweet treat

9. Spend the evening dancing together

10. Go on a brunch date

11. Tell each other a wish for 2023

12. Each pick out your favourite photo together

13. Play a game together 

14. Have a romantic dinner for two

I hope this post has given you some Valentine's inspiration for your own crafting projects this month.

N.B. The paper I used is from the Carta Bella My Valentine collection

Valentine Charcuterie Platter

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We have one last bit of Valentine inspiration to share with you today and that is for creating this very delicious charcuterie platter for your loved ones.

I had been inspired lately by some charcuterie board ideas I had seen on Pinterest and I thought what a great idea to extend your romantic evening meal by creating a platter of sweet treats that you can dig into whilst watching a film.

You can have some great fun with this idea and even get the kids involved and get them to put together a sharing board that you can all dig into together. Just grab some of your favourite snacks and treats and mix in some dipping sauces too and then get creative!

On my board I included the following:-

Mini Jammy Dodger Biscuits

Mini Oreo Biscuits

Salted Pretzels

Marshmallows

Crispy M&Ms

Lobster Sweets (M&S)

Seahorse Guylian Chocolates (Poundland)

Chocolate Viennese Thins (Tesco)

Salted Caramel Dessert Sauce (Tesco)

Chocolate Dessert Sauce

I got my heart shaped ramekins from Poundland which I used to put my M&Ms and chocolate dipping sauce in. I also used a cake stand to display my platter on but you could use a wooden chopping board or plate, whatever you have to hand.

If you are looking for that last minute gesture of love, quickly whip round your house and see what you can put together and share with your loved ones. Remember you could do this with lots of foods, doesn't necessarily have to be sweet! 

Enjoy!

Dear Valentine....

We have already made it into February and I literally don't know where the time goes! With only 10 days to go until Valentine's Day, I will be continuing to share with you some inspirational makes to get you crafting this Valentine's Day.

So today's post is about Valentine cards and I have three designs to share with you this year, all of which I will be using...

So starting with the largest of all the cards, and I'm sure you will guess who this is for! As you may have noticed throughout most of the blog, I love to incorporate photos in a lot of my makes and especially for special occasions. So I couldn't resist adding some photos to this card! I cut out some photo frames (Marianne Design Photo Frames Die Set COL1388) from coloured card stock and then arranged on the front of a square card. I added a little bit of Tim Holtz Distress ink around the edges, but nothing too bold. I then finished the card by adding some Valentine words using my Dymo Label Maker and also some little heart confetti.

This adorable little card was definitely fun to make and really quick and easy! For the background of the card I just simply added some paint splats using a metallic pink watercolour paint and flicked the brush a few times. 

I then used a circle die cut that came included in a Tim Holtz die set (Tiny Travel Globe 664182) to cut a circle from the front of the card. I then added one of the co-ordinating Sizzix Dimensional Domes 663599, filled with die cut hearts, and positioned this through the hole, layered onto some Valentine card stock. To finish I added a die cut phrase.

The final card I made is super quick. I created the background using the same technique as above. I then cut out a small faceted heart from Tim Holtz Faceted Heart 664156 die set using pink metallic card stock. Once I had stuck all the tabs together to create the heart shape I stuck it in the centre of the card and added a stamped phrase underneath.

Making cards for you loved ones needn't be a long and complicated process. Sometimes the simplest of designs can be the most effective!

Happy crafting!

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!

Valentine Treats

Hi bloggers, well this is my first post of 2016 which wasn't the start of a brand new year that I was hoping for but hey ho that's life. I can't let a holiday occasion go by without providing you with a bit of inspiration and this post is about Valentine's Day.

Now don't switch off if you're thinking that you have no one to give a Valentine's treat to as these can be given to any loved one, a friend, sibling, family member or if you are lucky the love of your life. It's just nice to share the love and tell them that they mean something to you this Valentine's Day.

Most of these sweet treats below were inspired by using my Minc machine and these adorable Valentine tags that Heidi Swapp has designed to be used in the machine. Couldn't resist!

This sweet bag is really simple to make, just grab a cellophane bag and cut some paper that will fit inside, score a line across the card to allow for a fold along the bottom which will help provide a sturdier base for your treat bag. Fill with some chocolatey goodness (pink smarties, chocolate hearts) and then tie the top together and attach a tag.

For this treat bag, I used a small striped paper bag and die cut some heart shapes from one side of the bag. I then filled a cellophane bag with some sweets and placed inside. I then tried my best to line up the three sweets in front of the hearts - but this was not an easy task! Finish by tying some string around the bag and then attach a tag.

This final treat bag is super cute and I made it using the Tim Holtz Pocket Envelope Bigz L Die. I die cut the envelope from vellum so that it has a see through effect to it. Fold along the score lines and stick together using a little bit of double sided tape. Place your treat inside and then finish with some washi tape and some string with a tag attached.

The pocket envelope has a really lovely tie up at the back so you will need a couple of brads to secure the pieces in place.

So there you have it, a bit of last minute Valentine's inspiration.

Wrapped up with love

 

Well this is the final Valentine's post and I really wanted it to be full of wrapping ideas however I seemed to have come down with a bug, not the love bug I'm afraid but rather a flu virus, so I only managed to create three different wrapping ideas which is so frustrating as I have many more in my head!

Anyway to start off I have included an example of placing those yummy chocolates from my last post into a simple cellophane bag and added a cute piece of ribbon and a handmade with love tag - make sure you take credit for those chocs you made!

 

Next up are two gift bag examples which you could put any little gift or present in, maybe place the cellophane bag of chocolates inside......

 

 

 

Well thats all I had time to make and was able to make but please check out my Pinterest Valentine's board for a few more ideas, such as gift boxes and wrapping flowers and the like.

Valentine Sweet Treats

This post will definitely make your mouth water with the temptation of sweet chocolates and they are so much fun to make.

Materials you will need:

Chocolate plastic mould (heart shaped for Valentine's)

Melting chocolate drops (Hobbycraft sell many different colours to achieve the look you want)

Bowl

Spoons

Foil wrappers - different colours (red and silver for Valentines)

Hobbycraft sell all the products you will need to make your own chocolates, with lots of handy tools, such as squeezee bottles and funnels if you need more help with precision but otherwise just have fun and play around with different effects and flavours.

1. Melt the chocolate drops in a bowl in the microwave - follow instructions on the packet.

2. Using a spoon, fill up each mould and level off the top. If you have a funnel or squeezee bottle this may help with precision in getting the chocolate in the mould.

 

3. Once you have filled the mould, give it a light tap to get rid of air bubbles and then leave to set. I usually leave the mould to cool and set for 30 minutes and then pop them in the fridge for several hours.

4. Once the chocolates have set remove them from the mould. You can then either leave them as they are or you can add an extra bit of decoration using different colours of the chocolate melts, e.g. drizzle milk chocolate over white chocolate hearts - see picture below.

 

5. If you choose to add further decoration then you may need to leave these to dry for an extra 30 minutes to an hour before wrapping them.

6. Time to wrap those choccies. The pictures below illustrate how to wrap the hearts.

 

Place chocolate face down on the inside side of the wrapper. Outside of the wrapper will be shiny and coloured.

 

Fold over two sides to meet in the middle.

 

Depending on the shape and size of the chocolate you may want to trim excess foil either side before folding the rest of the foil in.

 

Fold the rest of the foil and mould to the shape of the chocolate and then you are done.

 Once you get the hang of the process then why not experiment with different flavours by adding dried fruits etc. I added some dried cranberrries to my white chocolate hearts for a subtle hint of cranberry. 

 

Over the next few days I will post my final Valentine's post which will include wrapping ideas for presents and these chocolate hearts.

A message with love

The most common gift given on Valentine's Day has to be a Valentine's card. Why not make your loved one something personal and from the heart by creating it yourself from scratch and they can be as simple or as complicated as you like. I have been working on three different card designs and I will share them with you below......

 

'Lovestruck'

For this card I used Tim Holtz cherub and heart die cut and also inked and glittered up some of his grungeboard hearts using his Distress Rock Candy glitter which looks amazing. Finish the whole thing off with some ribbon and a few buttons, without forgetting the sentiment at the bottom of the card.

 

'Hugs and Kisses'

Bunting is all around at the moment, with the popularity of the vintage theme so why not create a mini heart bunting on your card. Once again add some buttons and sentiment embellishments and you have a very cute bunting Valentine's card.

 

'Love and Hugs'

For this card I also used the cherub and heart die cut from Tim Holtz for the heart and arrow shapes used above. If you want to add a bit more detail to your cards, maybe take your time and emboss some of the layers. I used a dot embossing folder for the pink strip going across which adds a bit of texture and dimension. Once again a few buttons, this time I also adhered a cherub run-on to the button which I found randomly in my stash and then complete with a sentiment.

I hope these cards give you a little bit of inspiration to create something a bit different this year.

Home for Valentine's

Hi bloggers, today we are starting the Valentine inspirations with decorations for the home to embrace the spirit of love. Starting off with this fabric heart, decorated with Parisian flair, reflecting the colours of my room and remember Valentine decorations don't have to be about the reds and pinks. Try to add decorations that match the colours of your home, making them more natural and adding a subtle decoration for this time of year. 

However if you do want that splash of red and pink then check out the heart decorations below:

 

 The pink heart above is made from paper mache and has been painted pink and then sprinkled with Distress glitter (from the amazing Tim Holtz and Ranger). Add a white flower and sentiment and your done.

Last but not least is this beautiful heart wreath, decorated with a fabric heart and lace and flowers. Again, matching the natural colours around the home, a subtle nod to Valentine's Day.

I hope these ideas have added a little Valentine inspiration for around the home and remember to check out my Pinterest page to see what other inspirations you could use.