Valentines Day Printable

It's that time of year to get a Valentines Day Printable up.  Now if you follow my blog you may recognize this particular printable as the quote happens to be my 2013 theme.  However, I have spiced it up a little bit in honor of the upcoming holiday.  I have to say, I LOVE this Valentines Day Printable.

Easy Valentine Crafts - 20 Min. Garland

Who is ready for easy Valentine crafts?  I know I am.  After decorating for fall and Christmas I get to Valentine's Day and have little motivation to change things up too drastically.  Add to the fact that we just moved and I really don't want to go too crazy nor do I want to make anything at the moment that will be too hard to store.  That's what makes this 20 min garland the perfect solution when it comes to easy Valentine crafts.  Seriously!

My Valentine's Day Wish

It's true... my Valentines Day wish is for more snow.  I don't just want any kind of snow, I want the kind that sticks around for more than a day.  I want at least another one or two snowstorms that produces the amount you see above.  

 I do not particularly LOVE the snow itself.  I don't ski or snowboard.  In fact snow storms make my anxiety levels go all sorts of crazy and I hate driving in it.  It can mess up plans and cancel trips.  However, it is important for some of the things I love.  Have you ever seen a Montana summer?  They are simply beautiful.  Like all things, that beauty comes at a price, at least six  months of hard, cold winters to be exact.

I married into a Lake loving family as well and guess what... Lake Powell is dependent on the snow fall that the Rocky Mountains get.  Low snowfall makes for low water at the lake.

It's not all about the looks or the activities though.  My grandpa is a farmer.  Warm, dry winters often make for warmer and drier summers.  The rivers and lakes are low.  Plants get scorched and crops struggle.  When the farmers have a hard growing season you can bet that gas and food prices will sky rocket.

I also live in a desert state that already is in a drought.  If we don't get enough snow in the mountains that sticks we can bet that the drought will become that much worse.  Plants will dry out.  Mix that with the large amount of wind we get in the spring and you have all the makings for a great fire season... because last year wasn't enough.

I may not love the snow but it is important thus I will keep on wishing and hoping that not only Northern Arizona but a lot of the other states will get at least a couple more decent snow storms before Spring truly shows her face.

What's your Valentine's Day wish?

Last Minute Valentine's Day Gifts

I know I posted about this printable a few months back but it would make a great last minute Valentine's Day gift and is fairly inexpensive.  All you need is to print out this printable from my website, find a frame, and a white board marker to write on top of the glass.

In my marriage I find its the little things that keep the love going strong.  I gave this particular gift to my husband for our anniversary and it has been a bigger hit than I imagined.  He loves to come home from work and see if I have written anything new.  We can never tell the people we care for "I love you," too much, which is why I don't mind celebrating Valentine's Day even if it is a "commercialized" holiday.  I try to do things or get gifts that will remind my husband year round how much he means to me.  For example, this year my gift will be my 14 days of Love Letters.  He can read those whenever he wishes just like I can continue using the above printable for more than just one or two days.  

This last minute Valentine's day gift come in two sizes:

11 x 17 (to fit an 11 x 14 Frame)

and

8 1/2 x 11 (to fit an 8 x 10 frame)

For this and other FREE printables check out my website.

What do you do for your loved ones on Valentine's Day?  Do you have any great last minute Valentine's Day gifts?

14 Love Letter Prompts

I've decided to do my own version of the 14 Days of Valentine's Day.  I have an amazing husband, one whom I don't tell nearly enough how great he is.  I'm all for striving to show him how much I love him throughout the year but I think its great that I get to do something extra special in February.  My husband loved his anniversary gift and I'm discovery how much he needs that validation on a regular basis, just like me and the best way to do this is through word.

I've decided that for my 14 Days of Valentine's Day I will write my husband some sort of love letter.  It's inexpensive and something he will hopefully cherish for years to come.  The supplies and prep were fairly minimal.

Supplies:
Envelopes (Hobby Lobby)
Cream Paper
Black Vinyl
Ink & Stamps
Paper Punches

I used vinyl for my envelopes for the day numbers.  I used stamps for the brackets on the envelope and the "love" at the bottom of each piece of paper for my signature.  I used a lip punch for the bottom right corner sort of as a "sealed with a kiss."

Then I came up with some prompts for each letter to help add some diversity.

Day 1:       Dreams
Day 2:       Favorite Memory
Day 3:       Write a Poem
Day 4:       Physical Traits
Day 5:       Personality Traits
Day 6:       Things That Make Me Happy
Day 7:       Funny Memory
Day 8:       Crossword
Day 9:       Favorite Hobbies/Dates
 Day 10:    Things I‘ve Learned
Day 11:     Acrostic Poem “VALENTINE”
Day 12:     Fond Memory from the Past Year
Day 13:     Something You Might Not Know About Me
Day 14:     All About Love

I'm pretty darn excited, now I just need to get busy writing my first letter.  Happy 14 Days of Valentine's!

Valentine Decorating Ideas - (LOVE)

Here is another masterpiece my mother-in-law and I came up with for Valentine decorating ideas.  I don't have any pink in my house and I don't put a lot of effort in to Valentine's Day decorations.  I like holiday decor that is simple, classy, and will match what I already have up year round.

I once again turned to Pinterest to find my inspiration for Valentine decorating ideas.  One girl had taken a canvas and place the letters LOVE vertically and in two rows.  It looked so simple and fun.  However, her's had bright splashes of colors for her letters which would not fit my house.  Thus the wheels started turning on how I could adapt this project and make it my own.

The best part is that this tutorial is super easy.

Supplies:

-large piece of canvas (my mother and I found a 2 pack at Hobby Lobby and used a 40% off coupon)
-newspaper or old book pages
-Modge Podge
-lighter
-chip board letters ($1.99 a piece at Hobby Lobby)
-black acrylic paint
-sponge brushes
-E-6000 glue

Step 1:  The Paper

Now had I had my way I would have found an inexpensive copy of Pride and Prejudice and started ripping out the pages.  However I didn't have one on hand.  Thus I took a newspaper and started ripping it into pieces.  I didn't wan't any photos or large titles that would stand out.  It's nice to use different shapes but I suggest trying to make your pieces of ripped paper fairly large.  It will take fewer pieces to cover the board.

Step 2:  Burn the Edges

I took just a handful of my ripped newspaper pieces and burned the edges just slightly.  I did this over my sink so that I could drop the paper if I didn't blow the flame out in time.  Please note the newspaper burns quickly.  Please use extra caution when do this.

Step 3:  Modge Podge

Next comes the Modge Podge.  I would take my brush and put a little bit of Modge Podge on the canvas where the paper was going as well as on the back of the paper.  Then I would place it down, smoothing it out as much as possible.  I would do this to several pieces of paper, layering them on top of one another and had them going different directions.  After I had about half of the board covered I would Modge Podge the top of the newspaper, once again smoothing out the ripples.  Repeat this step until the whole canvas is covered.

I then Modge Podged the burnt pieces on top, strategically placing them on my canvas using the same process.

I let the whole thing dry for an hour or so and then did one final Modge Podge layer on top.

Step 4: Paint Your Letters

This step doesn't need any explanation.  You can seal the paint if you like however I liked the matte look.

Step 5:  Glue

I measured the side of my canvas and my letters to center the L and the E.  I placed some E-6000 glue on the back and stuck them on.  This was easiest as I was able to match the side of the canvas up with the side of my letters.  I was then able to take my ruler and place it on the bottom of these two letter to match up the O and the V and just eyeballed it to make sure they were about the same distance apart.

Step 6:  Find a fabulous place to display your piece.

I would say that total this Valentine's Day project took me maybe an hour and a half (not including drying time) and took very little skill.

Perhaps one of the things I love most about my last couple of Valentine decorating ideas is that they can be used for more than just this holiday.  I could leave the LOVE board or my AMOUR banner up for a while and pull it out for special occasions like anniversaries or date nights.

How do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

The Texture Ball - (DIY Home Decor)

Another favorite school project of mine was the texture ball and was done at the very beginning of my freshman year at college.

The Project:  Take a Styrofoam ball and cover it in whatever material you want that would show tactile texture but also be visually pleasing and interesting.

It was really cool to see what some people came up with.  For mine I used small Christmas Bulbs and took the the tops off (the part where the hook goes).  I glued them on with hot glue and filled the negative space with colored saran wrap.  I didn't have to glue the saran wrap.  I just took a small amount and with a sewing pin just shoved it into the space.  It was so simple to make but made such a statement.

With Valentines Day just around the corner I'm thinking this would have made an excellent topiary piece or one that just stands alone on a mantle.  What do you think?

I also had the thought that this would be a fun "Challenge Project."  The idea would be that bunch of us bloggers would all try to come up with our own texture ball and then in the end have a parade of all the different designs.  If you're interested in participating email me at info@sarahdawndesigns.com .  

Valentine's Day Craft Projects - (Holiday Banner)

 I had been itching do some sort of project the only problem is that I've been traveling so much I don't always have my "regular" tools and supplies with me at all times.  Lucky for me I have a mother-in-law who doesn't mind being my partner in crime.

I had been perusing the Pinterest boards looking at Valentine's Day craft projects not knowing what I should do.  I don't typically get all gung-ho when it comes to some of the smaller holidays and after Christmas don't really want to re-decorate my house again.  I also don't really want to put a bunch of colors up that don't already go with my everyday decor.  That's when my light bulb went off.  I could make a holiday banner.

My house has touches of shabby chic in it and a lot of black and white, silver, gold, etc.  I had an idea in my head of what I kind of wanted the holiday banner to look like.  I opted for the word "Amour" to "Love" as I not only have another craft in mind for that word but also wanted something a little longer.  Thus, off to Hobby Lobby we went in search of  various papers.  Little did we know that was the easy part.

Next we logged in Silhouette's library and found various tag templates for all of the backgrounds.  The hardest part was deciding how to accent each letter and background.  I'm not kidding when I say I spent a few hours on this part.  The Silhouette did all of the cutting for me so after my design was complete I just had to assemble it together.

I couldn't be happier with the outcome.  I can easily hang this up in my house without doing any sort of re-arranging of my current decor and it not only acts as a Valentine's Day banner but it could also double as an Anniversary banner.

Here are the specifics for each letter:

A - Black and White Cream Polka Dot Paper Background; Grey Paper with Music for the Shield
M- Tan Paper with Words All Over for Background; Pearl Embellishments on top of the Letter
0 - Red Damask Paper Background; Cardboard and White Pearl Specialty Papers for Rectangles behind the Letter; Hearts Punched out of Various Papers
U - Grey and Cream Small Polka Dot Paper for Background; 2 Flourishes out of Cream Cardstock; White Pearl Specialty Paper for the Bird
R - White and Gold Patterned Specialty Paper for Background; Gold, Word, and Grey Cardstock for the Brackets

Then of course there is the Fleur De Lis which is on a pink striped paper.  It has just a touch of glitter which I love.

I used the antique ink on a few of the papers to help add a little variety as well.

Overall it really is a simple project, one worth attempting.