One Dollar Wednesday... Valentine's Day Tree

I found this fun Valentine vase at the Dollar Store a couple weeks ago...

As soon as I saw it, I knew just what to do with it!



I gathered some old branches from my yard.



and sent them out to Spray Paint Place for a quick coat of white.



I arranged them in the little vase,



and cut out oodles of scrapbook paper hearts.



I used my large hearts as "ornaments" and sandwiched a piece of ribbon (also from the dollar store)between the layers.



I added my small hearts at random spots on the branches using my glue gun to attach them.



This is what I ended up with...(CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE)



I LOVE the whimsy it adds to this corner! (CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

Need To Make Last Minute Valentines?: Weekend Website

The big day is Monday, have you made/bought all of your Valentine's Day cards? If you have waited until the last minute and all the "good" Valentine's Day cards at the store are sold out, you could make these fun Valentine's Day suckers that kids and adults will love. I know I am on a bit of a mustache kick lately, and then when I was asked if I had any ideas for a Valentine's party, I thought lips would be an adorable theme! My friend Liv is going to do a lip themed baby shower, wouldn't these be cute favors? I saw these free printouts at Blonde Designs Blog, and couldn't resist sharing them! Angie and Kristin are graphic designers who used to work for Martha. Yes, THE Martha! Their blog is packed full of fun ideas throughout the year, so be sure to stop by and check it out. Have a wonderful weekend!

Hershey Kiss roses tutorial

I've been wondering for weeks what to get my man for Valentine's Day. I am always at a loss, and then I remember how much he likes food. This year I'm giving him a chocolate rose bouquet, among other things. I thought I would share how I made the Hershey Kiss roses.

Supplies I used:

Red Cellophane
Hershey's Kisses w/ almonds
bamboo skewers
scotch tape
floral tape
greenery
scrapbook paper and ribbon for embellishment
Sugar shaker



Start with some bamboo skewers. I painted mine a spring green color. I would have gone darker, but wanted to use stuff I already had.



While your skewers are drying, you'll glue your kisses "bottom to bottom" with a dot of hot glue.



Put a skewer in the end of one kiss and tape it closed around skewer.



Cut your cellophane into squarish pieces (mine were roughly 4in X 4in. VERY roughly)



Fold your cellophane over your Hershey kissed skewer, and twist it closed.





Secure with tape. At this point I wrapped floral tape around the scotch tape for a more finished look, but alas, I forgot to snap a picture of it.



Add greenery by securing it to the skewer with floral tape, or if you're lucky like me, you can just push the skewer through a hole.



I lined my sugar shaker with festive red paper, and filled it with red pistachios...



Add a tag... I'm NUTS about you!

Valentine BOOK PAGE Wreath

I have been LOVING all the pretty Valentine wreaths I have seen in Blogland. I decided I'd make one with things from the Dollar Store, of course, and stuff that I had around my home.

This cute hanging heart was my inspiration...



I have three of these picture backers, that I've been hanging onto, but I could have used a box from the recycle bin for the same effect.



I measured and cut, so I had a cardboard "frame".



I got this little thesaurus from the dollar store, my sister would flip if I used a "real" book. :)



I covered my frame with book pages, and then cut out GOBS & GOBS of little squares.



Then I rounded them a bit.



I think everyone, that attended elementary school, made a green crepe paper Christmas wreath in this same fashion.





Three hours later, I was finished. THREE HOURS! Granted, I was dealing with four children in the interim, but this truly is a tedious craft.



I cut my hanging heart in half, and glued it to some pretty scrap-book paper. (I used my low heat glue gun)




Added a pretty ribbon, and I was finished!

One Dollar Wednesday... Rags to Valentine Pillows

I found some red rags in the Automobile Section of the Dollar Tree the other day. They had a loose weave, kind of burlap-ish, and I thought I'd give them a try. There are so many cute projects done with burlap and I thought "red burlap" would be perfect for a Valentine craft.





I made a "prep" surface~ a book covered with wax paper.





I have had these foam stamps for ages. I just brushed them with a little diluted craft paint...



and ended up with LOVE :).



A trip to the sewing machine, and some stuffing borrowed from this pillow that I'm no longer using.



I gave each "pillow" a quick whip stitch to close 'em up.




Now I have a little more Valentine decor to add to my home, and you certainly can't beat it for a buck!