Valentine Gifts in Jars

I was browsing through Pinterest as usual, when I saw these gifts in jars. We both love mason jars, and he loves anything that has cool fonts and looks vintage. I found this jar with a handle at one of my favorite places to find random things - the Dollar Tree! It says "county fair drinking jar" with a rooster on it. I put his favorite candy, conversation hearts, and covered it with brown paper. Didn't want to make it look too girly. I tied it together with yarn.

I thought of doing this goldfish bowl, and then I found it on Pinterest. I have an interesting story for this gift. You see, I met my Valentine online (ironically, it was something on the lines of "fish"). It was the perfect idea. I printed these printables from Skip To My Lou's blog. I made the orange one big enough to cover the top. It says "out of all the fish in the sea I choose you". The other on the "fishing pole" (a.k.a coffee stirrer) it says "you are a catch". I would have rather it say "you're the perfect catch".

I brought these gifts over to his work and surprised him, although he surprised me first by stopping by my job with flowers and my favorite handwritten notes. Aren't we cheesy? :)

~Sara

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Remembering Childhood Valentines (& links to great ideas)

Valentine's Day is around the corner! There are so many great ideas out there! When I saw a few of these, it reminded me of my childhood. How nice it would be to surprise an old friend, loved one or kids with these ideas!

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When I saw this secret message post from  The Pleasantest Thing, I remember note writing and decoding letters from my friends. Here's another example of secret messages and other kid friendly valentines crafts from Better Homes.

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Do you still remember how to fold a fortune teller? I do! Here's photo instructions if you don't remember, from Modern Parents Messy Kids.

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I LOVE pencils (and other writing tools). I used to collect pretty pencils and erasers as a child. I love this valentine idea from Bits of Everything. Stacking pencils were are my favorite. To me, they were cool before mechanical pencils were cool.

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Mix Valentines and the Olympics with felt valentines medals from handmade Charlotte.

Other Great Ideas: 

Here's a list of great ideas for Thrifty Valentines from the readers of The Frugal Girls.

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I am loving this Vintage Valentine Day post from Shabby Apple. Makes me wish I kept my old valentines. I remember receiving some cute designs.

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Buzzfeed has a great list of 30 Punny Valentines. Love a handmade card!

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What other kinds of Valentines did you receive as a child? Have some ideas to share? You can leave your links in the comments or share them on my What Are You Doing? Blog Hop #38!

~Sara

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Picture Ornaments

Here's one of  my favorite handmade presents. My boyfriend is a really creative guy. He likes to make handmade cards and crafts for special occasions.

In 2013, his grandparents passed away, and his dog died in December. I wanted to make something for him to remember them. So I created these picture ornaments.

They were very simple to make with the help of Instagram pictures. I know he had a picture of his grandparents and his dogs on his account, so I looked for the best pictures. I made ornaments for all his dogs, since he doesn't get to see them as much as he would like to.

They were already edited, so I didn't have to do much to the picture except lighten them a little bit. I added the dog's names on the pictures as well. They were then printed on card stock. Each picture was printed twice. I stuck them together to make the card stock stronger and to make the ornament double sided. When they were dry I sprayed both sides with Alenne's Fast Grab Tacky Spray.

I bought myself a Roto Punch for Christmas,  so I added eyelets to each picture. I added red ribbon to hang them on the tree. He was touched when he saw them.

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Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas: Leaves

The Fall and Winter season are never seen without falling leaves. What a quick and inexpensive way to make more Fall decorations. Here are some inspirations I found online. Click on the link to find DIY tutorials.

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Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas: Flowers

So I think I got myself into more than what I bargained for with this post! I started looking for flower decorations, which got me wondering about which flowers were pictured. After looking around the world wide web for flower arrangements for Thanksgiving, I thought to myself "What types of flowers are considered at Thanksgiving?" There were not many options when I searched, but I did find a post on Choosing the Best Thanksgiving Flowers.

These 4 flowers have the meaning of resemblance or reflection: Adonis, Hydrangea, Rose, Statice

  

 

Flowers to celebrate autumn colors:
Black-Eyed Susan, Chrysanthemums, Gerbera Daisy, Lily, Marigold, Poppy

  

  

I would include Dahlias, Tulips, Sunflowers and Mums (pom pom version of the Chrysanthemums).

 
 

Your best bet is to get whatever is fresh and available from a local flower shop or farm (support small businesses!) Here are some photo inspirations I found:

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