I am feeling so much better this week! My Week 6 for Project Life is going great! I can't wait to share my layout with you on Monday! Not only has Project Life been keeping me busy during my free time, Valentine's Day has been keeping me on my toes as well! I made the most awesome-fantastic-super-fabulous gift for Chris. I wish I could post it now, but with my blog posts linked to my Facebook account, I can't risk him finding out what it is! So I will post it on Tuesday! Don't you just love the feeling of excitement when you have found (or created) the perfect gift for someone and you can't wait to give it to them?
I do, however, have a few Valentine-y things that I can share with you! The first is my Valentine tree (seen below). I made the decorations for this tree a few years ago and I could swear that I shared photos of it on my blog before, but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I am sharing (or re-sharing) now! The white miniature tree is from Doodlebug Designs. The base of the tree is a solid, white cube. I made a "sleeve" for the base out of foam core that it slides into. That way the base of the tree can be decorated to match the theme of the tree. I just love this little tree! You can use it for so many occasions-birthdays, 4th of July, Baby Showers. You name it, you can make decorations for it!
I used the "Lovestruck" paper line from Making Memories that was available a few years back. I covered pieces of chipboard with cardstock on one side and patterned paper on the other and added various greetings that were on the different papers from the line. I then punched holes in the ornaments with my Crop-A-Dile and used ribbon from American Crafts to tie them to the tree. Very sweet!
So after I set up my tree, I got to thinking how much I love Making Memories products, especially some of their older lines. "Animal Crackers," "Noel," and "Toil & Trouble" are some of my favorite lines ever. But sadly you really can't find them anywhere. Wouldn't it be great if they offered a digital version???? I did write them and unfortunately they didn't have plans to release digital versions. Bummer. I'm thinking if there was a demand, maybe they would. If any of you are on board with me, write them and see if they would reconsider! :)
Below are a few close up pictures of some of the ornaments.
Ever hear of Pinterest? I'm sure you have! I spend a lot of time on that site! I found this piece of subway art (see below) there. I printed it, mounted it to a piece of cardstock and placed it in a black frame. The seasonal subway art printables you can find on Pinterest are GREAT! Keep a frame near your entryway that is just for subway art! It is an easy piece of decor to change to reflect the season, holiday or special celebration!
The black and white photo next to the subway art is probably one of my most favorite pictures of us. It was taken back in 1999 (I think) on the day when Chris was coming home from his 6-month deployment. I asked my neighbor, Stacy, to come to the base with is for their arrival. I wanted her to take candid shots of me and the boys when Chris returned. She snapped this one and I think it is perfect. Even the angle of the Peanuts balloon was great-the text reads "I love you" and is fitting as I was giving Chris a kiss on the cheek!
Handmade cards. For the second week in a row, I found myself making a card. Last week it was for my friend Anna (it was her birthday) and this week it was a Valentine card. I bought the digital version of Echo Park's "Yours Truly" line and used the paper and elements from the collection to create this fun card! I think it's great that EP releases both a traditional and digital version of their products. I wish more companies would do that!
I have one more Valentine idea to share with you. It is a little revisit from a post had on my previous blog (Don't Blink) two or three years ago. Actually I shared the idea here on September Blue last fall for Halloween. Here is the original version:
I wish I could take credit for the idea behind this little project, but I can't. Barb Carrico-a fabulous consultant for Close To My Heart, came up with this idea for a make & take at a crop I attended. I made a bunch of them for some of my co-workers when I worked at Wegmans. It is a great little project to use up some of your scraps you may have laying around. These little treats are perfect to make with kids for their Valentine Parties at school! Enjoy!
Instructions:
Cut a strip of cardstock that measures 6" x 1.75"
Score at 2.5" from each end. Fold along score lines.
Cut two rectangles from patterned paper that measure 2.25" x 1.75". Mount on either side of the scored lines.
Using a 1.5" circle punch, punch out one of the tags from the file you can download from this post and attach it to one side of the patterned papers with a pop dot.
Using your favorite adhesive, attach a Hershey Nugget or Kiss in the area between the score lines.
Fold ends up at score lines, punch two holes near the top edges.
Tie a piece of ribbon through the holes.
The cardstock I used for my treats is from Bazzill Basics and the patterned paper is from the Making Memories line "Lovestruck". The tags are my own design.
Download ValentineTreatTags.jpg
Enjoy the rest of your week!
