Simple Valentine Burlap Vase

Feels like we just put away all of our Christmas decorations and I'm already talking about Valentine's Day!

Oh wait... we did just put away all of our Christmas decorations.

Valentines Day tends to sneak up on me because in January, I'm not quite ready to re-decorate the house for another holiday. So I tend to wait. And then... BAM!...it's February and Valentines is in two weeks!

I'm trying to plan ahead a little this time and I got down our bin of decorations from the attic last weekend. After sifting through them and deciding what I want to display again this year and what needs to take a trip to Goodwill, I realized I don't have a lot of Valentines decor that I really, really like.

Thus, it was time for a little project.

I've been drawn to a more "rustic" look lately decorating with muted tones, more shades of white and grey and definitely burlap. It adds an easy natural element to any decor, which is always pleasing to the eye.

I wanted to create a simple Valentine's vase that incorporated burlap as well, and this is what I came up with:

Cute, right?

This project was so easy and cheap, you can make it in just a few minutes with whatever craft materials you have lying around the house.

I happened to have some leftover burlap from a wreath that I made, plus some pink polka dot grosgrain ribbon. All I needed was a "vase" and this leftover spaghetti sauce jar was just what I was looking for (am I the only one who saves glass jars?? They're quite versatile in crafting situations.).

I used double-sided tape to adhere the burlap to the side of the jar:

Then wrapped the burlap around the jar a couple of times:

Tied the pink ribbon into a bow, and voila!

Took me about 5 minutes to make it, and zero dollars. My kinda craft!

And doesn't it look super cute next to my "Bee Mine" artwork? You can print one off for yourself here.

I'd love to know any cute Valentines crafts you'll be doing this year. Leave me a comment and let me know. Happy "love day" everyone!

Valentines Weekending

I took a little break from blogging the past few days. Hope no one was crying rivers of tears when they didn't receive a post from me in their inbox (insert sarcastic tone here).

The weekend felt like it began on Thursday, because Brian came home a little early and brought take out from my favorite local Italian restaurant. We put the kids down and enjoyed a romantic candlelight dinner on the couch together. It was perfect.

And then he handed me a box to open...

The moment my eyes saw that bright green box I knew what it was! I was very, very happy indeed.

I've mentioned this on my blog before, but if you've never read "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman, do yourself a huge favor and click on this link and purchase it immediately. It will change your marriage, your relationship with your kids and possibly even the relationship with your parents and friends. I'm serious people.

The idea behind the book is to learn what a person's "Love Language" is and then you are able to far better connect with them and make them feel loved. My love languages are "Acts of Service" and "Gifts." So, when Brian cleans the floors, or take the boys out to give me a break, these acts of service make me feel very loved and make me love him even more in return.

So, even though I know Valentine's is a silly holiday that has been overtaken by Hallmark and the chocolate industry, I LOVED getting a gift that evening. My "gifts" love language was definitely spoken!

Anyhow, long story short, get the book. Speak your spouse/kids/parents love language and it really can do wonders for you.

MOVING ON...

Earlier in the day, I carried on a Valentine's tradition that my mom always did with me and my brother growing up. Each boy got a small box of Russel Stover's chocolates on their plates at breakfast time. They think it's so fun and special to have chocolate first thing in the morning.

 

 And then I continued a Valentine's tradition of my own, which is to make heart-shaped French toast. Again, it's the little things that make kids feel so special and loved (especially when you're speaking their love language). :)

 

That afternoon, a cold front was pushing through and it was wet and rainy. 

I decided to take Parker to the mall to play indoors, and we were fortunate enough to have his little friend meet us there for lunch.

Nothin' says romance like Chick-fil-A in the food court.

 Of course followed by a twirl on the Carrousel...

What is up with that crazy smile of his??

On Friday night, we had a sitter and went out on a double-Valentine's-date with our neighbors.

The food was incredible, but the company made the meal.

Best neighbors ever!

 

On Saturday, we drove over to visit Brian's family and see his brother who was in town for the weekend with his new semi truck.

Needless to say, the boys were in HEAVEN!

They got to sit in the front seat and see all of the controls and then play in the back on his bed. Payton was completely fascinated!

Todd was so nice to let them play and explore his new big rig!

We are ending our weekend with a major cold front.

It's only reaching the upper 40's here today, which is very cold for us Floridians.

We've got our "fireplace" on and the heat cranked up.

Who knows... I might even bust out an electric blanket tonight.

 Happy Monday everyone!

Valentine's Subway Art

I've had several people over the past few days ask me where I got my cute Valentine's art that is now displayed throughout our house.

Unfortunately, I do not have any graphic design skills, nor do I own a MAC, so my ability to create art is quite limited.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of free art online - especially on blogs - that can be printed right at home and then framed to create an adorable piece of FREE holiday art.

One of my favorite blogs, "It's Written On The Walls" recently posted a TON of various free Valentine's art. Here's a link to the page, and below are just a few of the examples listed on the blog.

I printed off the "bee mine" one below and put it in a silver frame. It's super cute!

 Here's a unique Subway Art version of the popular Bible verse from 1 Corinthians:

 

And of course a Valentine's take on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" saying:

 

Any of these would be an adorable addition to your Valentine's decor, wouldn't it?

P.S. I haven't forgotten about my promise to post about my Deep Cleaning schedule. It's coming, it's just taking a little bit longer to write. Stay tuned! :)

Oh Target...

Why, oh why do I go into the "Dollar Spot" and seasonal aisles at Target when it's getting close to a holiday? WHY?!?!

My heart started racing when I saw all of these fabulous stickers, card-making items, buckets, pencils and PINK GLITTER GLUE! I can already imagine the fabulous grandparent and teacher Valentine gifts that the kids will make with all of this!

Of course I picked up a couple of fun items for the boys' Valentine mailboxes too. Remember these from last year? Brian was so happy when I pulled them out of the Valentine's decoration box (NOT!).

 I have some fun plans for these little babies this year! I'll update you on them with a full Valentine's post soon.

Until then... stay away from the Target Dollar section if you don't want to be lured into buying adorable Valentine's stuff for your kiddos! :)