Valentine's Day Weekend... I Hope

I hope you have a beautiful Valentine's Day Weekend.  I hope it's filled with fun adventures.  I hope you get crafty.  I hope you prepare some of your favorite foods... together.  Spend time... together.

I hope you do... the things that will give you the MOST wonderful memories.

Happy Valentine's Day!

#LoveIsWorthCelebrating

Sunny Days Inspiration

SUNSHINE.  

I just googled and found out there is an average of 164 days of sunshine where I live.  164 out of 365.  That's only about 45% of the days in a typical year.  That puts our city at 44th of the list of the top 101 cities with the lowest average sunshine amount.  BOO.  Also - I just did all that MATH before 9:30AM.  If my calculations are wrong, don't tell me.  This is NOT a math blog - *wink.

Okay, so this is an average.  I get that.  That means there are some years where we have lots of sunshine, and other years... not so much.  Well, this has been one of those "not so much" years -- at least so far.  My south-bound mother teased me a little about my dismal outlook this year.  To that, I can only say, "Talk to the hand... You weren't LIVING it."  LOL.  Just teasin' ya back, Mom.  {By the way, nice tan!}

Anyways, I'm here to tell you that there have been a handful of sunshiny days in the last week or so, and... all record-making, taking, or breaking aside... I'll TAKE 'EM!

It was a dreary January, but as soon as the sunshine showed up, I felt like my brain was finally open for business.  I even went so far as to do a little crafting, resulting in some Valentine decor.  Kind of blew my own mind, since I've been in a long dry spell.

I also was inspired to do some picture-taking -- which I haven't done [just for fun] in a long time.  Most of the pics showed up on Instagram, as you know if you follow me there.  As usual, I'm way behind the curve when it comes to technology.  I've only recently "inherited" my daughter's old iPod.  It takes ridiculously crummy pictures, but I'm having fun with it nevertheless.  Someday, I will have something even "smarter."

But I digress.  

It took a fellow-blogger's comment to snap me out of the doldrums after THIS POST.  Amanda and I have become blogging buddies since we both participated in the "This Week in My Kitchen" bloghop.  She chided me, saying, "...really [pictures] are what jog our memories when we look back on life... TAKE MORE PICTURES, and stop wishing the winter away. ;)"

Thanks Amanda.  You were right.  {You can find Amanda's blog HERE.}

Picture-taking can really change your perspective on things.

The other day, I was downtown at a stop-light that was taking forever to change.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and all of a sudden it occurred to me that I might get an interesting "urban" shot of the red traffic light with the sunlight behind it.  So, instead of sitting at the red light tapping my fingers, I was taking pictures.  BOOM.  Perspective changed.

Try it.  You might be surprised.  Also: some of the best picture-taking happens on days without sun!  NO SHADOWS!

Don't forget: #LoveIsWorthCelebrating

When Crafting With Candy, Know Your Audience

So, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking when I fell in love with my friend Pam's Valentine idea.  Obviously, I forgot her comment: "You gotta use a candy that you don't love more than life itself, or you're just asking for it be be refilled constantly." 

Obviously, I forgot the "audience" at my house -- since this jar wasn't even out on display 48 hours before somebody wanted to empty it.  [In reality, 48 hours is probably some kind of record around here!]

That person shall remain nameless, but suffice it to say that he[?] was told it was there for decorative purposes.  I really didn't think that these little cinnamon red-hot things would be very tempting.

Obviously, I am not the right person to ask.  Obviously.

The good news is that I am pretty sure he[?] heard the edge to my voice, shook in his[?] boots, and returned the jar to the tabletop, unopened.  Pretty sure.  Or, you know... umm, not.

Either way, I have learned my lesson.

When crafting with candy, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

#LoveIsWorthCelebrating

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A Valentine Banner

In my daily blog-reading, KIM'S, ALICE'S, and JENN'S posts inspired me to create a Valentine banner. I decided to use a roll of wide burlap "ribbon" that I had leftover from Autumn decorating.  I also knew that I had some Valentine scrapbook paper on-hand, so the basic idea was to create a banner from supplies that I already had.  I purchased nothing for this project.

I knew that I wanted to use the burlap ribbon for the individual banner-flags.  I started by cutting a small length of the burlap, folding it in half, and notching out the bottom.  Once I was certain that I liked the size, I cut 11 more of the same, making 12 little "banner-flags" in all.

I cut a way-too-long piece of red and white twine, so that I knew I had more than enough.  I stretched it out on my counter, and started folding the banners over it.

I cut 12 hearts out of decorative scrapbook paper, laid them on the banners, and stapled them in place.  I wasn't too worried about the look of the staples.  I knew that when I hung the banner, the staples would be too far away to really be noticed.  Also - the staples are the only way this is held together.  I stapled through the heart and both layers of the folded banner.

Once all of that was done, it looked kind of plain and in need of a bit more dimension.  I went searching for, and found some ribbon to tie in between each banner.

That was all it took, and I was happy with the results.  It's simple, and it cost me nothing.

As you can see, this is no "rocket-science" project.  Maybe it will inspire YOU to create something fabulously simple.

You'll notice that my wreath isn't exactly like any of my inspirations.  Instead, there are elements of each in it, making it completely my own.  My favorite part is that I didn't spend a dime, and I ended up using up some crafty odds and ends.  Win-win!

It's amazing how a little sunshine streaming through the window can inspire you!  It sure inspired me this week!

#LoveIsWorthCelebrating

I'm joining up at Share Your Cup Thursday HERE.

Quick Valentine Wreath

You may remember this wreath that I made a few years ago for winter and Christmas.  Since it was so simple, it stayed nice for a long time.  But when I took it down this year, I knew I wouldn't want to use it one more year. It was easy to dismantle without damaging the wreath itself, so I decided to put the grapevine portion to good use for another holiday -- Valentine's Day.

My girl and I hit Hobby Lobby the other day and looked around for supplies to turn our grapevine into something love-y, and came up with these supplies: pink and red bandanas, and felt hearts.

I love using unusual items for the "bow" on a wreath.  I simply rolled the bandanas corner to corner, and then tied them around with wreath in a square knot.

I took the ribbons out of the felt hearts, and used clear fishing line to tie them to the wreath-form.

What I specifically like about this wreath is how it is seen from the street.  It is obvious that it is covered in hearts, and if you're going to go to the trouble, then... well, it's nice that it can be seen for what it is!  

Admittedly, no crafting skills were used in the making (and I use the term loosely) of this Valentine wreath. But also, not much time was used -- and that was exactly what I needed this year.

A friend on FB recently talked about Valentine's Day being her favorite holiday, and reminded her friends that #LoveIsWorthCelebrating.  Since my kids are older, I tend to let these little holidays go, but the reminder was a good one for me.  I don't, however, think you have to celebrate in an "over-the top" way in order to recognize the holiday, and this simple wreath follows that same philosophy.

Do you usually celebrate Valentine's Day, or just let it slip by?

Don't forget: #Love is worth celebrating!

* Linking up with Share Your Cup Thursday

Recipe: Chocolate Angel Food Dessert

Well, tomorrow's the day!  Valentines Day.  I didn't really decorate too much for Valentines Day this year, but I did leave a lot of red accents around after Christmas.  The only hearts to be found are hanging in my window, and on this sweet cupcake place-mat (last year's Kohl's clearance).  Things don't have to be complicated or stressful to be meaningful.  Sometimes it's the simplest little things that can be a special treat -- whether it's random touches of red around the house, or a sweet little dessert to share with the family.

Here's a little last minute yummy-ness for you to share with the ones you love... tonight...  this weekend...  next week -- or whenever!  It's sort of a non-recipe that my mom used to make for our family back in the day.  We haven't had it in years, but I recently heard somebody refer to an "angel food dessert" recipe, and this came to mind.

Chocolate Angel Food Dessert

1 angel food cake  (I grabbed mine in the bakery at the grocery store.)

1 large pkg. instant chocolate pudding  (I chose sugar-free.)

Prepare pudding according to package directions.

Cut or tear angel food cake into bite-sized pieces.

Put both in a bowl, and toss lightly.

Now here's the beauty of this non-recipe: every piece of cake doesn't have to hit the pudding, and every pocket of pudding doesn't have to be spread over cake.  Simplicity at it's finest.  My mom would serve this from a large serving bowl into individual bowls.  I decided to use the dollar "champagne flutes" that we used for our New Year's Eve grape-juice and prepare this dessert more like a "trifle" or "parfait" -- to fancy it up a bit for Valentines Day. I started with a spoonful of pudding, and then a few bits of cake, alternating layers until I reached the top and finished with a dollop of pudding.  Because the glasses were so narrow, I tore the cake up into smaller bits.  But... any way you slice it... it's cake and chocolate pudding.  How wrong can you go?

Of course, since my champagne flutes were so small, I have tons of cake and pudding left,  I'll mix up the rest and save in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for "seconds."  I have a feeling there might be a request for those!  *wink

Happy Valentines Day!

Linking with:

Feathered Nest Friday @French Country Cottage

Fabulously Creative Friday @Jennifer Rizzo
The Party Bunch Linky Party No.17 @Whipperberry
"Inspire Me Please" Weekend Blog Hop #48 @Love of Family and Home

A Little Valentine Bling

Well, maybe not bling.  Bling being sparkly and glitzy and all.  But, how cute are these hearts?  I spotted them on Pinterest one night when I was craving a little something creative.  Before I knew it, I had some Valentine scrapbook paper out, and was cutting strips into various lengths.  But -- it wasn't my original idea, so you can go HERE to read about the process.

Double-sided papers work the best for this project since both sides are visible in the completed heart.

On the EASY scale of 1-3, it's a one -- because let's face it.  A three isn't easy.

Rather than have individual hearts, I wanted to make a string of three.  So, after the hearts were all stapled together, I used a large needle threaded with fishing line, and went straight through the center of each heart (top and bottom), tying a knot at the very bottom, and a loop for hanging at the very top.  Again, easy.

Do you go "all out" for Valentines Day -- or just have a few simple decorations around?

Linking with Sew-licious Home Decor for Valentine Craft Showoff Party.

Happy Valentines Day!

Dear Friends,

Thank you

for all of your support

and encouragement

along the bloggy way.

Have a love-y day!

~Sally