Brickyard Buffalo + Pure and Noble

What happens when a buffalo falls in love with my bibs? Sweet deals. Today thru Sunday you can score my bibs over at Brickyard Buffalo for a steal! Happy Valentine's Day!

BRICKYARD BUFFALO + PURE AND NOBLE = SWEET DEALS

Last Minute Valentine's Gifts

My poor kitchen table has been covered in perler beads and craft supplies all week. And the craft heavens have opened - my boys are making all of their own Valentine gifts. Thank you Perler!!  Just in case you are a last minute mom, like myself, here's what we've done for my boys' classmates.

First let me tell you, I found the cutest Valentine monster cards at the Dollar Tree - no mushy stuff, just straight up "you're the coolest" sayings that would actually come from a boy's mouth. One package came with 30 cards, including 2 for teachers. They are the perfect size for attaching small gifts.

For the girls: barretts and rings

We made tiny little perler bead hearts and hot glued them onto inexpensive barretts (Dollar Tree) and metal rings from the craft store. (I bought the rings 2 years ago when they were on sale, but I had never done anything with them. This is starting to be a pattern huh?) Rings were attached to the cards with pipe cleaners.

For the boys: Minecraft Steve head and creeper head keychains. What else?

As you can see, we still have some creeper heads to make. The creeper head pattern can be found on Pinterest. You can find the Steve head there too, but my oldest made his from memory so they differ a bit from others I've seen online. We are attaching the "heads"to keyrings found at the crafts stores in bulk. My youngest made a few oversize hearts that we attached to some small carabiners I found at the Dollar Tree (4 for $1.00), and those work great for this craft as well.

All in all, I think our Valentine's ended up costing about 25-50 cents each. Best part - afternoons of busy bee crafting hands and zero candy.

Happy Crafting my little Valentine's. xo

Heartfelt Valentine's Cards

Do you ever start crafting and then just never finish? You end up packing the day's work away and then forget all about it? That's me. Often. More often than I'd like actually. So it's pretty great when I stumble upon an old project at just the right time... enter felt hearts. Last year I had some scrap felt lying around and while I was sick with the flu I started cutting out triangles and hearts in an attempt to feel human again. It didn't work, but it sure made for a great Valentine project a year later. 

I recently purchased some cute scrapbook paper for the upcoming holidays and birthday cards, etc. It has some lovely reds and pinks that were dying to be made into Valentine cards. I took my felt hearts, cut up some of the paper and began sewing.

You guys, this is so easy and the punny sayings are pretty limitless too. Here are a few that I've come up with so far, in case you decide to make some of these as well.

"Wishing you a heartfelt Happy Valentine's Day."

"My heart felts for you."

"Have a warm and fuzzy Valentine's Day."

"You make me feel all warm and fuzzy!"

"You make my heart felt."

"Somefuzzy loves you!"

I'm sure you guys have some puns too. Care to share? Come on... whatcha got? Valentine's Day is officially one week away! xo

Valentine Cupcakes

I have a few friends, who shall rename nameless for their own protection, that don't like... icing! What? Tragedy right? I mean, I could eat a whole tub of the stuff. So in my best efforts to overlook this huge flaw in their characters, I made them some special cupcakes a few day back. Since it was so close to Valentine's, they got pink with hearts. (They happen to love strawberry cake so that worked out nicely for me.)

Instead of icing, ugh - I can barely even type that, they got powdered sugar and red fruit strip hearts...

It was so easy. A little sticky, but easy. I simply cut the fruit strips with my kitchen scissors and let my littles eat the scraps. (Waste not, want not. Right?)

After sprinkling the powdered sugar on half of the cupcakes, I took the hearts off a few and left powdered sugar heart stamps. Easy peasy and so yummy. In case you are wondering... yes, I brought my own tub of icing for the sane folks who love sugar as much as me. wink. wink.

Side note - I know I have been MIA for a bit and some of you have been kind enough to ask if all is well. It is. Thank you so much for your concern. This social media bit is eating my brain for lunch and I've been trying to process it all. More on that later. I've still got a lot to sort through. Many thanks and deep gratitude for those of you that are still hanging around my very tiny portion of the blogosphere.

Happy Thursday Homies. Love is in the air. xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Coat Hanger Valentine Banner

Lately, it seems as though I have been losing hair by the handful. This would have zero significance to this post if it weren't for a necessary drain unclogging event that recently took place. After said event, I was left with a brown paper "stick" for lack of a better term. Perhaps rod would be better. Anyway, I decided to use the "rod/stick" to create a Valentine Countdown Banner for the littles.

Materials: 

pant hanger

gold paint

brown craft paper

valentine stamp (found ours at Joann's in the $1.00 bin)

stamp pad

paint

twine

drinking glass

ruler

pencil

hot glue gun

step 1 - remove wire from rod and paint rod gold

step 2 - cut your craft paper down to size for banner (ours is 12" wide and about 16" long)
step 3 - using drinking glass, draw a circle onto your paper (centered towards the top)
step 4 - using your ruler measure spaces around the circle that allows for 14 stamp prints

step 5 - stamp your valentine stamp around the circle 14 times
step 6 - erase pencil markings

step 7 - using your hot glue gun, glue the banner to the "rod"
step 8 - cut your twine to hang your banner and attach to "rod"

step 9 - embellish your twine and banner with washi tape or other decorations (I added a painted heart to the center of our circle and outlined it in gold sharpie)

Starting February 1st, we will tick off the days leading up to Valentine's by coloring in the open hearts on each of the black "Feb 14" stamps. There you have it... an easy peasy Valentine Countdown banner for less than $5.00.

I used to loath Valentine's Day, but now that I have littles to dote all over, I love it. How 'bout you? Fan or Foe? xo

More Amour

Valentine's is just around the corner and I thought I'd give us all a little jumpstart with a Friday DIY! You down? Ok then... grab your fabric paints and let get this party started.

I have loved the Creme de la Creme sweatshirt ever since I saw Miss Atlantic-Pacific rock it a year or so ago. It's so fun and basic all at the same time. And that's pretty much how I like all of my clothes - fun and basic. But no matter how much I love this sweatshirt, I'm not paying almost $200 for it. Sorry.

I came across a basic Hanes sweatshirt in grey at the thrift store not long ago and I was thinking it needed a little pick me up. Inspired by the upcoming holiday celebrating love, I thought "More Amour" would be the perfect phrase to give my sweatshirt that certain extra something - je ne sais quoi.

Materials Needed:

fabric paint

letters/stamps (I'm using foam letters from the Dollar Tree)

brayer

flat surface (I use the glass from an old picture frame)

ruler

disappearing ink

small paint brush

step 1: mark your lines for your words

step 2: roll out your paint onto your flat surface with your brayer

step 3: paint each letter with the brayer and stamp it onto your sweatshirt

step 4: with a paintbrush, fill in any areas within your applied letters that didn't get enough paint

step 5: heat set your paint by ironing

So easy right? I can't wait to rock this over the weekend with some ripped jeans or cargo pants. And since it's the weekend, I'll have to pair it with some cute trainers or chucks too. Maybe I'll add a little sparkle the closer it get's to Valentine's Day.

Happy Weekend Homies. How would you rock this sweatshirt? xo

Last Minute Valentine's

Since I've been lying in the bed for the past three days, I'm trying to make the best use of my time by making some quick and easy little Valentine gifts.

With just a few markers (I think fabric markers work best - no bleeding) I've decorated some clothespins for gift toppers...

And while I personally have never been drawn to the foam crafts/stickers, they're great for quick garland and gift tags. I scored a box of 150 at Target for $1.00.

Inexpensive items like foam, felt, pipe cleaners and poster board are some key elements to making big impact without hurting the budget. I've found some quick and easy ideas via the web for felt pins and flower rings that I adore.  But my all time fave is from Abbey Hendrickson of Aesthetic Outburst, who did an amazing 20 in 20 Valentine project 2 years ago that still inspires the pants off of me! 

For more last minute ideas you can check out my Pinterest Holiday board. Happy Love Day! xo

Forever February: 2 Tested and Approved Marriage Tips

Happy Valentine's Day! I thought I'd use today (the last day of Forever February) to share with you the two best lessons I've learned regarding marriage:

1. The hubs and I are ONE

***

Once the hubs and I said, "I do." we were no longer two, but one. We both do what is best for us and our family, not us individually. I try to always think the best of him and he does the same for me. And even though I am a very small part of Fish Fotography, he never once uses "I" but always "we." I love that he does that.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined in marriage, let no man separate. Matthew19:6

Speaker/Listener

Please don't miss this. This technique makes communication so much easier. Mechanical at first, but that's what's so great about it. It slows things down. Here's how:

When you are communicating with your spouse, significant other or friend and it's a touchy subject, heated or has the potential to go bad... STOP! Grab your conch. What???? You know, an item that signifies you are the one speaking - you have the floor. This can be anything: your wedding rings, a stuffed animal, a key, your bible, a pillow...anything.

(when we first started, we used our rings or a stuffed animal)

The "Conch" - whoever has the "conch" has the floor. They are the Speaker.

Speaker - your job is to communicate using short statements that express your needs, desires, etc. This is not your opportunity to share everything that ticks you off about the listener. (Remember, love holds no record of wrongs done.) 

Listener - your job is to listen to the speaker and repeat back what you heard the speaker say. There are no interruptions. You don't get to "defend" yourself or say, "yeah but..." You will get your turn. Right now, your job is to listen.

Speaker, remember to be brief. Allow the listener to repeat back what they heard you say. Once they do, you either repeat what you just said (chances are, they've misheard you) or you move on in your communication. You go back and forth like this until the speaker feels that they have been heard and understood. 

Next, you flip-flop. Listener, you get the "conch", sharing what's on your heart and Speaker, it is now your job to listen. 

Yes, you will feel like a robot. Yes, you will think it's silly and probably prefer not to do it. Yes, you may even laugh. But if you stick to it - YOU WILL BE HEARD - clearly too. I promise you, this is the best way to communicate and break the language barrier. Eventually it becomes second nature and the communication just becomes natural and easy-er. 

Much of what I have shared in Forever February is from the ReEngage curriculum at my church, Watermark Community Church. The hubs and I have led several couples through this program with much success and miracles at every turn. If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and are struggling in your marriage (or know someone who is) or just want a stronger marriage, please check out ReEngage.

Happy Happy Valentine's Day. Remember, whether you are married or not, you are loved! xo

Forever February: Celebration & Arrow Tutorial

It's Monday and you know what that means... one more day 'til Valentine's Day. Although I must admit, I feel like I've been celebrating for 2 weeks now. Secretly, I'm loving it - the decorations, the creative ways to let people know you love them. Gosh, I've never had so much fun celebrating this Hallmark created holiday. 

This past Friday marked the end of my dear friends' 40 day fast and my husband was coming home from a 3 day business trip. Yup...Party Time! Our community group arranged a little love fiesta to celebrate. Decorating for this dinner party was a blast - I got my cupid on with arrows as the main theme.

 (arrow tutorial below)

 (the napkin holders were made from scrapbook paper and toiletpaper rolls that I cut in half.)

For the littles... a little bingo action, candy heart stacking games and a heart balloon blowing contest.

free printable here

We had so much fun, but I think we'd all agree that eating our weight in chips and queso was not wise. Blech! But, I absolutely love making others feel special. It may very well be my all-time favorite thing to do. Don't get me wrong, there's a little selfish motivation in it - I get to see the looks on the recipients' faces. That right there is worth a million dollars.

If you want to make some cupid arrows of your own (I know, I'm kinda late on this one) here's how I made mine:

Materials: 

feathers

scissors or exacto knife

wooden kabob sticks

hot glue gun

cording in your favorite color

felt or foam core (optional)

Select feathers with a good shape. All that fuzzy stuff at the bottom will be trimmed off.

 Using either scissors or exacto, trim the fuzzy ends of the bottom.

 One your feather looks like this, you can trim up the sides if you'd like a cleaner look.

 Next, trim the end of the feather quill.

 You can also splice two feathers in half and glue one to each side of your stick.

Or simply attach a single feather at the end of a stick using hot glue. Then glue cording to stick at the base of the feather and wrap stick covering up the quill.

You can finish your arrows one of three ways - 1. leave them plain 2. cut 2 felt hearts and sandwich the kabob stick's pointy end, securing with hot glue 3. cut small triangles out of foam core and stick the pointy end of the kabob stick in the middle.

 You can bet these little jewels will be adorning my desk in the very near future. Happy Monday! xo