making your way to fun & fancy gifts, favors and recipes for every occasion

Valentine Rum Truffles

February has a far more relaxing vibe than the preceding two months. The most notable holiday is Valentine’s Day; a holiday you can choose to celebrate on a large scale by sending out a plethora of notes, or more laid back and intimately spent with your sweetheart. I insist on doing both. My favorite way to continue the creative momentum and warmth of the holidays, usually climaxing on New Year’s Eve, is to give my loved ones little treasures on Valentine’s Day. To make it extra special and … [read more...]

Valentine Candy Flowers

My son is in first grade and his classroom is going to be having a Valentine's Day party soon. It's a traditional affair where the kids will hand out valentines to all of their fellow students and eat some sweet treats, probably do some arts and crafts too. He's really excited to show all of his friends how much he loves them, and I thought it would be fun to make something, instead of buying the paper print outs you'd find at the store. We came up with an idea to turn heart shaped suckers into flowers. … [read more...]

Simple Gifts: Valentine Kids

For a cute and inexpensive way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, order a couple sheets of photo labels for all your kids (and you too) to make treats for the special people in your lives. I love the idea of having your photo on sweet little goodies. All you have to do is put the label on and hand them out! Simple and quite sweet. You will be remembered. How to make your Valentine treats: The Carson Kids are on After Eights, little square mints covered in chocolate and slipped into a dark brown … [read more...]

Double Thumbprint Cookies

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so if you’re looking for a fun and inexpensive gift for kids and friends, bake up a batch of double thumbprint cookies! These are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat because, instead of your standard thumbprint cookies (which are round), the double thumbprint variety are gently pressed together and tapered at the bottom to form the shape of a heart. It’s the same classic taste with a festive new shape! Double Thumbprint Cookies Recipe adapted from … [read more...]

DIY Valentine Cards

Ah, February- when the weather is dark and dreary (and very wet if you live in Portland). What better way to cheer up the gloom than crafting at home with a cup of tea or even better with chocolate and a good friend? These handmade valentines were a blast to make and very easy. Supplies: • MOL labels, of your favorite styles and shapes with valentine words. I used Bible verses, but lines from poems ("Red is the Rose", "Shall I compare Thee...", "Roses are Red...") or classic valentine sayings … [read more...]

DIY Crayon Heart Garland

While searching for decoration inspiration, I recently came across this tutorial for Crayon Hearts, and knew I had to make them for my friends and family to give as party favors for my Valentine’s Day party this year. I made as many crayon hearts as I could, using all of the festive colors (reds, purples, and pinks) that I could find in my old crayon box. Then, once my hearts were cut and ready, I strung them together with embroidery floss to be hung near windows for a stained glass effect. I really … [read more...]

Sweetheart Cupcakes

I love any excuse to make cupcakes and with Valentine's Day coming up, these pretty Sweetheart Cupcakes are perfect! The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it as simple or as fancy as you want. You can use any recipe for white cake that you like. If you are in a hurry, a box of Betty Crocker mix and frosting will do the trick! I chose to make lemon buttermilk cupcakes (my favorite cupcake flavor) for this project. Sweetheart Cupcakes Recipe adapted from Cheese and Chocolate Makes … [read more...]

DIY Heart Bookmarks

After reading this tutorial for heart bookmarks on Martha Stewart, I decided I wanted to make them for my friends and family for Valentine’s Day this year. Instead of gluing two pieces of cardstock together as the tutorial shows, however, I decided to simplify things by using personalized heart-shaped labels from My Own Labels. This turned out really well, and made the whole process super simple! If you’d like to make your own heart-shaped bookmarks, you’ll need: • A heart template, … [read more...]

Heart Tarts

Heart-shaped baked goods aren't just for Valentine's Day. You can prepare them throughout the year to let your friends and family know that you love them. In fact, Mother's Day is right around the corner, and this recipe for heart-shaped handheld pastries is the perfect gift to express all of the gratitude you feel toward your mom this year. If you don't want to make the crust from scratch, you can purchase pre-made pie crusts from your grocery store (the kind that comes in a box), and cut the … [read more...]

DIY Paper Heart Garland

One of my favorite things to do when a holiday approaches is make my own crafty decorations for my home. I love to create handmade garlands because they are easy to make for any holiday or special occasion and you can put them up almost anywhere in your home. Hang them in a doorway, a window, chandelier or just on your wall. With Valentine's Day just a few days away, I thought I'd make some pretty paper heart garlands to hang in the window of my living room. I chose to use an MOL Heart Tag with one … [read more...]