Valentine's Day Crafts

While I don't necessarily buy into the modern incarnation of Valentine's Day, I'm a crafts and decor addict, and I couldn't resist creating a few simple and sweet February hearts.

I've always like wood cutouts because they come in so many designs and shapes, and they're inexpensive. This project cost me about $15, including the items that I already owned. The following item list and instructions are loosely based on what I've done, and I've left them a little vague for you to change to your tastes.

You will need:
Wood cutout hearts
Pink paint (I used Americana brand, Baby Pink)
Red paint (Americana brand, Cherry Red)
White paint (Folk Art brand, Wicker White)
Small foam brush (or a flat-style brush)
Small detailing brush (round or rigger style)
Your choice of ribbon
Scissors
Glue gun
Wood glue

1. Paint the hearts to your liking with the foam or flat brush. Let dry completely between layers. You will probably need to do two or three layers to achieve a rich base color. 

2. Use a detailing brush to write letters or create a decorative design. Let dry completely

3. For the layered hearts look (a la the "be mine" hearts), arrange the hearts in the shape you like. It helped me to make a light trace with a pencil on the front of each heart to show me where each should be. Fill in the traced space with wood glue and glue the hearts together. Place a couple of heavy books carefully on top of the hearts and let them dry for a couple of hours.

4. Choose your ribbon. For a reference, I cut about 15 inches of ribbon for the red hearts. It may seem like a lot but there's nothing more frustrating than working with a short piece of ribbon. 

5. Use a hot glue gun to attach the ribbon to the hearts and let cool before hanging up to enjoy! 

 

W is for...

Winter...or at least as it shows up in Georgia. Taken 12/25/10 in the early afternoon.

Trick or Treat Halloween Banner

I had a little last minute Halloween decorating inspiration, and I designed a paper and ribbon Trick or Treat banner. I took my time creating this, but if you're moving right along, this should take you two hours or less.

You will need:
Print out letters -- I used this template from marthastewart.com
Black paper -- construction paper or thicker
Scissors
Glue stick or rubber cement
Colored ribbon -- I bought this black and orange striped version from Hobby Lobby
Orange marker
Hole punch (a 3-hole works fine)
Bowl
Pencil
Glue gun (optional)

Step 1: Save the letter template to your computer. Using Photoshop or Microsoft Office Picture Manager, crop the letters you will need and save them as individual files. This way you can print the exact letters you need, and be able to size them to your liking.

Step 2: In a Word document, insert and arrange 3 T's, 3 R's and 1 A, C, E, I, K, and O. Hint: Double click each image and under Format>Text Wrapping click Square. Will make it easier to move them. I made mine about 4" across. Print and cut out your letters.

Step 3: This is where the bowl comes in. I used one that is about 5" across, which gave me about an inch border around my letters. Use whatever you have on hand and that you like visually and leave enough room to punch a whole at the top. Trace the bowl with a pencil on your black paper. Cut out the circles.

Step 4: Glue your letters onto the black paper circles. Let dry for a few minutes.

Step 5: Punch holes at the top of the black circle. You can do one or two, like I've done, to really show off your ribbon.

Step 6: Embellish your letters. I simply added some orange around the star in each letter, but you could draw curlicues, color the letters completely, draw pumpkins, etc.

Step 7: Cut enough ribbon to string your letters, plus an extra foot to give you some room to work with. For this banner, there are 12 letters 5" across, so multiply that and you'll need roughly 6' of ribbon.

Step 8: String your letters onto the ribbon and space to your liking.

Step 9 (optional): If you have a glue gun, heat it up and glue the ends of your ribbon in a loop for easy hanging. Trim the ends if they're a little ragged.

Step 10: Find a place to display your banner and enjoy!

Easter Bunny on a Cupcake

We celebrated a co-worker's birthday today with Easter-themed cupcakes from Culinard Cafe -- I had the vanilla with chocolate frosting and the cake was the right kind of moist-dense that I like, and the frosting wasn't overpowering.

And look at that Easter bunny!

It's Black Friday! You know what that means...

Time to rip down those leafy, orangy, autumnal decorations and pull out Santa, the reindeer, your mini-nativity and wrestle with the itchy garland and the miles of lights you were too lazy to put away properly last year.

Every year without fail, we put up our Christmas decorations the weekend (okay, maybe the week) following Turkey Day. As I've grown older, I've looked upon this occasion with both delight and dread -- I'm suddenly fighting dual personalities. Who wants to spend the whole day decorating the house, inside and out? Well, me...but then again, why can't just put up the tree, hang up the wreaths in the windows and be done with it?

What is it about getting older that makes me want to simplify Christmas? Is it the fact that I'm no longer a child, and now I'm the one who's responsible for braving the mall to buy gifts, preparing the holiday meals? Or is it that I now understand how disgustingly commercial we've made Christmas?

As the years pass at my house, we put out less decorations, freak out less over the perfect holiday get together, and making our lives easier by not requesting as many specific gifts (I can pick out my own sweater, I would just appreciate a little money towards it's purchase).

And I don't feel bad about it. I'm happier making my friends a gift box of cookies and yummy desserts than buying them a present I hope they'll like. I'm happier spending my free time at home, with my friends and family, than at the mall.

A Collection of Thoughts

Time flies: Wow, so, in case you hadn't heard, Thanksgiving is here (here, meaning close enough that I can talk about it in the present tense) and you know what that means -- one more year has gone by. This one has been especially memorable for me since I graduated from college in May and have been struggling to find a place in my industry since then.

PETA shoots themselves in the foot again: Today, PETA suggested to Damon Evans (I really wish I could have heard his reaction) that instead of replacing Uga VII with another dog, UGA should build an animatronic Bulldog for our mascot. What? Clearly, none of the people working at PETA graduated from UGA, or this never would have been brought up.

They are glossing over a nearly 54-year tradition at UGA. These dogs are an institution -- they are lovable, friendly, and pettable -- and yes, they have health issues. We knew that. Did anyone really expect the current Uga to pass away? No. His predecessors all lived an average of 8 years (only one died under 9 years of age). The Seilers are certainly going through a rough time now, and with absolute confidence I can say that they love their dogs and if there's something they can do to help them, they will.