Sweet Valentine Tutorial

A sweet and easy DIY card for all the Valentine's on your kid's list!

While hunting for inspiration online, I found this cute idea by none other than Martha Stewart.

I dressed my daughter in red, cut out some hearts (in a few sizes) and pasted them to a white wall. After I bribed my silly girl to stand still,  I finally got all the cute shots I needed to choose from. Here are a few of the outtakes:

After choosing the right shot, I lightened it up on iPhoto, cropped and saved. Then I went into my iPages program and made a plain red background. I added the pic 4 times, leaving enough room for folding. (See example below). Since I knew we'd be using Hershey kisses, I added some text and her name at the bottom. You could leave it blank or make up your own catch phrase or message.

Cut, fold, and staple onto a clear cellophane bag filled with goodies! 

Sweet treat bags are ready to be shared! Thanks, Martha, for the great idea!

Have fun getting ready for Valentine's!

Holiday Wrapping Goes GREEN!

Well, I tossed my fancy paper tradition this year, and did something a little crafty instead. Using plain "paper bag" type paper may not seem exciting, but it's the perfect backdrop for anything crafty, handmade, or fancy you want to add to it. You can really make a gift personal, sweet, funny, anything you want! I used all red ribbon and personalized name tags. Red and green really "pop" on the plain paper and give a sweet old fashioned feel. I also cut out some felt and made the green bows which I thought turned out nice. You could add ornaments, twigs and berries, candy canes, gag gifts, or a little toy on top. Sky is the limit! Have fun and let your inner Santa come out to play! :-)

I got the tag from Society Shirts. It's actually an iron on graphic and their designs are oh so cute! Only $4 each and some of the money goes to charity! FYI - these make super cute gifts!!! I made holiday PJ's for my daughter and a few tee shirt gifts already! Then I printed the same graphic on card stock to use for the gift tags.

 The roll of brown paper (sometimes called butcher paper) can be found at your local Five and Below, dollar store, or craft store. Super cheap and super GREEN, too!

So what are you waiting for? Go get crafty and give out some special, personal gifts this year!