Valentine's Flower Bouquet

Who needs a boy to give them flowers????? ok ok, every girl wants flowers! But there is nothing in the rule book that says we can't buy them for ourselves every now and then. Flowers can be expensive, so if you are spending Valentine's Day by yourself or if you just want to decorate for the holiday treat yourself to some very beautiful very delicious smelling pink roses or gerber daisies or whatever suits your fancy!

I have to admit I got this idea off pintrest...That website is so great, but it has been KILLING my productivity. At least I know every other girl is spending just as much time on it as I am. This particular project actually turned out a lot better than I thought it would. You just have to mess with it a little bit until you get everything where you want it.

I used a vase that already had a center spot for a candle. I think that's easiest, but I made another one where I just put a plastic cup in the center I could fill with water. The first thing I put in the vase were the candy hearts. You don't have to necessarily use those, I had wanted to use pink and red jelly beans, but I couldn't find a place to just get the individual colors. I was SHOCKED target didn't have a bag of them.

The second layer is just heart peeps. These were kind of tricky. I pulled some of them apart, and I would NOT recommend that. Use a knife so you get a clean cut with less white showing, OR use a round case so you never have to break them apart and you can just curve them along the edge. They are kind of tricky and don't like to stay. I crumpled up some pink toulle and stuck it behind the hearts to help keep them in place. (Lucky for me that toulle came wrapped around my flowers!)

Then I cut the roses pretty short so they would sit low in their holder. When you cut the flowers be sure to cut them at an angle, I'm not sure what exactly that does but my flowers stay fresher much longer. Someone asked me how I change the water for the flowers...haha this might sound ridiculous, but I use a turkey baster! I suck up the water, and then put clean water in! Works like a charm, and I don't ruin the candy :)

If you try this be sure to send me a picture of how it turns out, I'd love to see what candies everyone uses!!!

Paper Heart Chains

This week I thought I would do something every day for valentine's day. Everyone gets so down in the dumps about valentine's day if they don't have a special someone in their life, or even if they do and their significant other doesn't take it seriously. But I don't really understand why? There are so many people in your life to love, and who love you. So this year celebrate valentine's day! Single or part of a couple celebrate love on all levels. Back in the day they made you give a valentine to everyone. Part of that is so people's feelings don't get hurt, but part of it is teaching to love everyone. Valentine's day doesn't have to be about one love, so I hope all of you choose to enjoy the day, rather than mourn it :)
  
For tonight.....It's always fun to go back to your kindergarten days and remember how fun some of the simplest crafts can be. This is a slightly modified version of the paper chain. I made each link of the chain into a heart and connected them that way instead. I'm using mine as garland on my valentines tree, but you could use it as garland around your house, hanging down a window, or even in a classroom for all of you teachers.

It's really not too difficult, but I took pictures of each step so it would help. You can use construction paper or any paper flexible enough to bend. For this particular garland I used sparkly scrapbook paper from target. It wasn't very expensive, and the sparkles are sooooo pretty! Construction paper is what people traditionally make the chains out of, at least in kindergarten, but the construction paper is a little flimsy and you have to work to get it to hold it's shape.

First, I cut all of the paper into strips about 2" wide. You should cut the paper in strips the long way unless you want tiny hearts. 

 Second, fold each piece of paper in half with the sparkly side up. 

You want the sparkly sides of the paper to bend inwards. If you are using construction paper you can glue them together, but the glue wasn't holding those sparkles together. I used tape. 

As you make the shapes be sure to loop the edge through the last heart you did before you glue or tape the next heart! 

And there is your chain!!!! 

It's a pretty simple project, but goes a long way in decorating for Valentine's Day. It's cheap, can go everywhere, and sometimes it's fun to just remember how much you enjoyed doing crafts, and to take your mind off of school, work, your cell phone, etc. Try it! I'd be surprised if you didn't find yourself having a ton of fun making them.

Elf Letters!!!!!!

Imagine yourself back as a little kid and how badly you wanted your heros to write you a letter? Or at least receive a response to yours...Now imagine actually getting one!!! The happiness would be overwhelming. Even if you were quickly distracted by bigger better things as most kids are.

A couple of years ago I started writing letters to my younger cousins from "Bernard the elf." I'm not really sure where the idea came from but the name Bernard totally came from the Santa Claus, which has recently posed a problem, but I'll talk about that in a minute. Bernard writes to the kids every year in early december telling them stories of the North Pole reminding them to be good and some tid bits about himself and Santa. I probably have more fun coming up with the stories than the kids do reading the letters. But there is nothing I love more than watching their animated faces as they tell me the latest story from Bernard or them pointing out similarities with the North Pole in everyone's favorite Christmas movies.

Here are some examples of ones i've written....

The older of the cousins finally put two and two together that Bernard might be the same Bernard from the "Santa Claus" movie with Tim Allen. I can't decide if I really want them to think that or not because I don't want them to think movies aren't real and thus Bernard isn't real. I don't know my aunt just stared at them wide eyed haha they can come to their own conclusions. 

With the letter writing we have come across a few issues though. First of all, think through what you are sending!!! This year I sent an application to a reindeer completely ignoring the fact that if they responded I would have to REJECT them!!! Clearly I can't let them be reindeer, when they can't actually go to the North Pole. I rectified this situation, by naming her an official Representative of the North Pole instead. It seemed to be at least a semi-acceptable alternative. But don't worry Santa was plenty impressed with her application, that's why he offered her the "better" job.

Another issue this year was that 3 children got letters but one never made it. They explained to him that the boy letters were mailed separately from the girl letters. Haha again this seemed to work ok, but i'd try to make sure they get there altogether! I made up another story about messenger penguins and a norwhale eating the mail...if you want to know the story you'll have to ask. :)

Anyway, I think the elf letter writing is such a fun way to get involved with younger relatives or even a fun thing to do with your own children.