Quick Valentine's Day Card to Print and Paste!

 Quick. Simple. Two cards, same design but different.  World or song? I printed and pasted onto vintage wallpaper but only because I had it on hand. I would have happily used bought blank cards.

You will need:

Blank cards or cardboard/paper for card base

Old atlas, old map ( or print out image below)

Old sheet music (or print some - plenty of free music available)

A printer

Glue

 

To make:

Print out image below with ribbon banner and heart template. I've even put on a blamk ribbon banner for your own message.

 

 

Then cut out music and/or map in a heart shape and glue to the centre of your card.

 

Carefully cut the matching ribbon banner message and glue it on! Viola!

 

 

Ah..another Valentine's activity another equals yet another corny song stuck in my head..."You're my world you're every breath I take you're my world you're every move I make..." Oh dear. Is it stuck in your head now too?

DIY Valentine's Card with Crochet Brooch!

It happens every year. Valentines Day equals corny messages and bad love songs stuck in my head. For example right now in my head I am singing "what is luh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ve, anyway? Does anybody love anybody anyway?" and doing the obligatory shoulder pushy eighties dance. And now you are too. Sorry.

Last year I made gifts for my kids which were a hit! So here I go again. Mr Acorn-head brooch was made using this pattern from crochetspot. I added a face and leaf and a brooch back - it's handy to use your ends to sew on the brooch back.

Miss Apple-face was made using a pattern for an apple fridge magnet by Cylinda Mathews but I can't for the life of me find the link! So I've included the pattern below. To make the brooch I downsized a little, leaving out Row 4 and adjusting the shaping of row 6 accordingly. It was simple. Trust me.

It looked fine on plain old card stock in the photo above, I know, I know, but I couldn't help over complicating things with a little bit of added collaged imagery!

Pin the brooch through the card and it's done!

 

 

 Here are the speech bubbles if you want to print them for yourself... 

 

 
and here is the apple brooch pattern. I've translated it to English/Australian Terms. Yay!

Green Apple Designed by Cylinda Mathews

Materials:
Small amount of worsted weight yarn, (Lt. Green)
Small amount of worsted weight yarn, (Brown)
Small amount of worsted weight yarn, (Dark Green)
Hook size F (I used a 3.5 and 3.0)
Hook size E

Finished Size 3" W x 4" T

Apple:(Using Lt. Green and Size F hook)
Row 1) Ch 2; 8 dc in 2nd chain from hook; join with a slip st in first dc: 8 dc.

Row 2) Ch 1, 2 dc in joining; * 2 dc in next dc; repeat from * around; join with a slip st in first dc: 16 dc.

Row 3) Ch 1, dc in joining, 2 dc in next dc; * sd in next dc, 2 dc in next dc; repeat from * around; join with a slip st in first dc: 24 dc.

Row 4) Ch 1, sc in joining, dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc; * dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next sc; repeat from * around; join with a slip st in first dc: 32 dc.

Row 5) Ch 2, htr in next dc, tr in next dc, (2 dtr in next dc) twice, tr in next dc, htr in next dc, dc in next dc (center top), htr in next dc, tr in next cc, (2 dtr in next dc) twice, tr in next dc, htr in next dc, dc in next 6 dc, htr in next dc, 2 tr in next dc, htr in next dc, dc in next 2 dc, htr in next dc, 2 tr in next dc, htr in next dc, dc in last 4 dc; join with a slip st to 2nd ch of beg. ch 2. Fasten off, secure ends.

Stem:(Using Brown and Size F hook)
Row 1) Attach Brown to center top of Apple; Ch 1, dc in joining; ch 1, turn work.

Row 2) dc in dc. Fasten off, secure ends.

Leaf:(Using Dark Green and Size E hook)
Row 1) Attach thread to center top of Apple in same stitch stem is worked; Ch 7, dc in 2nd chain from hook, htr in next ch, tr in next 2 ch, htr in next ch, dc in last ch, slip st joining. Fasten off, secure ends.

Finishing:
Attach magnet to back or Brooch clasp.

Love Potion Tea Bags for Valentine's Day

On the weekend I overheard my twenty-something daughter telling her aunty how much she loved the Valentine's Day gift I made her last year. Shucks it was all worth it. She said it was good to feel loved.

And really, why should Valentine's Day only be about romantic love? Everyone loves to be loved...right?*

So here is what I made her last year. I never got around to posting it!

A heart parcel made from a printed transparency paper filled with hand made tea bags.

A good gift for those tea loving loved ones in your life. I especially enjoyed collaging the tags.

*Cue the song. "Everybody loves somebody.... Sometime." (love the pause just before "sometime" Makes it seem very half hearted and conditional!) 
 
 

Valentine message parcels

This year, my 6 year old twin girls are fascinated with St. Valentine's Day - even though they can't quite figure out what it is about. Join the club!

To surprise them, I thought I'd make them a little gift. Because I think with all the silly romantic hype and commercialism that hangs around St Valentine's day like a bad smell, it's good to remember that all sorts of love can be celebrated - even a mumsy love.

Wanda likes nuts - so she has pistachios.

Pepper likes to garden - so she has a packet of flower seeds.

I used plastic transparent printable sheets printing the message and template heart.
I cut two matching sized hearts from interfacing ( because I have a big roll of it that a factory was throwing out - but I like the frosted, misty look it gives too)

I used the sewing machine to stitch it together, filling the parcel before finally sealing it. Happy St. Valentine's Day!

quick valentine DIY

Simple message in the bedside lamp - this is perfect for a white or pale lampshade. I printed the words on transparent A4 printing sheets - the ones you use for overhead projectors.

Cut to size and sticky taped in...Remember to only do this with led low heat bulbs!
For heavier shades a stencil cut from baking paper seems to work.
And best of all - the message can't be seen when the lamp is off... 

.....so it's a romantic surprise when the lamp is switched on!

hearts and arrows

Some DIY Valentine ideas...

 Heart pinatas from studio DIY

and sudio DIY's pinata heart of gold....

a giant geometric wall heart from Oleander and Palm

Skewer arrows from The Alison Show which could be combined with this idea...

 

Arrows with a message! Date arrows from sugar and cloth 

And I love these wrapped hearts - they tug your heart strings! From Family Chic

"Only love is like an arrow to your heart; the more you try to take it out, the more pain and blood you get"

 Rainer Maria Rilke quotes 

...or as my daughter told me the other day, "Love is like a jumpsuit. Comfy while you're in it but hard to get out of in a hurry."

Too true.

Are you crafting for St. Valentine's Day?
 

last minute lace love heart stamps!

Okay – so how many hours until Valentine’s day?

Yes - it's me – doing last minute craft….AGAIN! When will I learn? But maybe you need some last minute inspiration and ideas too? Or you can tuck the idea away for another time. Next year. It comes around fast enough.

Using mostly recycled materials I’ve made some last minute love heart lace stamps. Here's how:

Look at the doilies and find bits that would fit together to be a love heart. The scalloped edgings are great for the top of the heart. Any square or rectangle doilies have corner bits that work for the point. Don’t worry about gaps in the puzzle. It still works.

I only had two bits of wood blocks left over from the skirting boards at our house. I also used box lids.

For the stamping I used acrylic paint. Because that's what I had. I added a bit of water too.
I placed the paper* on top of the stamp and pressed down.

Add any extra designs with a sharpie or other stamps. i had some letter stamps.If you are still making something for your Valentine, may the Saint be with you and enjoy! Is there anything better than making something homemade for your loved ones?

*I love this paper that my Mum made from recycled paper. She passed away almost two years ago and this is pretty much the last of her paper I have left.

Valentine DIY links

Paper bling from minieco.....for a proposal perhaps? Find the intructions and download here

 Crochet hearts from crochet plaisir

Filet crochet  pattern here

Lovely little letter boxes for valentine messages from simply modern mom...