Love Notes for Valentines Day

Hope the new year is treating you well. So far I have been keeping up with my New Years Resolutions, and it's been keeping me busy, which is a good thing. Since Valentines Day is less than a month away I wanted to share with you an easy little project that you can make and use starting now through Valentines Day. It's my love note heart project. The purpose of this project is to create a heart with a pocket where you can leave love notes for your sweetie, and your kids. I challenge you to put something new in it every day. Maybe words of encouragement, or a sweet reminder why you love them so much, or even a ticket for a date night out. These are just a few suggestions. 

So here is a list of the supplies that you will need.

• Wooden Heart(I found mine at Michaels Craft Store)
• Scrapbook paper
• Crepe paper
• Tickets or paper slips
• Washi tape
• Embellishments
• Tape
• Scissors
• Pencil

The first step I did was to trace the shape of the heart on the back of the scrapbook paper that I was using. Then I cut out the shape of the heart using my scissors.

 After cutting the heart shape out, I then used my double sided tape at applied it to the wooden heart. I did this to add stability to the heart, so it wasn't just a flimsy piece of paper.

Next I took the crepe paper and pinch pleated it all around the heart using my tape. This is the most tedious part of the project. 

I then trimmed the crepe paper.

I found some small envelopes in the dollar section at Michaels a while back, and it worked out to be the perfect size for my center envelope. I attached it with tape. If you don't have these, you can make your own small envelope, or use a small paper bag. Most craft stores have those. 

Here is an example of the small bags you could use too.

The last step is to embellish your heart with words, or vintage Valentines. Get creative here, and make it your own. 

Hope you feel inspired to create a love notes heart for your nest. I think it's a fun way to stay connected with your immediate family and let them know how much you love them. Thanks for stopping by.

XO~Gretchen

Back to School Mantel

BACK TO SCHOOL

It's back to school time at our house. All my boys start back next week. I can't believe summer break is nearing an end. :( I really enjoy having my boys home for the summer. We have enjoyed lots of family time together. Since it's the start of a new school year I decided to create a mantel to celebrate my boys and encourage them to have a wonderful school year. I created this design using some things I had, and a few things that I purchased.

First I created the banner using my cutting machine. I then found this adorable ruler ribbon for $.99 at Hobby Lobby. You get six feet on the roll, which is a great deal. I picked up the tiny clips a while back, and think they worked out perfect to hold the cards. 

Close up of the details. I love the polka dot paper. I found this paper at Michaels Craft Store.

I found the writing tab slips from Michaels, they were 50% off and ended up being $.50 They came in a pack. I wrote each of my boys names on them for a personal touch.

I made this large "B" out of a cardboard B that I found at Joann Crafts. I covered it with some material that I had, and then outlined the letter with twine.

The large globe is a vintage find, I love it! I found this other metal globe at Target. I stacked the smaller globe on vintage books that I've had for a while.

This is an old frame that I painted aqua, shocking I know ;). I made these little banners to hang on it. I used some apple print scrapbook paper for the triangle banner. The other one is made out of alphabet stickers I found for cheap at Michaels Craft Store. I also found the grade stickers there. Those are the grades that my boys will be in this year. Just another way to add a personal touch. 

I found these addition cards in the dollar section at Target. I had these letter stickers and used them to spell out A,B,C. I also used this vintage frame that I painted aqua.

I am not a chalkboard artist by any means, but this is the special message I wanted to share with my boys. I hope you feel inspired to create a back to school mantel. Best wishes for a wonderful school year, and if you are a teacher then thank you in advance for all your hard work and dedication! 

XO~Gretchen