Valentine Count Down

My friend, Jodie, brought me this cute count down to Valentine's Day on the 31st.  She made it out of wood and vinyl and there's a little piece of chalk in the top to change the days on the chalkboard vinyl.  I love little creative gifts like this. 

I put it out with a few other things I got at my Valentine Exchange last year and some jars of hearts.  I decided not to host the Valentine Exchange this year because I'm hosting a Favorite Things party at the end of the month.  I have some great sponsors lined up for a big giveaway so follow along and be sure not to miss it! 

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?   What cute things did you put out or make this year? Did anyone make anything they found on Pinterest? 

Firecrackers

I made these wooden firecrackers a few years ago. I needed a craft project that I could make up kits for a group of people at church to do. So I bought several wooden dowels, cut them into different lengths, drilled a hole in the top of each and included some twine to use as the wick of the firerackers. I brought paints for everyone to use and it was fun to see how different people painted theirs. I stayed traditional with red, white, blue, stars and stripes. They're super easy to make and are an easy craft for groups to do.

Seasons Bear

I painted this bear over ten years ago when I was really in to tole painting. I actually painted him before I knew what I was doing with acrylics to wood so he's a little rough looking. I painted little wooden outfits for him for each holiday that stick to him with velcro. I had forgotten all about him after I gave him to my sister a few years ago. I stopped by her house last week and he was hanging on her porch ready for July 4th. I think the patterns were all Provo Craft if I remember correctly.

Baby Girl Nursery

I'm having a baby girl this week and had much more fun decorating the nursery for her than I did for my son. Girly stuff is just more fun. I kept the nursery walls green from his decor and added in lavender toile and white. Here are some pictures of the finished nursery.
I painted the "Paige" letters lavender and then sprinkled them with crystal glitter.

I painted a wooden frame from the dollar store lavender, added white polk-a-dots and a flower.

I covered a lamp shade with the lavender toile fabric to match her bedding and valence, then added dangling beads and the fuzzy fringe. I bought the lamp shade from a craft store. It was sticky and had a template to cut your fabric to. Then I glued on the fringe and beads with fabric glue. Super easy and very fast! I bought the white base at Wal-Mart for $10.

I made the bed skirt and a few blankets for her crib. I paid someone to make the bumper after taking advice from several friends about how much pain a bumper was to make. The inside is a green and white minky fabric and very soft. It's hard to tell from the picture but the outside of the bumper is lavender "Central Park" toile. I love toile! I bought the "chamois" sheets from PB Kids in lavender.

I had left over minky fabric so I backed it with some flannel backed satin, threw on a satin blanket binding and made this blanket. My son LOVES his blankies that are satin & minky like this.

I made a window valence from the lavender toile and added the same beading and fringe as I did on the lamp shade. I hung white sheers beneath it and it really softened the look of the room.

This is my favorite part of the nursery but have to give full credit to my friend, Donna. She had a display like this in her massage room once upon a time and did another one above her baby girl's crib. When I asked her about the details so I could copy her, she offered to come put it up for me if I bought everything. I purchased the flowers and butterflies online at BugsNBlooms.com then sewed them to strips of white, lavender and green organza. She hung them with clear thumb tacks and made them look beautiful. FYI, that website has every shape, size and color of bugs and flowers you could imagine for reasonable prices. They also have tutus and other girly things. Check it out.

I made some wooden blocks again like several I've made in the past. I just mod podge scrapbook paper on, distress the edges and add glitter.

I recovered a wooden picture from with papers to match her colors and added some glitter and ribbons.

Lastly, I put this vinyl saying up on her wall. My sister gave it to me and I thought it was very sweet.


Now I can relax, right?

Handmade Garland

Years ago we had a very "crafty" Christmas tree. That year, I made dozens of wooden ornaments (which have somehow vanished) and I made this garland. We wrapped all of our gifts in brown paper and used jute and other strings to tie them up. For this garland I used a thick jute rope, tore up strips of fabric, painted little wooden spools, and tied on cinnamon sticks. It took HOURS to make. I worked on it for what seemed like forever. We decorated our tree in that fashion that one year and it has been packed away in a box since then. I pulled it out to take a picture this year. The fabric is a little wrinkled but it looks good still. It's really long, I didn't measure it, but it covered the entire tree. If anyone has a tree this would go with, call me...we'll talk. It's cute I just don't see myself ever using it again...unless I get that log cabin in the Rockies some day.

Wedding Gifts

My friend, Heather, painted this name plaque for me when I got married (I covered my last name.) She also made a matching pot with birdhouses in it. That has since broken and been tossed.

I copied her idea a few times and made some plaques for friends' weddings. I only found pics of two but I know I did a few more in other color schemes. I cut the flowers out with my scroll saw and used buttons as the center of the daisies. I guess I didn't take a picture of the sunflowers I cut out. These were several years ago and I've gotten over that as a wedding gift. I did enjoy painting them though.

Nativity Puzzle

This was one of the first few things I made when I learned how to tole paint. The woman who's shop I learned at cut it out for me (puzzles don't allow for any mistakes). It is cut out of two identical pices of 3/4 inch pine. You use one as the background and the egde of the other for the puzzle border. I painted all of the pices and the inside of the manger as well. I love this becuase it's fun, it is a nativity and it all fits back together nicely for storage.

Christmas Wreath

I made this wreath a few years ago when I was into wooden crafts. It's one of the few crafty things I made that I kept because I like it. I cut the pieces out of 1/4 inch pine, painted them and then assembled.

Cows

I was at my friend's house and saw a cow I made for her a few years ago. I made three at the time for people who liked or collected cows. I enjoyed painting them but one of them lost his horns when I was cutting him out. The main body was harder to cut than I thought it would be. I haven't made one since then but I think it's a pretty cute cow.

Welcome Sign

I was at my brother's house tonight and saw this hanging on his fence. I had forgotten I made this for them a few years ago when I was deep into wood crafts. It has lost the black seeds but you can see where they once were.