Valentine’s Day :: Heart Magnets

Monday, January 14th, 2013

As January progresses and our outside world becomes a icy, crystallized, study in white, I love to begin thinking about the season of bright, cheery colors.  Valentine’s Day is a month away, which means that it might be time to begin to consider how you and your children will send hearts into the world.

In honor of one of my favorite holidays, I’ll post four more Valentine’s Day projects in the coming weeks.  Be sure to stop by and check them out!

Heart Magnets

Materials

wooden circles 1″ or 1 1/2″ wide
heart stamp (carving block and carving tool if you plan to carve it yourself)
acrylic paint
magnets
hot glue gun

How To:

1. Find a nice heart stamp*.

2.Coat the heart stamp with a thin layer of acrylic paint and stamp the wooden circles.

3. Once the circles are fully dry, glue the magnets on the back with the hot glue gun.

4. Be sure to quickly wash the acrylic paint off the stamp, so it can be used again and again.

*   If you’ve never carved stamps before, and feel inspired to try, this would be a great first carving project. You’ll need a linoleum cutter and some sort of carving block material. My goodness, the heart shape is so simple and small, you could even use some sort of rubber eraser that is laying around the house. Using a pencil, ask child to draw the heart shape on a piece of paper. When she is happy with her shape, turn it face down onto the carving material and scrape/rub it with your fingernail. This will transfer the image onto the carving material. Use your linoleum cutter to carve away the negative space, and the wee heart will be complete.

Happy heart making!

xo emily

5 Bright Spots (winter crafts!)

Friday, December 21st, 2012

1. These Ice Lanterns from Gina at willowday are gorgeous.  What a stunning way to add light and beauty to your winter celebrations!

2. Adorable snowmen made out of stacked rocks. via The Crafty Crow

3. This Frosted Holiday Pine Cones craft is lovely and perfect for the center of a holiday table.

4. Randi’s Winter Diorama project on Playful Learning is a creative way for children to welcome winter.  Love it!

5. Hot Chocolate Spoons so your fireside hot chocolates are even more spectacular.

5 Bright Spots

Friday, December 14th, 2012

1. Abby Glassenberg’s adorable mice softies make me smile! She posted this sweet design on her blog few years ago where she offers a free pattern for all to enjoy. Awesome, right?

2. Shirley Link is a new girl detective series that my daughter is crazy about. This is an amazing series, my friends! Your kids will be hooked and you’ll feel realllllly good about it. Visit author Ben Zackheim’s blog for more details and information.

3. Oooooh! A Book Page Star Garland! I have a thing for crafts made from dilapidated books.

4. This lovely wreath ornament uses left-over bits of yarn and fiber. Easy and beautiful! via craftycrow

5. LOVE these prints. (love, love, love)

xo e

Hanging Fruit

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Last year, our friends Kelly and Joe gave us decorations that made our hearts sing. Beautiful, dehydrated fruit ornaments for our trees±both inside and out! It is by far one of my favorite holiday gifts we’ve ever been given.

When I unwrapped and opened the box of oranges and pinks, I truly felt as if I was holding a box of natural jewels. The kiwi feels and looks almost like thin glass, the orange slices are leathery, and the white of the dried pear flesh against the thin layer of its skin is perfection—as if it was outlined with a steady hand. Our friends made sure that each ornament hangs on a loop of wool yarn, ready for hanging. The morning they arrived, the children placed some on our (then undecorated) holiday tree and bundled up to hang the rest outside on our bare birch and maple.

My favorites: the papayas and oranges
Kelly’s favorites: the star fruits and kiwis
My older daughter’s favorites: “If we choose a favorite then Kelly and Joe might feel badly about the ones we didn’t choose.”

The holiday season can feel like a burst of color and love that comes and goes quickly. When I watch these little guys swaying and dancing on the branches outside it reminds me of how far that burst of kindness and love can travel. From Kelly and Joe’s home to my eyes to my husband Tom’s eyes to our children’s eyes to the tree’s branches to the wind to the birds’ bellies and nests wherever they might be. It is a gift that spreads joy and love in the truest of ways. And, after the snow melted and mud season began, we found little bits of Kelly’s yarn in our grass, which made us a tiny bit wistful, but mostly happy.

Kelly told me that she sliced her fruit thinly with a mandoline, dried them in her dehydrator, poked little holes in the top, and tied little loops of yarn through. It would also work to dry them slowly in an oven (on low heat) or next to a wood stove or heater for a day or so. Don’t you feel like dehydrating fruit must be so simple since you always seem to find bits of dehydrated apple and pear under your kitchen table? Or, is that just me?  Maybe I should sweep a bit more frequently. Ahem.

xo emily

5 Bright Spots

Friday, December 7th, 2012

1. Lovely Jessica at Zakka Life posted this incredibly cute Packing Peanut Igloo craft last week, and I was instantly wild about it. The peanuts are fabulously re-purposed into an igloo that that lends itself to storytelling and play. We played with Insta-Snow at my daughter’s fifth birthday, and this adorable project would have fit in perfectly.

2. Homemade gift idea: herbal infused honey! Kristin of Banyan Moon Botanicals is a dear friend of mine and I trust all of her delicious and good-for-you creations.

3. Easy, Tiny Envelopes. LOVE!

4. Um, these homemade nesting dolls couldn’t be any cuter. And, they look so fun, satisfying, and simple to make.

5. These scenic stamp sets from Yellow Owl Workshop make so happy. Don’t you think these would make wonderful holiday gifts for kids who love to write letters? Add some blank cards and a nice pen and it would make a beautiful set!

What has made you smile this week?

xo

emily