Friendly Feature: V-tine Cards

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!  I woke up this morning thinking "Does life get any better than this?"  I was wrapped in my Sweetheart's arms, and after almost a month and a half of him being gone, I am really cherishing this time together.  Love that man with all of my heart. Each day married to him is more wonderful than the last. Gush, gush, gush, moosh, moosh, moosh!!! I could talk about how much I adore him all day, but......

today I am featuring a friend!!  I've never done this before, so I'm excited to introduce to you the incredibly talented and creative Saundra from Luv Scrapping Together. She was so kind to be willing to share with us some of her crafty creations for Valentine's Day. I know she is super busy this time of year, so thanks, Saundra!!!

This is just a sampling of her terrific talent. Make sure you stop by her blog and check out what else she's done.

How sweet is this?!

You KNEW I would love this one!

I love the candy-cane striped yarn.

Amazing, right?!  So adorable.  I can really appreciate this creativity because I DON'T HAVE IT!  Hope you enjoyed.  

Make sure you come back later today to see the Hubby's Valentine Gift reveal.  I'm almost ready but still have some more work to do.  I just hope he doesn't come home too early from work! 

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Because {He} First Loved Me....

As Valentine's Day approaches and I get all wrapped up in finding ways to show my loved ones how much they mean to me, I don't want to forget why it is that I have the ability to love in the first place.  I can love others because Christ's love is in me and because He loves me.  Here are some beautiful reminders of just how much we are loved by our Creator.



"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39, KJV

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16, KJV

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
I John 3:16, KJV

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8, KJV

"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

"We love him because he first loved us."
I John 4:19

It's a Giveaway!

Love giveaways? Me too!  Head on over to Coastal Charm for a chance to win a target gift card. Yay! Make sure you check out all of her Nifty Thrifty ideas as well.  She's amazing!

Hoo Are You?

This is my first time participating in Night Owl Crafting's Hoo Are You? Link Party. So here goes!!

1. Are you married/ in a relationship/single? For how long?
I have been living out my real-life fairy tale for the past six years with the love of my life, my wonderful husband.  Just when I think our marriage can't get any awesomer...it does!
2. What are your plans for Valentine's Day?
Shhhh! No telling!! I'm planning to surprise him with a gift for our master bedroom.  Check out my post: Sneak Peek Hubby's V-tine Gift. We always end our day with a romantic dinner.
3. Do you have any Valentine's traditions?
We always try to surprise each other with something unique.  Sometimes we pull of the surprise...sometimes we get found out.  But it's still fun and romantic. (See answer to next question for additional tradition.)
4. What is your favorite Valentine's candy?
It has to be Godiva chocolate.  My husband always buys a rather large box (after selling his soul to the devil to pay for it), and we split each piece. He eats one half and I eat the other, usually eating one piece a day to make it last as long as possible.
But last year, he was out of town and sent me Sherri's Berries!! Have you heard of them? Seriously, my new favorite.
5. Name 3 things that you LOVE!
Things? So that excludes people? Hmmmm...well...
#1: When my husband is in town and not away for work (sheer bliss)
#2: The fact that my husband was my first kiss (I know, cheesy, but I can't help it...I love it!)
#3: I'm sticking with the husband theme here. Sleeping in.  Oh yeah...with my husband : )

Had a blast!!!

Simple (Silvery) Valentine

Easy, easy, easy!!! Cheap, cheap, cheap!!! Words you love?  Well then, this project is for you. I bought these "silver" trays at the Dollar Tree and decorated the centers with scrapbook paper.  Then hot glued them to ribbon and hung them from our entry closet door using a push pin on the inside of the door. They were a little clanky, so I sticky tacked them to get them to stay put. Total cost: $4 : )

Sorry about the horrible picture.  Not very good lighting I'm afraid. 

Linking to these parties:

Blue Cricket Design
A Vision to Remember




































http://twosidesoftherainbow.blogspot.com/2012/02/simple-silvery-valentine.html

Snack of the Month: Special K Cracker Chips {Southwest Ranch}

Special K Southwest Ranch

110 calories for 27 cracker chips AND they are delicious!

Sneak Peek: {Hubby's} V-Tine Gift

This year I wanted to give something to the Love of my life that WOULDN'T get eaten, WOULDN'T take him a month to read through (a journal, those fill-in-the-blank books, etc.), and WOULDN'T be stored in a box never to be seen again. My Darling is hugely invested in decorating our home.  Making our house a home is a team effort in every way, which I absolutely love.  I thought of giving him a gift that would remind him every day of how much I love him.  Soooooooo....I chose one of my favorite quotes and created an art piece for our master bedroom. 

Our spa-inspired master bedroom has a HUGE bare wall in need of some coverup.  I had bought this frame at Hobby Lobby for about $20 a couple years ago and never found a use for it.  It's the exact wood finish and style of our bedroom furniture. 

For the canvas, I used painter's drop cloth.  The stenciling required a lot of time and a steady hand. I printed off the words onto paper and actually cut out each word, creating stencils. I used the frame as a guide and traced the words onto the drop cloth.  Using black interior paint (I bought a sample jar a while back and it has gone a long way), I filled in the words using #3 and #0 paint brushes.

Apologies for not taking step-by-step pictures.  I really wasn't thinking about snapshots as my legs were falling asleep while sitting hunched over and cross-legged. BTW, my neck is actually still sore from this project.  I really love my husband : )

I did take this shot of the project while it was still on the floor.  I hadn't even trimmed off the extra material yet. 

To attach the canvas to the frame, I used a staple gun pulling the canvas taught but being careful not to distort the lettering by pulling too hard. 

Last thing to do is attach a picture hanger and then hide it in my craft room where prying eyes won't find it.  I plan on hanging two DIY canvas photos as well.  Post on that project to follow.  Hope he likes it!

Linking to these parties:

Blue Cricket Design
Skip to My Lou
Making the World Cuter