Thinking forward to Valentines Day

Why is it that when you say "for your information" it sounds like you are being very bitchy, but if you write 'fyi' it sounds like you are saying - 'oh yeah, by the way".  Am I the only person who thinks that?

It is the end of the month and we just got 3 more inches of snow on top of the already dwindling 2 - 3 inches of icy snow that was covering the ground.  It is really beautiful out.  My husband has brought our son to school and I am in bed thinking about the day, week and month ahead.

Valentines Day is our next holiday.  Last year I had a friend and my sister come over and we decorated sugar cookies.  Here are a few pictures of that;

These cookies are a lot of fun to make, though time intensive.  It is something like a 4 step process; make the dough, chill it, roll it out, cut out cookies and bake.  That all happens on one or two days.  Then on another day; making the royal icing, choosing colors, mixing colors into icing, putting colored icing into decorating bags and set in glasses and then cover your table with protective paper and begin to decorate the cookies.  That part alone can take an entire day.  So having someone to do that with can be a lot of fun.  And the cookies don't taste half bad either.

That was last year.  This year I keep looking online for ideas but have not found my inspiration.   I won't have time to make cookies but I may focus on decorating our dining room.  I have made wax paper crayon hearts- an idea that I got from Martha Stewart Magazine many years ago.  You can still find the directions to this here.  These are fun to make and they're really pretty when you hang them up either in a window or from the ceiling like I do.

I have run a valentines card making workshop before and people really enjoyed this.  Years ago, before Martha Stewart streamlined her website you were able to buy a variety of different craft kits and I bought a valentine card making kit.  It was one of my most favorite craft kits I had ever purchased.  It came with velum paper in shades of red and a lot of different paper doily shapes.  Also card stock and papers with glue.  I still have the kit and pull it out every Valentines day with the intention of making more cards.  Trouble is that I never send them anywhere and end up with a pile of cards that grows every year.

Here is a picture of the original Valentines Box Kit that I had gotten maybe in 1999?  And also contents inside the box.  I have added a lot more to it over the years.  I bought some Dresden trims and other valentine shapes from D. Blumchen & Company.  They have very cool vintage craft things for all holidays.  

One year I was inspired to make this Valentine Box;  an inspiration I had gotten from the magazine, Cloth, Paper, Scissors.  I used a water color paper, inks and material.  I used the sewing machine and hand sewed the box together.  A lot of fun.  I loved using a mix of mediums when I create.

I still have another box template left.  I have been holding onto it in hopes I would get back to making these.  Maybe it will be this year.  After I finish the quilt.