Be My Valentine!

I was SO in the mood - to make valentines, that is! Valentines Day is the perfect opportunity to play with all my stamps and stuff, and at the same time show my dear ones how much I love them.

And when I make valentines, there is always chocolate and candy involved, of course - another motivating factor.

I was anxious to try my new Petal Cone die for my Big Shot which makes this perfectly adorable cone shaped box!

I just love the red and white wide striped ribbon and the crinkly gold paper!

Crowns, the Eiffel Tower, and the key to my heart - so very French! This Valentine is so ME! Amour!!!!

I also made these candy bar holders. So fun and easy. XOXO!

When you pull up on the ribbon, the candy bar pops out! What's not to LOVE?

For the kids in my seminary class, I made these cute little baggies. I found the small paper bags on clearance years ago, thinking I could do just such a project. The toppers are just cut with my Top Note die. The heart is shiny and puffy using Crystal Effects. LOVE - from the bottom of my heart!

For my own kiddos, I simply dressed up some boxes of conversation hearts with my new Be My Valentine stamp, the jumbo scallop circle punch, and a bubbly texture folder on my Big Shot!

I (heart) my boys: Alex, Nate, Derek, Dylan, Caleb, and Luke!

My younger guys also made their valentines for all the kids in their classes. It is a tradition. We make these every year, and have since my highschooler was in preschool - lollipop holders. They are quick and cute, and the kids do most of the work themselves. Caleb and Luke worked so hard on them. It was so fun to watch. Both crafters after my own heart!

Happy Valentine's Day, my fellow Attic Diggers! Hope you just feel the love!

Love-ly Decor

AtticGal Rachelle says:

I LOVE decorating for Valentines Day! Red is one of my favorite colors and I have a lot of it in my home, so it is a perfect fit for my glittery Valentines decor.

I especially love this corner built in that is painted red inside. It is a perfect backdrop for my milk glass and it is easy to spell out the love we all feel this time of year!

The bay wreaths I have up all year on the front doors, are given a bit of love with sparkly hearts and ribbon!

Look up! Some large glitter hearts I got at after Valentine's day clearance add some great color overhead.

In the entryway I have featured some pictures of my hubby and on our wedding day, as well as pictures of some of the great loves in our family history. Also my favorite LOVE banner (see more on this and my other V-day decor last year here.)

In the dining room, next to the corner cabinet are a huge mirrored platter full of apothocary jars filled with rose petals, flowers, cherries, glittered hearts, keys (to my heart, of course) and giant acrylic diamonds, along with some pretty valentine mints that I stamped for friends.

On the other built-in hutch is a spread of delicious desserts, cakes, and chocolates. They are all fake, unfortunately, but look just like the real deal!

A red toile tablecloth and sparkly mirrored hearts tied to the backs of the chairs make the dining room perfect for a romantic dinner - for 8, in our case. (Lucky me - I have 7 men to lavish me with their affections!)

The message on the chalkboard is a simple one. Love U! Underneath it the church pew, one of my very favorite things, is dressed with a red and white Hawaiian quilt and some fun pillows.

On the front porch, in the big urn, I put a pre-potted bunch of red and white tulips, that, although they are usually thought of as more for Easter decor, seem to work perfectly here for Valentines Day.

If you haven't done so yet, check out the rest of my Valentines Day decor from last year's post here. There is much more love where that came from!)

Have a love-filled Valentines Day! May it sparkle!

Build-Your-Own-Valentine Party

AtticGal Rachelle says:

I love Valentines Day, and I adore making handmade valentines! It is so much fun to see what I can create for all the people I love. This year I thought it would be so fun to invite my friends over to create valentines of their own with me. Crafting is always so much more fun with friends!

The refreshments were easy, but oh, so lovely. Everything was pink and red, heart-shaped or kissed!

As were all the crafting supplies, and the fun projects the ladies made with them!

I brought out all my stamps, inks, scissors, dies, jewels, ribbons, wheels, and papers that could possibly be used for making Valentines. They ladies could make whatever they wanted - One and only fancy card for their one and only, or a bunch of little ones for all their little ones.

Above are some candy bar cases and a viewmaster card.

Some did their own thing using their own imaginations inspired by all the fun stuff at their disposal, and others copies some samples I had almost exactly. It didn't matter where their ideas came from - they all made some wonderful creations!

Everyone had a great time, and there are gonna be some very lucky recipients of these beautiful tokens of love come Monday!

I might have to make a Build-your-own-Valentine party a tradition!

Experiments with Light

AtticGal Rachelle says:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I have been having a lot of fun with photography lately, and just wanted to show you Attic Diggers something pretty darn cool I just posted on The Attic Window, my photo blog. Custom bokeh (bokeh is the term for those circles of light you see in photos, when the light is out of focus. Well, it turns out the light can come in other shapes besides circles - and you can make this camera accessory yourself! Completely DIY!)

Check it out HERE.

Who would have thought I could use my stamping supplies, i.e. decorative punches and cardstock, in my photography? Will wonders never cease?

If you have a DSLR camera, you really should give this a try!

LOVE IT!

Happy New Year and White Board

Hope everyone has the happiest 2011!  It's been a wonderful and relaxing holiday season.  Sad to see it go.

Earlier in the year we put up a white board in our hallway that we wanted to have filled with quotes reminders, charts, etc that we wanted the children to see as they were passing by the area.  I attended a class last year that talked about having a board that had these types of things on it in an area that children will regularly see.  One of my friends has it in the bathroom, another one has it in their kitchen, and doesn't Bill Gates have something like this in his garage that he can look at when getting out of the car and walking into the house??  Or was that someone else?  Anyhow...
 
Since this hallway was the biggest place and an area they regularly passed by, we used it.  For our wall, we took two sheets of white board material  that we purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot (look in the molding area) and attached them to the wall.  To make them more decorative, we added molding and a shelf to it.  The shelf was narrow so we added the canvas pictures to the top of it.  The pictures are their school pictures or pictures from the year.  See here to know how to make your own.

Yesterday my husband had us all set goals for how many books we want to read in a year.  I know, mine was quite low compared to everyone else's but accomplishable at least for me.

 I love how he gathered all the children around to discuss their goal in the reading department.  We also have some quotes up there and a job chart.  More items will be added if needs this type of reminder.

I don't know if the older children were excited but those young ones sure seem to be.   (And yeah - the Capitols won!!)  What fun way to you remind yourself or your children of important goals, quotes, plans, etc?

Busy Season!

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

If all you Attic Diggers are feeling a bit neglected I apologize. I have been busy with a million things, not the least of which is my new photography business, Attic Window Photography. 'Tis the season for family photos. Come by my blog, The Attic Window, to see what I've been up to. And you can even view pics of our own Attic Gal Alysa's own beautiful family HERE.

And I am also currently in the thick of recreating THIS - a magical Christmas wonderland. I have a made a few changes to my holiday decor since last year and will post those later, but if you haven't seen my place, or want to be reminded of what a decorating madwoman I am, check this out.

I am also getting ready for my annual ornament party this Friday night, and all my dearest friends are frantically making their ornaments. (No, I have not made mine yet, which is sort of a tradition of mine.) Here is last year's. The theme this year is "All Creatures Great and Small" and I can't wait to see what clever little critters these gals come up with!

Yet as madly busy as I am, I am also giddy with delight that the holiday season is upon us once again. Granted, I am way, way behind where I should be at this point, but for some reason, this year I am just too excited about Christmas to care.

Happy Busy Season everyone! May it be as busy and as joyous as ever!

Autumn Splendor!

Here in the desert where I live, fall is a beautiful season - not because it is filled with autumn colors, (the leaves never do turn here), but because fall means that the long hot summer is finally over. The days have just a touch of cool and the nights are heavenly. Everything is green and the flowers bloom gloriously. Yes, fall in the desert is beautiful - it just isn't very fall-like, which means that if you want fall color you have to do it yourself. So that is just what I did - I brought a bit of autumn splendor right into my home, starting with a pile of pumpkins (real and otherwise) in and around an urn by my front door.

I got this idea from my brilliant friend Jenny. Although the stacked pumpkins and raven are leftovers from Halloween, they have lost all traces of spookiness towering in a large urn. The orange satin bow gives the bird some autumn sophistication as he greets visitors.

For my fall decor, I am going for glitz. A glittery banner and shimmering pumpkins sparkle among piles of raffia and dry fall leaves. Christ remains the centerpiece as Him from whom all blessings flow.

I framed an old greeting card featuring Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater and his wife's new living quarters.

In the living room a leaf made out of twigs and a pair of mini wreaths hang from the screen with the same luxurious satin ribbon.

More glitz in the dining room where the table is strewn with more fall foliage, satin ribbon, and the fruits of the season, a few of which I have sprayed a brilliant shiny gold for a festive punch. But the centerpieces of the arrangement are several turkeys that I have also sprayed gold - my pride a joy! (Thanks for that idea, Martha Stewart!)

Also, from my Christmas decor, 2 pairs of mercury glass candlesticks are made fit for fall by topping them with a pair of mini pumpkins.

A pair of beaded wreaths hang from the china cabinet by the same satin ribbon, and the rest of the ribbon is generously puddled around the base of several apothecary jars.

A couple of leafy garlands lie on top of the china cabinet and the clock in the room facing it for another punch of orange and red.

The jars serve as a modern cornucopia, each displaying a different fall bounty: glitzy beaded acorns, stacks of mini squash, ears of colorful Indian corn, and tufts of wheat, a few of which have been sprayed gold. A tiny mercury glass bird watched over it all.

Glitz and glimmer, a generous amount of pumpkin pie colored satin ribbon, and a couple of cans of shiny gold spray paint all combine to bring some fall splendor into our home.

May a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving fill you heart this beautiful season!