Valentines Mosaic Heart Craft

February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I worked on another Valentine’s craft today and I wanted to share it with you. I was inspired by a few that I found online. I saw them and they looked so cute, I just had to make my own. The first one I found that inspired me was on a site that I could literally look at for hours and hours! The site is called “Crafts By Amanda” and it is run by Amanda Formaro. The adorable mosaic heart she made and blogged about is:

Mosaic Heart for Valentine’s Day

You can click on that link and it will open in a new tab so you won’t lose your place here. She actually made two different ones – one for older kids and one for the munchkins. Very cute!

The next site where I saw a mosaic heart is The GummyLump.com Blog. What a totally cute site! It is the blog of a really cool online toy store. The post where you can find their craft is:

Heart Mosaic Valentine Wall Hanging

That link will also open a new tab, so that you don’t lose your place here. Their mosaic heart craft adds several more materials than just paper. I really like what they’ve done to add texture and sparkle to it.

So what I did, was take a few ideas from each of them, add my own flavor and came up with this:
Valentine's Mosaic Heart Craft

I wanted you to be able to see the word (Love) that I put in the middle of the heart a little better so here is a close-up of it:
Valentine's Mosaic Heart Craft

I got that word out of my scrapbooking supplies – it looks really cute on there. The tricky part is that since it’s silver, it’s really hard for me to photograph. The flash keeps shining it up! And you can see that I’m still using my bottle glue – *le sigh*. One day soon, I shall find that uberly awesome, giant glue stick! ;)

I used a red ribbon and a purple ribbon for the hanger. You could go all sorts of fancy with that part, really. You could use three ribbons, braid them and even have them hanging down on the edges of the paper as a partial border. You see my problem? Once I start a project, I want to do more and more and more to it until my whole life is all about that one little project! LOL Craft-itis, I guess we could call it!

Oh! I almost forgot! When I was done taking the pics in my pretty yellow kitchen, I moved the craft into my office so I could look at it from my desk. (P.S. I used a RED thumbtack – gotta stay in the color zone! Right?) Anyway, I think it looks really pretty in the corner where I hung it, so I wanted to share it with you. So one last pic before we go:
Valentine's Craft

I hope you have a super groovy day!

LMM <3

Pin It

Filed Under: Valentine's Day

Sweeten Up Your Sweethearts With Special Valentine’s Day Cookies

February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day has changed a bit since we went from being a couple to being a family.  The day isn’t so much about just the two of us anymore, although we make time for each other, but it’s also about including our little sweetheart.

Handmade cards and decorations are certainly part of our Valentine’s Day celebration.  But, the most memorable part of the day in our house comes in the form of sweets.  And, we are ready for some treats right about now!  I’m glad Valentine’s Day comes in the middle of February; right about the time when my New Year’s resolutions start to get the best of me.  After weeks and weeks of eating healthy and sensibly, it’s time for a treat.

One of our favorite Valentine’s Day treats is not what you would expect.  We like our chocolate, and enjoy the occasional fancy chocolate, but for my family the classic Coconut Macaroon is perfect for Valentine’s Day.  Here’s my favorite recipe that is easy for even the littlest sweetheart to mix up. You can mix in about a half cup to a cup of chocolate chips if you prefer, but we like to dip our macaroons in melted chocolate.  I hope you’ll give these a try this Valentine’s Day.

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

  • 14 oz package of sweetened coconut
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (homemade is fine)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl combine the coconut, condensed milk and vanilla. Stir well. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a very well greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet while still slightly warm. Makes about 3 dozen.

To melt chocolate for dipping:

Use either coating chocolate or real milk chocolate. You’ll find both in big chunks in the baking aisle. Chop chocolate into very small pieces and put in double boiler insert (reserve a handful); set aside.  Fill bottom part of double boiler with water and bring to a boil; remove from heat.  Put insert with chocolate pieces into bottom of double boiler and start stirring the chocolate until most of it melts.  Remove insert from bottom of double boiler, add the reserved pieces of chopped chocolate, and continue stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Immediately dip cooled macaroons in chocolate by hand. Only half the macaroon will be coated; that’s just fine.  It’s cute that way.  You may prefer to drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons on the cookie sheet.  Either way is nice. Play with them until you get the look you like.

Another treat we love to make for Valentine’s Day is heart shaped cut out sugar cookies.  I either add red food coloring gel to the dough and frost the cookies in white, or I color the icing instead.  Using a simple sugar cookie icing, divide it into two glass bowls. Then just add food color gel into one bowl until you reach a pink color, and add coloring into the other bowl until it gets red.  I also like to have candy sprinkles on hand for more fun.  Small tubes of ‘writing’ gel is fun to use for personalizing the cookies, but it’s not necessary if you don’t want to spend the extra money.  No matter how you decorate these cookies, nothing says “Be My Valentine” like a plate full of pink and red heart cookies!

Take time out this Valentine’s Day to treat your sweethearts to something almost as sweet as they are!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Warmly,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife
www.HillbillyHousewife.com

p.s.  Come visit me here often and be sure to check in and see what’s happening at HillbillyHousewife.com, too.
We’re changing the look and hopefully making the site better.  Please excuse our dust while we move things around.  It’s a work in progress, so please let me know what you think about it.

Pin It

Filed Under: Moms & Holidays, Moms At Home, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , ,

Valentine Heart Cake

February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You don’t need fancy cake pans to make special cakes. Made this pretty Valentine treat using regular baking pans, one square and one round.

Valentine Heart Cake

1 package (18 ounces) cake mix (white, cherry chip, strawberry, or confetti flavor)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 large egg whites
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
Heart-shaped cake decors

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line one 9-inch square cake pan and one 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper or waxed paper.
  2. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers of the cakes comes out clean 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
  3. Mix the sugar, water and egg whites in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, beating continuously with an electric mixer on high, until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the marshmallow creme; beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes longer.
  4. Remove the cakes from the pans and discard the paper liners. Place the square cake on a large serving platter. Cut the round cake in half. Place the half-rounds against two adjacent sides of the square cake to form a heart. Spread the top and sides with marshmallow frosting and decorate with heart decors.

Tips

  • Cake can also be baked in two heart-shaped layer pans. Frost each layer as an individual cake or place one layer on top of the other for a two-layer cake.
  • A vanilla cream frosting is also nice on this cake. Beat 2 cups whipping cream with 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com
www.everydaynecessities.com

Pin It

Filed Under: Recipes & Tips, Valentine's Day Tagged With:

Bake Your Family Some Love – Cookies For Valentine’s Day!

February 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

Heart-shaped cookies are the essence of Valentine’s Day. Bake some love for your family with one of these recipes. They’ll love you even more!

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a second bowl, combine and mix well the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour into butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours.

Roll out dough and cut into heart shapes with cookie cutters or a knife. Bake on a sheet pan or a parchment lined sheet pan in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the cookie. Remove cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Frost cookies with your favorite frosting tinted pink with a few drops of red food coloring.


Linzer Heart Cookies
These jam-filled cookies are almost too pretty to eat!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Watkins Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
Confectioners sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam, strained or seedless

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/4-inch heart cutter, cut out heart shapes, rerolling scraps as needed. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  3. Place the heart shapes 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using a small heart cutter, cut out centers from half of the hearts; remove the centers with a small spatula.
  4. Bake the cookies until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
  5. Set the racks, with cookies still on them, over waxed paper. Sift confectioners sugar over the heart frames. Lightly spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the strained jam over each large uncut heart. Place the heart frames on top of jam-topped cookies.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com
www.everydaynecessities.com

Pin It

Filed Under: Moms At Home, Recipes & Tips, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , , ,

Chocolate Strawberry Heart-Shaped Ice-Cream Sandwiches

February 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Here’s another recipe to add to your Valentine’s Day goodies list. Make these ice cream sandwiches for your family and  guests or for your child’s school Valentine Day party.

Chocolate Strawberry Heart-Shaped Ice-Cream Sandwiches
2  3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup Watkins Baking Cocoa Powder
2  1/2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1  1/2 teaspoons Watkins  Vanilla Extract
1  1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 to 2  1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, slightly softened

  1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula at least once. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface; use an offset spatula to unstick the dough every few turns of the rolling pin. Roll dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough using a variety of heart-shaped cookie cutters from 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure there is a top and bottom cookie for each sandwich. Place hearts on a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator; use a fork to prick holes all over the surface of the cookies. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  3. Using half the cookies, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick on each underside. Place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top-side facing out. Transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve directly from the freezer. Sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days. Makes 24 ice cream sandwiches.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com
www.everydaynecessities.com

Pin It

Filed Under: Recipes & Tips, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , ,

Heart-Shaped Eggs and Toast

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day is Monday, February 14th. Why settle for ordinary eggs and toast when you can show your love with this version? 

Don’t have time to make this unique breakfast Monday morning? Make Heart-Shaped Eggs and Toast for your hubby and kids on Sunday morning for a leisurely breakfast. Serve with fresh fruit and bacon and a cup of coffee or tea for the hubby and a glass of milk or orange juice or cup of  hot cocoa for the kids.

Heart-Shaped Eggs and Toast
bread, thick sliced
butter
Watkins Cooking Spray
eggs
heart-shaped cookie cutter
salt and pepper

Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, remove the center of a thick slice of bread, and toast it.

Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Place bread slice in skillet, and cook until underside is lightly browned.

Add another 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, and flip bread.

Fit cookie cutter, coated with cooking spray, in bread’s cutout heart, and crack an egg into cutter.

Cover skillet, and cook until egg is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to remove cookie cutter. Season egg with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Serve with toasted heart for dipping into yolk.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com
www.everydaynecessities.com

Pin It

Filed Under: Recipes & Tips, Valentine's Day Tagged With: ,

Chocolate Waffles

February 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

What better way to express your feelings this Valentine’s Day than with a delicious, homemade breakfast full of love!

Whether you’re looking for a romantic breakfast in bed to dish up for your sweetie or a Valentine’s Day treat for the family, everyone will be delighted with these delightful chocolate waffles. Serve with powdered sugar or with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Don’t have fresh strawberries? Use strawberry preserves or jam.

Make your waffles heart-shaped with a heart-shaped waffle iron.

Chocolate Waffles (makes 5 to 6 waffles)

3 oz. (3 squares) melted unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter or shortening, melted
3 eggs
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. Watkins Vanilla
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ to ¾ cup chopped nuts, optional (walnuts or pecans)
¾ cup milk
powdered sugar, optional
strawberries, optional
whipped cream, optional

Place chocolate and butter or shortening in small saucepan. Melt over low heat. Set aside to cool. In separate bowl, beat eggs and salt until light in color. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat by hand to combine, then fold in the cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in flour and nuts. Slowly add enough milk to make a thick batter.

Preheat the waffle maker. Cook waffles according to instructions for waffle maker. Spoon waffle batter onto preheated waffle grid. Close lid and bake until signal indicates waffle is done. Remove and serve. (Waffles will store well for several days if wrapped in plastic.)

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com
www.everydaynecessities.com

Pin It

Filed Under: Moms At Home, Recipes & Tips, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , ,

Easy Valentine’s Craft For Kids

February 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Howdy, ‘Moms …In A Blog’ readers! Tracy has been so sweet in inviting me over here to share with you. My name is Lisa Roberson, a.k.a. LisaMarieMary, a.k.a. “Mrs. Lisa” (from ‘My Very Own Mail’) – so anytime you see someone spouting off on the web by any of those names, you know you’ve just run into me! And as I spend oodles and caboodles of time on the web, you never know where you’ll run into me next! ;)

Valentine’s Day is a super fun holiday for crafting and today I’d like to share with you a really simple and fun craft that I found on a few videos online. I’ve even made one myself to show you! There are two videos that share slightly different variations of the craft. The craft is making a Valentine’s Man or a Valentine’s Person. You can really have fun with this one, because not only is it easy, but, you can really put your own spin on it. In fact, mine actually came out looking sort of like a Valentine’s Monkey-Man. Really, I’m not kidding. Heehee!

Okay, let’s check out the first video. This is Stacey from Expert Village showing us how to make very simple Valentine’s Day Heart People:

In the next video, we have Courtney from Expert Village teaching us how to make a super easy Valentine’s Day Heart Person:

I took some ideas from each of them, put my own little spin on it, and came up with my monstrously darling, Valentine’s Day Monkey-Man:

Valentine's Heart Person

Valentine's Monkey Man!

Valentine's Heart Man

Isn't he cute?

I actually made my ‘person’ out of two hearts, just to add a little more color to him. And then I dug through my craft scraps and pulled out foam pieces and googly eyes. I also got out some short pieces of multi-colored ribbon, because, I wanted him to have hair. I used regular Elmer’s glue and I wished I could have found my giant glue stick, because, I wound up with a lot of bumps on my paper. I do have the coolest big glue stick around here somewhere. I think it’s cool, because, I’d never seen one so big before. It’s hiding from me, though. Someone’s going to have to clean this place up so I can have all my craft supplies in proper order!

Speaking of all your craft supplies, you could really make this project in any way that you want. In fact, I used printer paper, because I don’t have any construction paper right now. And you could just use paper and crayons or markers. Or another way that would be fun would be to tear pieces of construction paper out for the eyes and mouth and everything. I love the look of torn construction paper. Oh – that reminds me of another fun Valentine’s project I saw on the web. I will make one tomorrow and tell you all about it!

Pin It

Filed Under: Valentine's Day Tagged With:

For Valentine’s Day Give the Real Gift of Love AND It’s FREE

February 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Guest Post By Susan Birmingham

Thinking of what to give your loved one for Valentine’s Day? Think back to when you first met. How did you feel when your first saw him? When did you know that you loved him? When did you know “he” was the one? What were the feelings you had? What thoughts were running through your mind? Let him know how you feel on the most celebrated “love” day, Valentine’s Day.

Once you have reminded yourself why you married him now give him the greatest gift – a love letter. Yes, write your special someone a love letter. All you need are your thoughts, memories, feelings, paper and pen. This is a gift from the heart and it is absolutely FREE, costs you nothing and gives you both everything.

Let him know what he does that curls your toes. Let him know how you feel when you think about him now. Tell him what he means to you in your life. Tell him all the things you may have never said but have thought and felt. Make this Valentine’s Day the best one you have ever had, that’s what love can and will do for you if you let it. So go ahead, throw caution to the wind, spill you guts and really let him know that he is your One and Only! Seal it with a kiss and give it to him with a hug. You are both going to reap the benefits!

—————————————————

SusanSusan Birmingham is a trained coach from The Coaches Training Institute and works as a Relationship and Marriage Coach based in Long Beach California. Susan is also an expert in helping women give themselves the ultimate in self-care, building self-esteem. Even when you think you’ve got it she takes you to another level of awareness. She works with women from all walks of life helping them get on the right track to creating a Successful Marriage.

Susan broke the code and today she has the real credentials that count, married to her Ideal Mate, Jim, for over seventeen years they are more in love each day! She has mastered the Secrets of a Successful Marriage and Romantic Relationship. Today Susan describes herself as a woman, a coach, an entrepreneur, a wife and a lover of life!

Susan’s blog is www.esteemprinciple.com/blog and her website is www.esteemprinciple.com

Pin It

Filed Under: Valentine's Day Tagged With: , ,

Free But Romantic Valentine’s Dates

February 10, 2009 By 1 Comment
Romantic Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

All you have to do is turn on the news for 5 minutes and odds are you’re going to hear about job losses and the economy. The recession has effected everyone and we’re all looking for ways to cut back expenses to make it though. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun, romantic Valentine’s day date – it just means you have to be creative!

Here are some great date ideas for Valentine’s using stuff you already have!  These free but romantic valentine’s dates are sure to please you and your hunny bunny.

1. Late Night Candlelight Picnic

To pull this one off you’ll need picnic food, a nice big blanket, pillows, some music and some candles.  After the kids are in bed, lay a soft blanket out on the living room floor with lots of pillows. If you have a fireplace or a “fireplace” DVD – you can use that to add to the ambiance. Find all the candles you can around the house and set them up around the living room, play some of your favorite music and turn out the lights for a romantic candlelight glow.  Enjoy your picnic, and whatever may follow! Make sure to spend a little time telling each other why you love each other.

2. A Walk in the Park

Where I live it’s still cold and snowy – but if you’re lucky enough to live in an area that is a little warmer, take time to go for a walk with your spouse! A local park or an area close by that has special meaning to you is a great choice. When my husband and I were dating, we used to taking the walking trails through the local park and then sit by the pond and talk for hours. For us, reliving that old tradition would be a fantastic, romantic way to spend an afternoon. If you have smaller children, enlist the help of a friend or family member to watch them while you are out. You may need to plan your date for the day before or after, but this will save you childcare costs. Perhaps you know another couple that would want to exchange sitting services?

3. An Old Movie Date

Dinner and a Movie is a pretty traditional date – one that can also cost a fortune once you add gas, tickets, snacks, dinner and a sitter. So, plan a movie night in. After the kids have gone to bed, set up the TV in your bedroom.  Pop your own popcorn and make some punch. Curl up in bed and watch an old movie you both love but haven’t pulled off the shelf in a while.  Combine this idea with the picnic idea for a complete dinner and a movie date!

Pin It

Filed Under: Marriage, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , ,
« Older Posts

Freebies

If you know of a free resource you'd like to see listed here or on our main page, please email me at … [Read More...]

Affiliates

Get Paid To Spread the Word about our eBooks & Products     You'll receive 50% … [Read More...]

Posts from the Past

To the Top

Find Us On

Let's Get Social!