Making It In The Mitten: January 2015

Friday, January 30, 2015

Top Five Favorite Valentine's Day Projects (And A Bonus Recipe)

Today I'm sharing with you all some of my favorite valentine's day projects from years past. I am planning to get out all of the valentine's day decor this weekend, and I'm thinking I'm not the only one. Here are a few ideas to decorate your home full of red and pink, hearts, and all things love

Ombre Heart Frame

Chevron Heart Door Hanger

Chalky Heart Candle Holder

Love Blocks Tutorial

Heart Wreath

And now for the bonus recipe:

Valentine's Day Popcorn Mix

What are some of your favorite Valentine's related posts? I'd love to check them out!

Happy Friday!

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Valentine's Day "Love You MORE" Canvas

Fancy meeting you here, and on a Thursday no less! I had every intention to get this post out yesterday, but as you can see that just didn't happen. Instead, I'm over here posting on a Thursday to make up for it.

This project was inspired by all the gold and pink I've been seeing on Pinterest that I am absolutely loving. When deciding what to put on the gold canvas, I went with "love you more" because it is something Adam and I regularly say to each other. One of us usually starts with "i love you" and the other quickly responds with "i love you more." We banter back and forth for a while before one of us gives up. I can't decide if this is adorable or gag-inducing, but we do it anyways.

I already had a canvas, so I only had to purchase the gold spray paint and the pink vinyl.

Money Saving Tip: I always go to Hobby Lobby for my vinyl because they have the much less expensive brand by The Paper Studio, and you can always use a coupon, too!

I always wait until February to bust out the Valentine's Day decor, so I will probably be tackling the rest of it this weekend.

Have you started decorating for Valentine's Day yet?

Also: If you haven't already, head on over to Monday's post and enter my Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Monday, January 26, 2015

A VALENTINE'S GIVEAWAY: Crocheted Heart Coffee Sleeves (Set of Two)

Mondays are always the worst, so I am hoping this giveaway will brighten your day. What better way to start the week, right?

Love is in the air! And while it's not quite February yet, I wanted to make sure to run this giveaway with enough time for the winner to enjoy their coffee sleeves before Valentine's Day!

The winner will receive two heart coffee sleeves (one for you and one for a friend) with their choice of colors from Melanie's Marketplace absolutely FREE!

Stop by Melanie's Marketplace on Etsy to start getting color ideas!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MelaniesMarketplace

You must use the Rafflecopter widget to enter.

Giveaway will be open until Febraury 1st at 12AM. Winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter and notified by email. You will have 48 hours to respond before you lose your prize and a new winner will be chosen. Must be 18 years or older to win. Contest open to US Residents only.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What color combo will you choose if you are the lucky winner?

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Motivational Monday: January 25th

Another week has come and gone oh so quickly. Hope you all had a long, relaxing weekend!
I have finally been diving into a few Valentine's Day projects, and I can't wait to share them with you all!

Also, stop by tomorrow for a Valentine's Day Giveaway!

But for now, it's time for the MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY PARTY!

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Make sure to visit these other 7 wonderful ladies and show them some love!
When you link up with us, your posts are seen all 8 blogs to get you even more exposure!

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The Southern Couture

Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a recent post of yours, something that motivates you to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY, & home posts so please try to remember that when linking up.

Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties.
Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.

Each week, your hosts will choose a few posts to feature from the previous week. If you want a chance at being featured, you must follow all of the hosts. By linking up, you agree to let each host share your photo and link back to your site. Link party goes live Sunday at 6pm PST and ends Thursday at 5pm PST.

Feel free to grab a Motivational Monday button in the sidebar to put on your own blog if you want to help spread the love!

We have some wonderful features to share with you from last week's link up!

Andie from Bravely posted these Open When... Love Letters that are such a sweet idea! This Valentine's Day gift is perfect because it reminds your significant other how much you love them throughout the year, not just on Valentine's Day!

Next up, A Ribbon Retreat shared this Valentine Heart Art that Kim from A Girl and A Glue Gun made! It is absolutely adorable, and a great way to use all that cute Valentine's Day ribbon that's been popping up all over the place

Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured!

PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation

An InLinkz Link-up

Can't wait to see all of your projects this week!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Currently

Reading: Gone Girl! I'm only about 100 pages in so please don't ruin it for me.

Writing: My very first CURRENTLY post. I've been seeing these all over the blogging world and love them, so I figured why not.

Creating: Coffee sleeves like crazy! I also have a few Valentine's Day projects in the works :)

Watching: Married at First Sight. People think I'm crazy, but I'm hooked!

Listening: To my girl Taylor Swift. I just recently bought her new album, and it is my JAM!

Needing: To organize this house! It has been on my to-do list for weeks. I planned to do it over my winter break, but Netflix and crocheting seemed like a much better idea.

Feeling: Sore. I ran today for the first time in a while and my legs are definitely feeling it.

Wanting: A day between Sunday and Monday. Seriously, if I had one more day at home during the week, I feel like my life would be so much less hectic and much more productive... or I would just binge-watch more Netflix.

Loving: Target's Dollar Spot! They have so many cute things it is impossible to say no when they are only a dollar. If I buy one more magnetic note pad, I may need an intervention.

What are you currently up to?

Monday, January 19, 2015

That Time I Hit The Jackpot

I suppose I should start by clarifying. No, I did not win millions playing a slot machine or scratching my addicting cashwords lottery tickets.

When I talk about hitting the jackpot, I am talking about these beautiful silver bins!

Last year, I purchased three bins from TJ Maxx that I thought would look great in my new home office, At that point, I didn't even have a newly decorated home office but I did have all kinds of ideas in my head for what I wanted it to look like, and the bins I found at TJ Maxx were perfect!

I posted this picture on instagram about a year ago, showcasing the bins:

The three bins ended up matching my vision perfectly, and were shown on the blog again with I did my Home Office Reveal this summer.

They ended up matching the home office perfectly and to say I was in love with the bins would be an understatement.

About a month ago, I was in TJ Maxx with my mom when I came across matching bins, and I knew it was meant to be. I was looking for baskets for my craft closet, and these were once again pure perfection. I filled my entire cart and bought every single one they had. I figured if I didn't use them all I could always return them, but if I didn't buy them all, I'd be kicking myself later.
I seriously felt like I had hit the jackpot!

When I got home, they ended up being a perfect fit for the shelves in my craft closet. The only problem was there were two patterns that I needed just one bin more of, and I knew I had bought the store out, so I decided I would just have to make it work... UNTIL:
A few weeks later, I went to Marshall's about half hour away just for fun. When I got to the aisle of storage bins and baskets, they had the two bins I needed!! What are the chances of that?! I snatched those babies up so fast.

After that, it was a sure thing: I had indeed hit the freaking jackpot!

Seriously though, aren't they beautiful?

I'm obsessed... maybe a little too obsessed.
I still can't decide which pattern I like best, they are all just... perfect!

I can't wait to reveal my finished craft closet! Just a few final touches before I show it off!

Happy Monday!

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Motivational Monday: January 18th

Another week has come and gone, and I would like to mention that I successfully survived my last first week of classes (hopefully) EVER! In attempts to avoid homework, I have been working diligently on blog posts, product for my Etsy shop, and Valentine's Day decorations.

This past week, I shared with you the pattern for this beautiful crocheted double-sided shell blanket and my snowy winter vignette.

Now, onto this week's party!

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Make sure to visit these other 7 wonderful ladies and show them some love!
When you link up with us, your posts are seen all 8 blogs to get you even more exposure!

The Dempster Logbook
Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

The Southern Couture

Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties.
Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.

We have some wonderful features to share with you from last week's link up!

Have you seen this Pallet and Pipe Side Table made by Kristina from My Own Home Blog, yet? You have to check it out! It is perfectly imperfect, built AND decorated so beautifully!

This free "Love You Dearly" Printable Gift Tag definitely got me in the Valentine's Day mood! Bethany from Pitter & Glink did such a great job designing this. I love how girly the flowers are, paired with the deer antlers. SO creative!

Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured!

PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation.

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for linking up with us!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Baby It's Cold Outside: A Snowy Winter Vignette

As much as I love decorating for Christmas and having a beautiful tree in the living room, I also love taking all the decorations down and "redecorating" the whole house. Each space always seems so much bigger, and putting up the everyday decor is like a breath of fresh air.

I have never been one of those people that rush to take down the Christmas stuff and rush to put up the Valentine's Day decor. Not that there is anything wrong with that, of course. I just always try to embrace a snowy January inside the house, as well as outside.

This January, I had quite a few new items to add as well as some of my oldies but goodies.

As I mentioned before, this vignette is the perfect blend of old and new, but I didn't have to spend a dime to create it. I had all of these things, or bought them recently to decorate with in other areas of the house.

The Old: white tulle lights, falling snowflake garland, snowflake vase filler, and "baby it's cold outside" printable.

The New: bird cage, light and dark blue fabric balls, navy vase, light blue lantern.

I made the tulle lights a few years back for our Christmas vignette and love them! I like to keep them out in January too so there is more of a snowy look. Last year, I made the Falling Snowflake Garland to hang on the mirror and was pretty impressed with how it turned out. I found the "baby it's cold outside" printable at Over The Big Moon. It has been my go to winter printable for a few years now. The snowflake vase filler is from pier1, as well as the plate.

The silver glitter bird cage came from a friend. I let her borrow some of my wedding centerpieces for her wedding, and she gave me one of her other centerpieces in return. I filled it with some of my fall inspired fabric balls. The navy blue vase was a recent score from TJMaxx's clearance section. I got the light blue lantern during out last trip to Ikea, filled it with some sparkle from our wedding, and added that snowflake candle ornament from yankee candle.

I think the accessorized blue lantern is my favorite part, but I really love the way it all turned out.

How about you? Do you jump right into the Valentine's decor or do you tend to hold off until February comes along?

Happy HUMP Day!