Happy Valentines Day

I want to wish you all a Happy St. Valentines Day!  This is my Valentine to You 

“To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others.”

― Anne-Sophie Swetchine

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”

― Flavia Weedn

                         I would love to hear what you consider "Romantic"? For Valentines Day would you like to recieve

1). One dozen long stem roses (or your favorite flowers)
2). A box of decadent chocolates with a Valentine Card
3). A candlelit dinner for two (preferably cooked by your sweetie)
4). A romantic movie, play, or concert
5). A hand written poem from your lovers heart.
6). For the love of all that is good and Holy, a babysitter and a hot bath

What is your favorite romantic?

1). Book
2). Movie
3). Song
4). Famous Couple
5). Movie Star

Just in case you were wondering what my answers would be :) A hand written poem.
Book- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Movie- Casablanca, The Wedding Day, Sense and Sensibility (sorry, it was too hard to choose only one :)
Song-  How do I Live  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFnD3uwKHag
Famous Couple- Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Movie Star- Antonio  Banderas

Sweetheart Rose Pave Valentine Arrangement Tutorial

It's the most romantic time of year, and I wanted to give you a pretty, inexpensive and easy floral arrangement  to make for Valentines Day.

You will need
1- bunch of miniature roses, also called sweetheart roses or spray roses. I picked an antique pink color ($10, you will have some left over)
1- heart shaped shallow dish, I bought this at the dollar store, don't you love it? ($1.00)
Scissors
1/4 block of wet floral foam or 3 medium floral frogs (wet floral foam is for fresh flowers and is different than floral foam used for silk flowers)
1 block of floral foam retail for around $4.00, you will only need about 1/8th of one block
1 medium frog retails for between 3-4 dollars at the hobby store
Water

This is a floral frog, the teeth hold the stems of your flowers in place, it can be used over and over again, you can buy them in different sizes in the floral department of your hobby store.  For this arrangement you would use three medium. Make sure you wash them with soap & warm water after each use (so you don't spread any bacteria).

Here is a one inch slice of wet floral foam. It will absorb a lot of water. Which ever method you use, you don't want the frog or the foam to go to the edge of the heart bowl. You will actually be placing a row of roses around the edge of your mechanics  so that they don't show through the glass.  Floral foam cuts and slices very easily with a knife.

If you need to, remove any outer petals (called guard petals) from the roses. Do this until you've removed all torn, stained, or bruised petals.  Don't worry a rose has a lot of petals and this will make all the difference in how pretty your finished arrangement looks.

Starting at the outside edge cut rose stems to 1 1/2 inches long and place them so they lay as evenly in the bowl as possible. You will need to play with them a little (that's OK). I found a cute red glitter pick that I put in my arrangement. Make sure to keep your arrangement watered.

This is such a great arrangement for a Valentine dinner because it's low and it won't block the view into your sweetie's eyes :)   Another great thing about this arrangement is that the short stems allow water to go directly to the rose and the roses will last longer than long stem roses.

From this view, you can see why we didn't want the foam or the frog to show.  If you don't want to worry about this you can always use double sided tape and wrap ribbon around the edge.  I hope you try this, and please feel free to ask any questions. 

Vintage Valentines

I love Vintage images, and I love romantic vintage images even more :)  I wanted to share some vintage Valentine images with you. There are so many ways to use these. Consider making a Valentines garland for your mantel, or use them as gift tags for Valentine treats.

Here a vintage Valentine image is tied with silk ribbon and used as a place card setting. It really gives this Valentine table a special touch of romance.

How adorable are these Edwardian Children surrounded by pansies and a heart?

Vintage images can make just about anything seem more romantic, even a drinking straw :)

Consider embellishing your images with ribbon, glitter, or lace.

A sweet little cupid :)

Click on each image for a larger and crisper look at the image

Even if your image isn't a pop up card like this one, you could easily make a stand for it, or place it in a small easel.  A display of several vintage Valentines in dollar store frames would make a pretty vignette

I hope you enjoy these vintage Valentine images and find lot's of creative ways to use them. Wouldn't these be so sweet for your kids to give to their teachers, or for you to give to your sweetie?  Please let me know if you find any unique ways to use these, I would love to post your artwork :)

Happy New Year 2012

Well here we are, right at the doorstep of 2012.  It's time for New Years resolutions and to reflect on the past year.  I thought it might be fun in the chaos of the season to share some of my hopes, dreams, and resolutions for the upcoming year and show you some of my favorite inspirations for New Year Decor.  I  wish you a joyful, and love filled 2012!

I resolve to do more kissing and hugging this year.  I love to kiss and hug, it's the best (and least expensive) way I know to make you feel happier and more relaxed and the same time.

I resolve to go on more picnics. I live in a beautiful state and I would like to spend more time enjoying it.

 I resolve to become a better photographer this year.

I received a new camera for Christmas knowing this was something I really wanted to do this year.  God give me the wisdom to not only be a better photographer, but to appreciate the beauty and love around me.

I resolve to become a better and more creative cook.  I think I'm a better cook this year than I was last year, and I hope to be a better cook next year than I am this  year.  Cooking is one thing you can never be too good at :)

I would really like to make a cozy place in my garden where I can go to relax, to contemplate, and to pray, a place of peace and beauty.

I would really love to hear some of your goals and dreams for 2012.  I would also love to know if there's anything in particular that you would like to read in this blog :)

Make sure you come back next week since I will be posting a very fun give-away.  But most of all let's hope that this is one really great year, I wish you health, I wish you passion (for many things) I wish you hope,  I wish you faith, but most of all I wish you lots and lots of  LOVE!


                    HAPPY