Be My Valentine

I l.o.v.e. this time of year. 

Rainy days, hot popcorn,

catching up on movies,

and

crafting!

Right around early February, I invite friends over for a Valentine's craft-fest, also known as Creative Therapy!  I provide inspiration and all the supplies they need to create an altered art project. 

Next week we're going to make this adorable Valentine's gift, embellished with ribbon, rub-ons, wood hearts, tags, stamps and, of course, CHOCOLATE!  [I thought that would get your attention.]

Starting with a plain tin "take-out" style box (which comes in red, white and silver), I added an "only YOU" rub-on to the front of the container. Then I glued a wooden red heart to the clasp that locks the lid in place. I found some puffy stickers, and adhered a "Be My Valentine" sticker on this heart.

Ribbon adds so much color and texture to a project.  I gathered a combination of red, white and black ribbons, and tied about a dozen 5" strands to the handle.

Then I stamped "sealed with a kiss" onto a circle tag, embossed it, and tied it to the handle as well.

The last step is adding the chocolate kisses! I lined the bottom of the tin with shredded paper, and then filled it to the top with red & silver Hershey Kisses. 

I got a GREAT DEAL: when the holiday candy went on sale [50-75% off], I bought several large bags. After eating removing the green pieces, I used the red & silver wrapped kisses for this Valentine's project. [No one will be the wiser.]   If there are any leftovers, I'll save the green kisses for St. Patrick's Day!

The best part of these craft-fests is that everyone has their own style when it comes to choosing their ribbons and embellishments.  This means that every project looks different, making it truly unique.  I love spending a few hours together with my friends while we relax, chat, and craft.  Creative Therapy is just what the doctor ordered!

 What are your crafting plans over the next few weeks?

Want more Valentine's ideas? 

I [Heart] You Mailbox

 

You Had Me at Hello

A Coordinated Ensemble

Find me having fun at these linky parties

and

Life With Lorelai Home Matters

French Country Cottage

Art is Beauty

Organized 31

I Gotta Create

From My Front Porch to Yours

Knick of Time Vintage Inspiration Party

Fox Hollow Cottage

Cupcakes & Crinoline

Whipperberry valentines-day-link-party

One She Two She

An Original Belle

Chocolate Favors for New Year's Eve

 

Ring in the New Year

with

Champagne, Party Hats

and

Chocolate Favors!

 

Need a quick and festive chocolate treat for your New Year's Eve party?

Look no farther than your local candy & cake decoration supply shop.

Lucky for us, there's one close by.

 

Over the last 20 years, I have built up quite an impressive collection of candy molds that collectively tell the story of our daughters' activities and parties.  Let's see, I remember the ballet slippers, Pooh Bear & honey pots, soccer balls, Ariel & Friends, stars, pianos, teacups, artist palettes, flowers, softballs & bats, not to mention the molds for holidays including Valentine's Day and Chanukah.  I've even made tennis rackets for my tennis group. 

 

So when our daughter wanted to create something festive for New Year's Eve, but didn't have a lot of time, she knew exactly what to do:  chocolate lollipops!  A quick stop at Kake Kreations (isn't that a darling name?) and 30 minutes later, she was busy in the kitchen.  In case you've never made these, let me show you how easy it is.

 

Supplies  

2-3 bags of 1 lb. bags of (milk, dark or white) chocolate candy wafers, 4" sticks, small cellophane bags, plastic squeeze bottle, and of course your candy mold of choice.  Our daughter found one with a party hat, champagne bottle and martini glass! 

 

You will also need a warming tray or griddle, kitchen towel, 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup or bowl, a mixing spoon and an empty shelf in your freezer!

 

Start by pouring about 1/2 lb. of wafers into a Pyrex bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute at 50% power.  Stir.  Microwave for another 30 seconds at 50% power and stir again.  Repeat 2-3 times until the chocolate is melted, but not burnt! 

 

Pour chocolate into squeeze bottle, and slowly fill molds.  Do not overfill.  Tap mold gently so chocolate spreads into the small corners of the molds.   For those molds that require sticks, place stick into mold, turning stick slightly into chocolate. 

 

Place mold into freezer for 8-10 minutes until firm. 

 

While waiting, place both Pyrex bowl and squeeze bottle onto warming tray or griddle, on top of a clean kitchen towel.  Be sure griddle is set at lowest warming temperature.  This keeps chocolate melted and ready for next fill.  Repeat as many times as you need, melting 1/2 lb. of chocolate at a time. 

 

Gently turn mold upside down and pop out chocolate onto paper towel.  

 

Place chocolate molds into individual cellophane bags.

 

Tie with festive curling ribbon.

 

You can also create tags with each guest's name or with "Happy New Year" and tie them to the stick as well.  These can be used as table place cards.  Or poke these into a Styrofoam block, covered with bright cellophane and use it as a centerpiece. 

 

And here's a hint to getting the leftover chocolate out of the bottle:  place in freezer for an hour.  Then squeeze bottle, loosening chocolate from sides, and shake the small chocolate pieces out.  Eat when no one is looking!

 

Have a safe, warm and enjoyable

New Year's Eve celebration! 

 

 

Come party with me at:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alderberry Hill

A Catlike Curiousity

 My Repurposed Life

A Glimpse Inside

Twigg Studios

 

 

         

 

 

  

French Country Cottage

Overflowing with Creativity

Making the World Cuter

 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

They say you can take the girl out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the girl.  Well, in this case, the city.  You can take me out of San Francisco, but you can never take San Francisco out of this girl.  Or something like that.  Let me explain it better with an altered art project.

Recently, as you baseball fans all know, the San Francisco Giants won swept the 2012 World Series.  It was an exciting week, as long as you were rooting for the orange and black uniforms.  To celebrate their win, I created a keepsake using a recycled tin can and a few embellishments...and chocolate kisses. 

I used the same technique as my Pull Tab in Case of Chocolate Emergency altered can.  This project is easily adaptable to any sports team, holiday or event!  It's very easy.  Start with a can of pineapple chunks, soup, beans, or whatever canned food you have around the house.  Be sure the can's bottom has the sharp edge just like the top.  Turn the can UPSIDE DOWN, and using a can opener, remove the BOTTOM "lid."  Eat the contents, then wash the can really well and let air dry.



I used black cardstock paper and a Giants logo that I printed off  their website.  I decoupaged the paper and the logo onto the can, remembering to work UPSIDE DOWN.  I'm repeating this base on experience because it's easy to forget that the bottom will be the top when you are finished.

Since it's Autumn, I found a package of chocolate kisses that were orange, silver and red.  I knew the orange and silver ones would be great as they match the Giants colors.  What to do with the leftover red ones?  Save them for a later project!  [Who am I kidding?  Just eat them.]

I decided to make several of these Giants cans, so I only filled half of the can and used white shredded paper to fill the remaining space.

 

Then glue the "bottom" lid back on.  Last time I made these cans, I used hot glue, but the lid didn't lay flat.  This time, I used the decoupage medium, and held the lid in place for a few minutes.  It created a perfect seal.  No one will be the wiser.  That's the fun thing about this gift.  The recipient will not know how the chocolate got into the "un-opened" can.

Then I added embellishments including orange & white twine [found in the craft aisle for a dollar at WalMart], foam baseball, bat and cap [found an entire package at the grocery store in their dollar bin].  The decoupage worked great for adhering the embellishments as well as sealing the can.  I tied a large orange ribbon to the tab, but felt it needed one more embellishment.

 

 I stamped "SF" onto a small white tag

and tied the tag onto the ribbon.

My niece is a huge fan of the Giants, so I'm going to send this altered can to her.  Maybe in return she'll send me a 2012 Giants World Series baseball cap.  Let's see if she reads my blog!

Editor's Note: 

If you're reading this post in or after September 2013, it is safe to say our beloved San Francisco Giants [will] clinch the division title again...this time, for last place [sigh]. #toomuchpressure

You might also like this project:

Father's Day Photo Canvas

Partying with: Organized31, I Gotta Create, restoration redoux throwback thursday, 733 blog, Making the World Cuter Monday, The DIY Show Off, The Girl Creative, Thrifty Decor Chick, Sarah Dawn Designs Pintastic Monday, Today's Creative Blog, The Gunny Sack, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Home Stories A to Z, Blackberry Vine, A Bowl Full of Lemons, So I Married a Craft Blogger, Sugar Bee Crafts, Romance on a Dime TIOT, Young and Crafty,Polka Dot Giraffe, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Uncommon Designs, Two Yellow Birds Decor, Someday Crafts Whatever goes Wed., Saving 4 Six Think Tank Thursday, I Gotta Create Wildly Original Linky Party, Momnivores Dilemma Creative Juice Thursday, House of Hepworths, Glued to My Crafts Thursday Obsessions

Pull Tab in case of [Chocolate] Emergency

You know the kind of S.O.S. I'm talking about:  those nagging children issues and feelings that only chocolate cures! 

While the bag of chocolates sits in the pantry, package already torn open, ever so slightly, it is just too easy to sneak one piece here, nab one there, a few later, a few sooner...until the next time, when you find the bag is completely void of any chocolate remains except for the slight aroma of cocoa. 

"Who ate the last piece of chocolate?" she screamed, echoing down the long carpet-less hallway.  "Not me!" replied Thing 1.  "Not I," yelled Thing 2.  The dog?  Thankfully, not.  That could only leave one suspect:  "Yes, I confess, Mommy stole the last of the wonderfully decadent chocolate kisses once again."  [Sigh] 

Where is the willpower?  Where is the lock and key? 

The answer:  Create an altered art project.
Thanks to Erin at Making Memories, this project fits the bill.

All you need is a [small] can with a pull tab, a [Pampered Chef] can opener

and an UNOPENED bag of chocolate.

[The blueberry muffin is optional.  It tasted good with the juice.]

The first thing to do
is turn the can upside down. 

Using a can opener that doesn't leave ragged edges, carefully open the

bottom end of can and set aside.

Drink the contents.

Gather fun scrapbook paper and embellishments with a chocolate theme. 

For this project, I also used a tag punch, twine, stamps and a sticker.

Measure the circumference and length of the can,

adding 1/2" to circumference, allowing for overlap.

Cut paper and adhere to can.  Add additional paper if desired. 
I like polka dots.

Punch tag shape from solid cardstock.  Stamp chocolate sentiment on tag. 

This one reads,
"CHOCOLATE:  It's not just for breakfast."

Tie onto pull tab.  I used twine cord.

Using computer, print out

"Directions:  In case of sudden chocolate craving, pull tab."

onto cardstock. Cut out and adhere to can.

Add additional embellishments.  I added a sticker and ric-rac. 
Seal paper with Mod Podge.

This is the difficult part: 

Open bag of chocolate kisses [or chocolate of choice], and fill can to top.

Do NOT [let anyone see you] eat any chocolate during this step.

Using hot glue gun, adhere bottom end back to can. 

That's it! 

Only you and I will know how you got the chocolate in there! 

This makes a great gift, don't you think?

 Or....
I might keep it on my own desk
for emergency chocolate cravings....just in case.

Score:  A 6-Pack!

Enjoying great ideas at:

Craft Love Learn

Ginger Snap Crafts Wow Me Wednesday

Happy Hour Projects, A Glimpse Inside, House of Hepworths, At the Picket Fence,

Fireflies and Jelly Beans, Somewhat Simple, Serenity Now, One Artsy Mama,

Katherine's Corner, The Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Be Different Act Normal,

Summit Street Joy, Flamingo Toes, Keeping it Simple, Craft-o-Maniac Monda,

CRAFT Monday, DIY Home Sweet Home More the Merrier Monday, Making the World Cuter Monday,

Polly Want a Crafter [Monday], The Girl Creative, Serendipity and Spice Manic Monday, Nifty Thrifty Sunday,

Alderberry Hill, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch Cowgirl-Up Party, A Bowl full of Lemons,

Creating Your Home, Vintage Wanna Be, Get Outta My Head Please, Polish the Stars