getting ready for Valentine's Day

I can't believe Valentines Day is in 2 weeks. Where did January go? I guess we kept so busy it just flew by. February is a short but sweet month thanks to Valentines Day. Any reason to celebrate is something I love. Valentines Day is a holiday that my husband and I usually celebrate at home instead of out to dinner. A "date night in" can be just as romantic or even more than a night out. I learned awhile back that going out to eat with all the others celebrating the same holiday just wasn't my idea of an intimate outing. The crowds, waiting for a table, and sometimes sub par food, drove us to think of other ways to show express our love and appreciate for each other. Plus, now as parents of young children, we've also made it a family holiday. During valentine's week, I usually have a few fun craft and baking activities for the kids to help with. I make their valentine's cards using photos of the kids and/or our family. I like these types of cards better than the little card kits sold for kids to pass out. This year I am taking advantage of shutterfly's valentines card promotion*. They have several card templates that make it easy to add personal touches and notes. I've made my own in the past, but the card templates shutterfly offers are not only very convenient, they are adorable.

As for gifts, I like personalized items make special gifts. I am considering making little photo books as gifts for the kids' teachers and therapists. Something that says how much they mean to us. There are so many photo gift ideas to chose from, so I'm still undecided. Better make a decision soon, so the gifts are delivered in time, huh?

I'm also considering making cute mugs as teacher gifts. I figure if they don't use it for coffee, it'd make a really cute pencil holder for their desks.

After a few months of sugary sweet treats, I almost don't want anymore candy. Almost :) At least with these gift ideas I'm sure to reduce our sugar intake a bit.

*Right now, shutterfly is offering bloggers 25 free cards for sharing what Valentine's Day means. I hope I touched on what it means to me. It's a holiday that we don't go overboard on, but do like to make a point to celebrate love and appreciation of those closest to us. Cute cards, sweet gifts, and a few fun activities make our Valentine's day complete :)

Creative seating options

I recently bought "as is" slipcovers at IKEA. All pieces less than $20. I recovered our living room couch with one set and still had a chaise lounge chair set. I was happy to see this set fit my ottoman cushion and bookcase and a large floor pillow. Together it makes a great reading nook in the playroom (black seat) Then the other day I came across a secondhand chaise lounge chair that I couldn't pass up (for $12 and it seemed brand new). So now we have a few options for seating besides the floor.

Getting organized: pantry

I have been working through our house organizing. I enjoy the beginning and the final outcome, but all the time in between is tedious. It's still worth it. Now I can work on meal planning and grocery lists and have a better idea of what we need (and don't). I also realized our pantry still isn't big enough even after being organized. Guess I will make space in the garage.

The "new" couch

I finished the pillows and ottoman covers. So this project is 99% done. Just need to finish a few seams and find one of the matching accent pillows that I'm sure one of my kids toted off to another room.

New couch cover: So close to done

I will finish this. I will. I always get impatient towards the end of a project that takes more than one day. For motivation, I keep placing the pieces on for a peek at the finished product and taking pictures. Almost done. So close...

I just have to piece the arms back together and stitch the bottom strip back onto the sides and back.

Then I can finish by making the ottoman covers and accent pillows. I also want to stuff the top cushions fuller, but that isn't top priority. Finishing the cover is.

Not going to happen tonight. My goal is by the end of the weekend :)

My book sling

Finished the book sling to hang over my new desk. I used a iron shelf I bought at a thrift store (was missing the glass shelf, so it was just a few dollars) and upholstery swatches given to me by a fellow freecycler. I love these book slings and have to make more. I want to put them in other rooms of the house. They are a great way to keep piles off desks, tables and floors.

I also added a pocket for pens, notepads, and other office supplies.

Book storage

I have to admit I can't resist buying books for my kids. Sure we use the library, but I wasn't so good about returning our favorite books on time and those fees add up fast! So buying secondhand books is a lot cheaper and I love picking up a bunch of "new" books to add to our home library. But then there's a storage issue. Not that we don't have the space, but rather how to store them easiest for the kids. Typical bookcases where the books rest side by side never stay like that around here. Most end up on the floor piled up. So new inexpensive ways to stash our books was my plan. I like the low open top bookcase at the local children's library. So I flipped a small bookcase on it's backside and added a top cushion for seating. A bookcase ottoman. It works well, but not all our books fit and I wanted to hang some of our books on the wall. So I made two other shelves: a shadowbox type (from a wooden wine crate) and a book sling (from salvaged parts of a laundry rack and a wooden shelf). I am happy with the finished products. So are the kids :)

What popcorn and marshmallows can do :)