Food Ideas for Valentine’s Day

I love creativity, especially when it comes to

food design ideas during the holidays!

The following are some creative ideas I found on the internet and Pinterest, for Valentine’s Day.

They inspired me so I’m sharing them with you… 

Enjoy the Creativity!

EILEEN

Red ice cubes in a white drink, or…

white ice cubes in a red drink?
Either way, it’s heartfelt! LOL

Add marble before filling to create heart-shaped cupcakes

Cocoa with Marshmallow Heart –
cut from the large Kraft
s’mores marshmallows

courtesy of Bakarella

Cut slit in cookie prior to baking

Cinnamon Hearts made from slices of refrigated cinnamon rolls

courtesy of Land o Lakes

My kind of breakfast!

Directions for making heart-shaped tomato

These are mine!
Look for the simple, easy directions
under my RECIPE tab.

Shabby Chic Valentine Fireplace

[As always, click on any photo to view it larger]

Time to decorate the fireplace for Valentine’s Day!

It can look so much nicer to hang something large and Valentine themed over (and under) a mantel full of decorations because it enlarges the look of your festive display.  But, one problem is that Valentine themed art is very hard to find and can be expensive so why not create your own?

Step 1 – search your local thrift store for a wooden frame.

A wooden frame can be any color because it’s easy to paint.  I found this one last year (it was a dirty, dusty brown color) and painted it white to create a shabby chic look to use in some Spring themed decor.

For Valentine’s Day, I added a red, beaded garland (using spots of hot glue, here & there to secure it) to the frame temporarily and displayed a lightweight wreath of roses from a bow and ribbon in the center of the open frame.  Viola!

HELPFUL HINT:  I hung the frame on an existing nail, but you could also attach the bow to the top of the frame and lean it against the wall.

Step 2 – “new-purpose” old decorations!

A common thread you will notice in my style of decorating is that I re-use (or “new-purpose”) decorations I already own and many times, for a different holiday!  Do you remember the faux fern I used to border the snow under my Fairy themed Christmas tree a couple of years ago?  Check out how nice it looks along the back of the mantel with last year’s Dollar Store roses and a $1.00/pkg. of pink, glittered hearts (Dollar Tree) tucked in.  It serves as a beautiful backdrop to my sweet Cupid, 2 heart-shaped topiaries and faux rose petals on the mantel.

And just in case you were wondering how roses might look on a tree, for Christmas, check out the rose-themed tree I designed for a client.

Also, if you have a large Valentine sign (like this “BE MINE” from Home Goods), you can use it to decorate the front of a mantel, by removing the hanger and using “Tack-it” (temporary gummy adhesive) to secure it in place for the holiday.  I just love how these 2 additions simply & inexpensively enlarged my Valentine’s Day mantel design.

Step 3 – Don’t forget the details!  I’ve had my sweet, little Angel for a long time, but this year (for the first time) I happened to notice that she had a tiny bird on her shoulder.  Keeping in mind that LOVE comes in all shapes & sizes, I used my hot glue gun to add a small heart to his beak because… of course, he would bring her a little Valentine’s Day greeting!

And if you like the little glass votive candle holder I placed in front of my Cherub, it was super easy to create!  The glass votive is a plain one I purchased at the dollar store and added the word “LOVE” to, using my favorite self-adhesive vinyl letters (see office supply stores for these, in all fonts & sizes).  You could also use a stencil and paint or etching cream to add a heartfelt sentiment.  The candle was even a bargain because I purchased it after Christmas for pennies!

Enjoy the creativity, and…

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Eileen

Spread a little “LOVE” with your Valentine Car

Valentine’s Day is coming soon and (I’ll bet you would have never guessed this, but…) I love to decorate my home for this holiday of hearts. 😉

This year, I decided to spread the message of “LOVE” a little further, by adding a few hearts to my car.  People add wreaths, ribbons & lights to their cars at Christmas time, so why not express a little JOY for Valentine’s Day too?

It was easy & inexpensive to do.  I found a glittery, weatherproof Valentine heart at Michael’s Crafts and added self-adhesive, felt pads to the back (to protect my car) and finally, zip-tied it to the front grill.

Next, I found some fun, inexpensive Valentine magnet sets.  They’re marketed for display on a refrigerator or dishwasher, but I added a few to the back of my car.  There are so many in the package, that I can share with neighbors, family & friends!

(If you are unable to find the magnet sets, I have a limited supply in my SHOP)

So, if you decide to spread a little “LOVE” around your own town, it won’t matter if the other drivers are in front of or behind you because, either way, they’ll enjoy your subtle message of “LOVE”…  and I’ll bet it brightens their day too!!

Enjoy the Creativity!

EILEEN

Nostalgic Surprise Party: LEGEND OF ZELDA

[CLICK on any photo to view it larger]

This creative idea is the perfect (surprise birthday) party theme for someone who grew up playing classic video games.  I have to admit that I don’t know much about video games (past or present), but that didn’t stop me from having a blast, making my share of the food & decorations for this nostalgic surprise party, based on the classic video game series – THE LEGEND OF ZELDA.

Knowing that the (birthday) guest of honor typically arrives home through his front door, we concentrated our largest decorating efforts there.  We turned his living room into a scene from ZELDA – the Dungeon, where the character GANON awaits you (near the end of the game).  The decorating crew began by installing a wall scene setter from the party store.  And we used a new removable, hanging product on the market (QUICK CLICK) to hang the BAT characters.  Recently, the manufacturer sent this product to me to test and it was definitely two thumbs up!  I plan to use them a lot during the holidays to suspend ghosts, ornaments, snowflakes, etc. (from my ceiling). This Made in the U.S.A. removable product works on any surface and holds up to 2 lbs.  Check out how the finished room looked…

And around the house, Zelda fan art was displayed…

Here’s all of the handmade Zelda-representative props, from various versions of the game, that we also displayed around the house.  I’m especially proud of the budget-friendly, DEKU Tree because I created this 8-foot, 3-D decoration with nothing more than a roll of brown paper, sponge brush, black paint and a picture (to go by)….

The Gelatinous Creatures & Bombs were made using a balloon & paper mache’

The Birthday Crew even took the party theme into consideration when planning the food…

My food contribution was the ELIXIR SOUP (White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe, located under the RECIPE tab in top tool bar of my blog) and the GUARDIAN ACORNS.  To make the acorns, I used melted chocolate to assemble 3 easy-to-find ingredients: Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, mini Vanilla Wafers and Butterscotch Morsels.  I think these acorns would also be a fun dessert snack in the Fall!

The Birthday Crew did a great job bringing this classic video game to life.  All of the planning and hard work was definitely worth it because the Guest of Honor was completely surprised and totally impressed by all of our efforts.  Personally, I also owe them a HUGE thank you for explaining the game details to me so I could share our combined, creative effort with you!

Enjoy the Creativity!

Eileen

A Cozy Valentine’s Day

[CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO SEE A LARGER VIEW]

So many places are still chilly during the Valentine’s Day season, so here is a cozy spot to curl up with a book, magazine or on the lap of your sweetheart.  And if you compare these photos to The Seasonal Home’s 2011 Christmas photos, you’ll notice that many Christmas decorations were re-purposed to create our Valentine’s Day scene, including:

White Christmas Tree, White Christmas Wreath. 3 Red Glitter Cones, and a Planter (tree is in) has been spray painted white.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Enjoy the Creativity!

Eileen

Bring the Garden “inside” for Valentine’s Day!

If you happen to have a sweet outdoor decoration, similar to the one I have used below, have some fun and dress it up for Valentine’s Day!  If you don’t have one, check the garden section of any store.  I found mine at Home Goods (www.homegoods.com)

If your sweet angel has been outside, of course, wash it very well with hot, soapy water before beginning this project. Place your angel on top of a cake plate, add some silk flowers…. done!  Since my angel has a tiny bowl, I even placed Conversation Hearts in that for guests.   This would be a wonderful decoration to place in your foyer, side table, coffee table or serving table for your guests.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

[Do you like this design and the VALENTINE Theme Tree?  For more ideas like this and some heartwarming ideas for creating traditions to go with it, check out my book at www.CreativeFamilyTraditions.com]

Design/Image/Idea copyrighted by Creative Families, LLC. All rights reserved.

LARGE Valentine’s Day Decoration Idea

Design/Image/Idea copyrighted by Creative Families, LLC. All rights reserved.

I’ve been hearing from a lot of readers of my book that lighted Valentine’s Day decorations are extremely hard many times, especially large ones!  So, to help solve this problem and continue with my theme of recycling Christmas decorations, here’s another idea for you to try:

First, determine where you want to display a large lit, red Valentine’s Day heart on the exterior of your home.  Consider the windows or a large exterior wall in the front of your home.  Once you’ve decided where it will hang, pull out one strand of 100-count “RED” Christmas lights (preferably with white wire, but this is not a necessity) for each red heart you wish to create.  Determining where you will be hanging the light strand heart will also guide you as to what type of hanging tools you need to use.  As you can see in the photo below, the heart I created is on the front of a window.  Placing my light strand heart in this location also made it easy to hang.  I purchased a package of small suction cups that have hooks attached and placed them (apx. 18” apart) in a heart shape on my window panes.  Starting at the bottom (where I plugged in the light strand), I used the hooks to keep my light strand in place while creating the perfect heart shape.  So, if you have a lot of red lights, go ahead.. have some fun!  And if you take any photos of your creations when done, please share… I would love to see your creations too!

P.S.  Don’t forget to place heart pillows on any outdoor chairs you have… cute!

[Do you like this design and the other unique decoration ideas on my blog?  For more ideas like this and some heartwarming ideas for creating traditions to go with them, check out my book at www.CreativeFamilyTraditions.com]

Recycling Christmas Lights for VALENTINE’S DAY!

 

Here is another FUN recycling idea!

Surely, you’ve either seen or owned a few sets of lighted Candy canes that are commonly displayed during the Christmas season.  Below is an ingenious idea for recycling them for another 45 days.  Typically, they come in a boxed set, anywhere from 3 to 6 candy canes. 

If you’d like to try this double-holiday idea, purchase lighted candy cane sets with even numbers (in the set) because you will need 2 canes for each heart.   Once you have the amount you wish to use, insert the spiked ends (located at the bottom of each cane) into the ground as always (immediately next to each other), making sure the cane tops face each other, in sets of 2.  Use a rubber band, fishing line or wire to hold the top ends together (see Detail Close-up below).

Design/Image/Idea copyrighted by Creative Families, LLC. All rights reserved.

As you can see (in the photos), you now have a row of heart shapes throughout your front yard Garden.  When lit, you don’t notice the (candy cane) stripes any more if you purchase the canes with larger red (vs. white) stripes.

Design/Image/Idea copyrighted by Creative Families, LLC. All rights reserved.

Design/Image/Idea copyrighted by Creative Families, LLC. All rights reserved.

[Do you like this design and the other unique decoration ideas on my blog?  For more ideas like this and some heartwarming ideas for creating traditions to go with them, check out my book at www.CreativeFamilyTraditions.com]

 

Valentine’s Day Wreath

Design/Image/Idea copyrighted by Creative Families, LLC. All rights reserved.

In my book are 2 wonderful ideas for recycling a white Christmas greenery and (FREE!) outdoor elements to create a Valentine’s Day tree that will become a loving & lasting tradition in your home.  But, those aren’t the only things you can reuse at Valentine’s Day.  White is the new “green” and it’s the perfect silk greenery color to use when transitioning from one holiday to the next.

The photo above shows you how a white Christmas wreath can be recycled as a Valentine’s Day decoration.  Don’t forget to also consider a white garland, filled with heart-shaped ornaments, many of which you will find in the leftover piles of discounted Christmas ornaments!