Jennuine

  The girls and I are busy chocolate-dipping and hot gluing in preparation for Valentine's Day, but I didn't want you to think I had forgotten about you, friends! So, here from my collection is a really swell little Valentine card that captures the style and humor of the era.  Enjoy!

Here's a Valentines Day card, activity and treat all rolled into one --  Valentine Tic-Tac-Toe with sugar cookie Xs and Os! My inspiration?  The adorable Bingo-style Valentine Set* and Wood Stamp Set* from Martha Stewart Crafts.  The pack includes 18 cards, envelopes, and sheets of stickers (25/sheet) -- everything you need for a no-fuss, beautifully coordinated valentine.  You don't have to be crafty.  Just place a card and sheet of stickers in the envelope.  Embellish the envelope with your favorite Martha Stewart stickers (I love the cupcake collection) and rubber stamps! Easy! I couldn't think of a better way to compliment the game-style valentine cards from Martha Stewart Crafts than to come up with my own little classic game-inspired sweet treat to go with it!  Using Martha's classic sugar cookie and royal icing recipes, I whipped up a batch of buttery little cookie game pieces.     The iced cookies got a final touch of whimsy w

This sweet little bird is sending tidings of love your way. As part of the 14 Days of Crafting Love party hosted by Jojo & Eloise , I'm pleased to be sharing my tutorial for Par Avion Messenger Bird Valentine Cards .  I hope you'll forgive the pun, but with the elegant look and feel of the watercolor paper, the romantic blend of vintage ephemera , soft pink, and just a bit of sparkle, these beautiful little cards are truly First Class. How to Make Par Avion Messenger Bird Valentine Cards Tools & Materials Book pages (Cut down to 5" x 7.5") Scissors Watercolor Paper (Cut down to 6.5" x 9") Bone folder (optional, but makes folding the paper easier and crisper) Extra Strength Glue Stick Vellum or paper of your choice for mini envelope P aper of your choice for the note  Pencil Small glue dots  Ultrafine glitter Templates/Printables: Bird Printable (MS Word ) French Postcard Printable (PDF) (image courtesy of The Grap

On Valentine’s Day everyone deserves to be treated like royalty. So what better token  to present to your King or Queen of Hearts than their very own crown?  These diminutive diadems are easy to make, fun to decorate, and cost almost nothing to make.  Made from upcycled cardboard tubes and embellished with scrap paper, cupcake liners, and a bit of sparkle, you can make enough crowns to cover a few dozen royal heads in an afternoon. I decorated my crowns in a Valentine’s Day motif, but the possibilities are endless. In glittering pink, with pompoms on each point or trimmed out in marabou, the crowns would be adorable placecards for a princess party. Wrapped in vintage sheet music and embellished with Dresden trims and German Glass Glitter, they’d make an elegant napkin ring for a shabby chic tea party.   Queen/King of Hearts Valentine’s Day Crowns Cardboard tubes: toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper You can get two crowns o

Anyone lucky enough to be struck by one of these sweet arrows is sure to fall in love!  Today, as part of the 14 Days of Crafting Love event, I'm delighted to be sharing an easy tutorial for making delicious chocolate-dipped marshmallow arrows for Valentine's Day.   Fourteen Days of Crafting Love is hosted by Angelina from  Jo Jo and Eloise and will feature Valentine projects from 10 of your favorite creative lifestyle bloggers.  Be sure to visit Jo Jo and Eloise today for a tutorial on how to make this adorable ruffled apron.   Sewing not your thing? That's okay, Angelina is giving one away at the end of the party!  Be sure to stop by and enter her giveaway! For more Valentine Inspiration, visit : Kristin from  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Lisa and Sarah from  A Spoonful of Sugar Designs Kelly from Live Life Rowe Carol from  The Polkadot Closet Lucy from Craftberry Bush    Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday    Jessica from M

With its rich, seductive scarlet color, raspberry dust is the perfect natural garnish for Valentine's day desserts.  After discovering the secret to making raspberry dust back in November, my first confection to top with this gorgeous little powder was the Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Truffles that I included in my holiday candy boxes.  But I knew right away that for Valentines' Day it would be all about the cream puffs! BE MY VALENTINE? Who could possibly say no when presented with a box of these? You see, I've had a lifelong love of cream puffs -- the buttery, rich, yet airy pastry filled with ethereally light vanilla cream.  Add to that the classic marriage of dark chocolate a raspberry and.... be still my beating heart. A cream puff is all at once comforting and elegant.  They look deceptively complex to make, giving that " Honey, I slaved for hours in the kitchen to make this for you " impression.  On the contrary, the Pâte à Choux (t