Valentine's Day Crafts - Part 2

Here's another great, and super cute little Valentine's Day craft. My amazingly wonderful Mother knew I was looking for an old Scrabble game and picked one up for me at Goodwill...cause she is super amazing at that!

She got me some great white shelves here.
She helped me find some great stuff for a project here.
She found me this beauty, that I still have big plans for here.
She found me this amazing rug here.
She even finds me stuff on the side of the road, here.

So anyways, like I said...she's pretty much amazing!

So finally, I sat down to crank out a great little project...original idea found at 320 Sycamore.

I picked up a cute little metal heart frame at Target, on clearance...get HOLLA...for $3.98 (regularly $4.99) Then I picked out some sweet heart paper from my mounds of scrapbook paper collecting dust downstairs in the new pantry, the same pantry who's door never seems to stay closed when the Husby and friends work on the basement...arggg! :P

Anywhoodle, that's besides the point.

So I have my paper and my frame. I cut the paper down to the right size...

...I  made sure it looked cute...check!

I picked out the "L, O, V, E, Y, U" letters from the Scrabble game and added some tacky glue to the back...placing them  in order...

                                                                                     Y

                                               L O V E

                                                   U

I sat it in it's rightful place and snapped a few pictures...

I just love it!

So for under $6.00, I have a super cute frame for Valentine's Day...and enough leftover for another fun little project.

You may be asking...So what do you plan to do with the other Scrabble pieces? And, I did have a plan...

Don't mind the background mess in the picture, like I said...I was busy as a bee working on some projects!

I took some old fridge magnets that we never pay any attention to and I cut them up into little squares...then I attached them to the back of the Scrabble pieces with some tacky glue. Let them sit for about 15 minutes and there ya have it...

Some great fridge letters, perfect for an ongoing game of Scrabble, or just some cute little love notes to each other!

I think it was the perfect way to use the leftovers...I even got a "cute babe" response from Husby! :) score.

Great little projecst like this, just make me giddy!!

Valentine's Day Crafts - Part 1

Valentine's Day is 20 days away; and it is a favorite in our house! So this year I just knew I had to whip up some fun Heart Day goodies.

I headed out to Target and picked up some cute Valentine's Day plates and a bowl to match. Then I hopped into JoAnn's to pick up a dowel and some Gorilla Glue.

When I got home, I laid out some paper on the table, snatched up some white paint (just the $.89 kind from any craft store) and painted my dowels that I had Husby help me cut down.

After two coats and letting them dry, I followed the directions with the Gorilla Glue and started attaching my dowels to the plates. This...turned into an ordeal. They most certainly did not want to stick. One dowel in fact fell at least 4 times. Arrrgggg. Just as I was beginning to get frustrated they stuck.

I have to admit though this process took about 2 hours, then right before bed we attached the top tier (the bowl) and went to bed. It fell once, it was fixed and then I went to bed again. Grrrrr.


But...when I got up this morning I met my new sweet little dessert tiered-tray.

I loved it! I can't wait to bake some yummy "low point" goodies for small group next week and share them on my new tray!

Yeah, I know you see it too...the gunk...more on that in a sec...

I must point out one thing. This was the first time that I had used Gorilla Glue. Everyone raves about it and even after the minor topples of last night it seems to have the strength to really hold, however I am not pleased with the foamy hard gunk that I am left with. I'm not sure if that means that I used too much...but I just know that I will have to try and get some of that off.

Isn't it just the cutest! And I saved on making my own! You see Target does sell it's own tray using some of these plates...but it was $9.99 and I just knew that I could make it cheaper. And I did.

Here's the cost breakdown: I got many of these on clearance...whoo hoo! How lucky!? I'm not counting the cost of the Gorilla Glue (which was $5.99, $3.59 with a 40% off coupon, which I used!!), it will lend me a hand in many projects to come.

At Target:

Pink Heart Bowl $1.50 (regularly $2.49)

Red Dot Plate $1.25 (regularly $1.79)

White Heart Plate $1.25 ($1.99)

At JoAnn's Crafts:

Wooden Dowel $.89

Total $4.89

Good enough for a quick little cute project! And I figure you can do this little project for any Holiday! Target always has the cutest holiday plates available! I will however be looking for something cuter to go in place of the wooden dowels.

I know many other people/bloggers have done something similar, so I knew I just needed to try it too! So what do you think of the little project?

Keep your eye out...more to come!

Lovey Day!

April writing...

**Ehhh, don't mind my crappy pictures. (I have been looking at too much photography lately...I am starting to see the downfall in my point and shoot pictures! ha)

So...Lovey Day...Valentine's Day...was great. It always is. In fact, we had TWO days this year!! Husby celebrated me on Saturday and I celebrated him on Tuesday...thanks to work schedules and church! We are used to not celebrating holidays ON holidays!!

So for me...I already got my present about a month ago...my new Nicholas Sparks book...cause Husby couldn't wait to give it to me; and I read through that puppy in a week! So, I was eager to see what else he had planned!!

He got me the "biggest Valentine's card he could find!"...

And the typical funny card...while I am sappy, I do love the silly card too!

Followed by dinner at a restaurant of my choosing. He had printed off two menus of two new places and I picked...The Original Steakhouse in Annapolis.

One word. YUM!

It was SO good! We each had barbecue chicken potato skins to start, then a melt-in-your-mouth steak and I added on king crab legs. OH...it was amazing!

Then we went out to see the movie "Valentine's Day." It was really cute. Overall it was a simple Lovey day and a great time to spend alone with Husby!

*ehhh, wish I would have plucked my caterpillar eyes before this picture...bleehhh :)*

For Husby's special day...I had planned his annual Valentine's clue hunt! This year I had a little bit of a theme...I made paper fortune cookies that held sayings like "Love is for the lucky and the brave." (He could find that clue near all his police statues; then there was "If you want the rainbow, you must put up with the rain." (He found that one in the shower!)

He said it was one of the tougher clue hunts...I actually thought while planning it that I would take it easy on him!! ha! Guess not!

He got a card from me...with "boo bees" on it...haha (inside joke) a new game; Scrabble Slam, a new pair of boxers...with hearts all over them (heehee) and some love coupons...which, much to his surprise I put an expiration date on!! I did this because he was cleaning out one of his drawers in the bedroom not too long ago and ran across some love coupons from last year that he never cashed in...and I jokingly told him they weren't valid any longer...but he said there was not expiration date on them!! haha! Well, I bet he will use them now!!!

He also got his choice of either Chinese dinner out at Pei Wei (see the theme...fortune cookies, Chinese food??!!?) or Chinese take-out at home with a movie rental.

He opted for the night in!! See?! More simplicity...I love it!

So all in all...we had a GREAT 2010 Valentine's Day...how did you spend your Lovey Day??

How we do Lovey-Day

April writing...

Our Eslick Valentine's Day history...

Once upon a time a boy began dating a girl, who felt it was just as important to spoil the guy on Valentine's Day as it was to spoil the lady. Thus began, our Valentine's tradition...

Every year I prepare a clue hunt for Husby. It's different every time. One year it was all clues that had to do with our relationship...one year the clue where centered around pictures. I even did a video clue hunt one year. (That has probably been my favorite one so far...)

...lemme e'splain...

My cousins were in town for a while, and with their creative genius, my goof sense of humor and my sisters desire to be in front of the camera, I created different clues and ways we could act them out. So it was Husby's job to watch the clues one-by-one and then go find the present...that year it was love coupons...(which I realized are basically useless as a gift for him, cause he never cashes them in....hmmm)

Anywho...the kicker to this video clue hunt was that I decided to secretly video tape him while he watched and did the clue hunt.

Oh...boy was THAT priceless! As much as I love to show off that video...I mainly do it with choice friends as not to embarrass poor Husby too much..(there may be some minor nose picking and silly little quirks shown on screen!) It's a great addition to the many keepsakes we have throughout our relationship!

So...like I said...each year they are a little different. I look forward to the clue hunts every year and I have a ball putting them together.

This year I have another "theme" in mind for my hunt...but I won't spill those beans just yet! I don't want to ruin the surprise for Husby!

So that's how WE do Valentine's...and for those feminists out there...YES, Husby takes very good care of me as well! In fact it took me a few years to make him believe that he didn't even need to SPEND a dime on Valentines...I told him he could make me something, or even cook dinner for me. I am a really simple gal; and easily pleased! (He is lucky in that regard!) He's not hugely creative; so for me to expect a clue hunt from him would be a bit far fetched, but who knows! He has surprised me in the past. (there was that one time he made maple pork chops...YUMM!!) And I have been completely satisfied with his many Valentine-loving-gestures from the past!

How do YOU do Valentine's Day?

3 days...

April writing...

...you have 3 days...till V-day. Are you ready?

Ready to share sweet-squirrely love like what's shown above?

I am.

I'm nearly done planning Husby's Valentine's Day Clue Hunt...just like we do every year.

My sweet presents are bought,

...so is the card.

...and I am hoping to get one more present by the time V-day rolls around.

Here's how last Valentine's went down...



Valentine's Day 09 - Clue Hunt from April Eslick on Vimeo.


What are your Valentine's Plans??

Paper Heart Garland

April writing...

Here's a simple DIY Valentine's decoration!! Taken from How About Orange.

Cut colored paper into 3/4" strips. Fold them in half, or if you want some hearts that are twice as big, splice two strips of paper together at the bottom of each heart with double stick tape. Curl the loose ends around a chopstick or pen.

String the heart garland together from the bottom up. Push your threaded needle up through the bottom fold of each heart, then use double stick tape to sandwich the thread between the two halves of the curled tops.

Totally cute. If your snowed in this weekend, like it looks like we might be...this would be a great little project. I know I am going to give it a shot!

It's time for Cory's clue hunt...

April writing...

Here are a few of Cory's clues for his annual Valentine's Day hunt...GOOD LUCK CORY!!! He has to find all the clues to decipher a special message from me! Then he gets his present!!

Lovey Ideas... :)

April writing...

Valentine's Day...it's coming. Hope you are ready. And for those of you who "don't celebrate Valentine's Day"...get real. We all hope to get something special from that someone special!!


So...I figured...(especially since I know that my dear Husby was struggling a bit with some ideas) that I would post some goodies that I wouldn't mind getting for V-Day :)

Wonderful ideas :) And I am easy...such a simpleton!
A. Target gift card - or to anywhere with clothes for that matter :)
B. Dwell Duvet Cover (Queen) - Cause I likes it...and it still matches the room.
C. The new Morgan Style Vera in Raspberry Fizz just in time for spring!
D. Baskets - I think I finally found some that match the size I want!
E. Wall Decor - more for the room...
F. Refurbished iPod Nano - Oh oh and you can get it engraved for free at Apple Online...waahoo.
A.
B. C. D.

E.F.


So there are some of MY ideas...(in the form of a little help fur the Husby too!) So what would YOU like to get for Valentine's Day??!!