DIY Papercut Valentine's Card

Hello my friends! I had my second of three exams today and now I'm back for a cute Valentine's Day DIY that I whipped up a few weeks ago already. I'm so very pleased with the result and I hope you are, too. The words on the card can be changed to whatever you like and they will be in your handwriting! Such a very special and personal gift for a loved person!

You'll need: White and mint green card stock and some origami paper or similar paper with a pastel colored delicate flower pattern. A piece of paper to draw your design on. A Ruler. A pencil and a thin black marker. A Cutter, a stapler and paper glue.

[1] With ruler and pencil draw two straight lines, 5 inches each. Write your message on the middle 3 inches (or less) of each line. Use rather big letters and leave enough space between words, it will be useful for the next step.

[2] Now take the black marker and draw around the pencil lines. Leave an equal distance from both sides of the pencil lines and trace around the straight lines as well. Cut the paper you drew on to size and staple it to the mint-colored card stock.

[3] Start cutting out the design by tracing only the black lines and cutting through the white paper and the mint card stock at the same time (no pencil residues on the card stock!) . And it might seem easiest to start cutting the outline first, but you really should start with the smallest bits and tiniest spaces. It will save you a lot of work and time if you do so. Trust me!

[4] If you're done cutting the words, take a 10''x7'' piece of white card stock and fold in half (5''x7''). Cut out a heart-shaped piece of card stock (max. width 5 inches of course) from the front side of the card.

[5] Glue the mint colored pieces to place from the back side.

[6] For the inlay, take a piece of card stock or paper that is a little bit smaller (mine is folded ca. 4.5''x6''). Glue the origami paper to the outside of the inlay card and voila! a beautiful background for your minty message!

You can now finish the project with a love note inside the inlay, add a lipstick kiss or two, and then surprise the one special person in your life with this beautiful and very personal Valentine's card.

Favorite Valentine's Day Treats

Are you ready for SUGAR!? I picked some of the most delicious and also totally adorable Valentine's Day treats for you. Who could resist the loveliness of a pastel pink "xoxo"-cookie or a heart shaped strawberry pancake? Definitely not me! And look at these marshmallow pops! I L.O.V.E. marshmallow pops, they're my all-time favorite. It's basically sugar with sugar on top, but who cares! For the healthy and hearty eaters among us I added these cute heart-shaped fruit kebabs and the sweetest (not in taste of course!) Valentine's Day mini pizzas you'll ever see.
The instructions for all Valentine's Day treats can be found on the linked pages. Have a yummy Valentine's Day y'all!

1- Marshmallow pops  2- "xoxo"-cookie  3- Red velvet cupcakes in a jar  4- Valentine's Day mini pizzas  

5- Red velvet milk shakes  6- Heart-shaped fruit kebabs   7- Heart shaped strawberry pancake   

8- Valentine bark

Cake Toppers for Valentine's Day

To get in the mood for Valentine's Day I whipped up a few "love"-ly projects that I want to share with you. The first idea I had were heart-shaped felt cake toppers, but because I couldn't find red felt in my bags and boxes of craft supplies I changed my mind and came up with plain and glittery paper cake toppers and I'm pretty much in love with them! They are fast and easy to make and oh so pretty!

You'll need: Red and pink card stock. Glue. Scissors. Red and pink glitter (I used colorless glitter for the pink hearts, works just as well.). Wooden sticks.
Start with cutting out hearts. I chose some bigger and some smaller hearts in pink and red. Don't forget to make pairs of two, because you need a front and back side! Now take a pair of two similar paper hearts and spread glue all over one of them. Place the stick on it and cover with the second paper heart. You might have to press them together for a little while. Let dry completely.
Now you could leave the hearts like they are like in the second picture above, but who doesn't love a little glitter? For the glitter cover one side of the heart with glue and sprinkle with glitter. I didn't sprinkle. I drowned it in glitter (and it was fuuun!). Let the glue underneath dry for a bit and tap off loose glitter. Repeat for the other side if you like.

I made mine with only one glittery side. And if you're wondering why I named the project "cake toppers" and then only put them in a glass vase: I'm sorry! I didn't have a cake at hand and was neither willing to make one nor did I want to go out and buy one. I had a lazy day. But I actually think they look great in a vase, too!