The Violet Hours

Time for Little Valentine's Surprises

My favorite way to celebrate Valentine's Day is in the unexpected. Seriously, you can really keep it simple with a big impact.

Add a little red food coloring to milk and freeze it in heart-shaped ice-cube trays. There is not a kid on this planet (or adult) that wouldn't blush over a little love with their milk and cookies. From A Subtle Revelry.

A little more effort (and a bit of skill) goes into this little Valentine's Day surprise. Just stitch a little red heart under his collar, so he'll see it when he's tying his tie in the morning. (Sadly my man wears a tie only at weddings, funerals, and bar mitzvahs. And the occasional geek-chic-under-the-sweater-vest-look.) Via Pinterest. (For the more casual dude, you can just embroider a heart on the inside of the pocket flap comme ça.)

The effort put forth in this cute heart-balloon-in-the-closet surprise from Oh Happy Day is primarily a pulmonary effort. Maybe go for the smallest closet in the house.

Oh yes. Indeed you can even hide a heart in a cupcake. By Sky Blue's Kitchen.

Oh Happy Day (yes again) went as far as to make a heart stamp for these cute cups, but really just grab a red marker and do it freehand. A little hot love on the morning of February 14th is a darn good thing.

Little surprise, big smiles. Will someone forward this post to my husband? xoxo

Time for Jazzed-Up Office Supplies

Getting back into the swing of work on a Monday morning never gets easy (especially the day after hosting a super bowl party). Is there any way to solve this eternal dilemma? Probably going to bed early on Sunday night, eating a healthy breakfast, or exercising at the break of dawn? Nah. Not gonna happen. Maybe some crafty office supplies to look forward to? Yep. That should do it.

Dress up your thumbtacks with nail polish like these from The Modcloth Blog.

Glue corkboard into embroidery hoops and then paint for a poppy wall display. It's okay to hang an excel spreadsheet from one of these, really it is! By Signed by Tina.

Go ahead, take a few minutes and turn your paper clips into hearts. It never hurts to spread a little love around the office on a Monday morning. By How About Orange.

It's not so hard to take apart your staper and give it a little facelift like this color-blocked one from Design for Mankind.

Time for a Super Bowl Party

I got roped into throwing a last minute Super Bowl party, and I'm scrambling a bit for what to make, do, craft, etc. I'm going with the traditional menu of high-caloric, greasy foods that includes wings, Lipton's onion dip, and my husband's Saltine Surprise (basically, it's milk chocolate melted over buttered saltine crackers—he's famous for it). But I refuse to accept a cheesy aesthetic that can be bought at Party City (not that I have anything against the amazing party superstore). So here's my attempt at a tastefully crafted Super Bowl soiree!

I have to cover my table with something, so why not make a little football field? I'll probably go with brown butcher paper, white tape, and white sticker numbers since I have all of those on hand. Photo via Parents.com.

 

Unless you have enough beer koozies for everyone, coasters are a must. I love that I can download these chic, vintage designs from Design*Sponge. Designed by Fawnsberg.

 

And this might be the cutest Super Bowl craft to date. Make your own little "finger" finger puppets in the team colors for the kids. By the talented Kendra Smoot for Holidash.

I will never claim to be a sports fan, but I throw a mean party. Enjoy!

Time for a Toddler's Idea of a Birthday Cake

 

My birthday has come and gone, and as planned, Oliver and I baked a cake together. It took 3x as long as it would have alone, but it was adorable and his enthusiasm for "helping" was precious. The best part, for everyone involved, is the way he decorated it. I put together a little time lapse video so you can follow his genius from beginning to end (it's only 25 seconds, I promise).

Have a lovely weekend!

Time for Drinking Straw Crafts

   

How is it possible that every utilitarian object now has a design-y counterpart? Let's take the drinking straw, for example. Never did I ever imagine that I'd utter the words "oh my, what a darling straw you have." After researching for this post, I'm firmly dedicated to adding a straw craft to my book. (Floral straws from Emerald & Ella, amazing Birch-tree straws from Jazzy Apple Girl on Etsy, and Polka Dot straws from Shop Sweet Lulu.)

The straw flowers are really a dime a dozen, but these are really pretty gorge. By GCD Spa Stuff.

Alone, I think this straw garland by Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line would feel pretty sad, but I love how she mixed it in with the dots. Super cute.

I know it's a little early to be thinking Easter egg crafts, but seriously, come on. I could not resist sharing these precious dye-ving eggs from Spoonful with you!

Tell me, if this jewerly by Creme de La Craft wasn't pictured in a straw round-up, would you really know that the gold triangles were made from drinking straws?

When I saw these coasters in Country Living magazine last summer, I gasped when I learned they were made from woven plastic straws.

Straws make the perfect frame for kite crafts. Found these on Make and Takes.

Time for a Pinterest Birthday Card

Every year, I hear that I'm hard to buy for. Birthday, Hanukkah, Mother's Day...I'm a challenge. You know what it's like; we creative types that read a gazillion blogs, we have high standards. We know what's out there, and if there's nothing good, we just make it.

I'm pleased to say that I found me a husband that rises to the occasion. No matter how much I say "this year, I don't want anything," he knows that I do want a little attention. And for me, there is nothing better than the gift of creative thought.

This year, I'm all wrapped up in my craft book project and like most people, Pinterest is my best friend. So he created a private (uh-hem, how racey!) board called The Amanda Book Project, where he took vintage book covers and doctored the words or images to make them about me. I am sharing a few with you, the few that I can share (wink, wink).

Not only do I have a funny, creative, and expressive husband, but he's damn good at photoshop.

(PS...Oliver is our 2 and a half year old son. Anyone with a toddler knows that you are just their pawns in the game of life.)

(PPS...For my newer readers, check out what the husband did a few years ago. It got linked to the Brooklyn Flea's blog!)

Time for Gumballs

This photograph makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because those first few moments after the turn of the machine's nickel crank (am I aging myself?) are the most exciting, anticipatory seconds. Is red going to be cherry or strawberry? Will the blue turn my mouth blue? And sad, well, because they are scattered on the sidewalk, just waiting to be swept up and tossed in the trash. So today, I felt the need to honor the shiney, sugary everlasting gobstopper of my youth: the gumball. (Photo found via pinterest)

I totally get the urge to wear gumballs around my neck. Doesn't everyone? Via Formal Fringe.

Why aren't there more gumball machine toys? I love love love this wooden one that I found at A+R.

Gumballs have the potential to be turned into many things. Least of which—apples. By The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.

...or chicks. Also by The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.

And lastly, I found the artist Stefan Sagmeister on The Jealous Curator and was fascinated by this exhibition that he erected called The Happy Show. In this installation, he asks the viewer to rate her/his happiness on a scale of 1 to 10 by taking a gumball from the corresponding cylinder. It looks like 7 was winning that day which makes me feel pretty hopeful. What number would you be? Today I'd say I'm a solid 9. Pretty good for girl woman who's turning 38 tomorrow.

Time for DIY Wood Coasters

I've always thought coasters to be a good gift for a few reasons.

1. They are useful. Drink rings = bad.
2. They are small. This means you can carry them in your purse to the party.
3. They are noncommittal. You can own 5 sets and swap them out depending on your mood.
4. They are a fun DIY. Enough said. Read on.

I always pick up birch wood slices when I'm at a craft store, wondering how I can use them. Well, here you go. Amazing coasters. Each one is a little work of art that sings underneath your wine glass.

These beautiful gems (above) are created with carbon paper (tracing paper works to) to transfer the cool design to the wood. From Design*Sponge.

Perfect conversation coasters just in time for Valentine's Day from Kat Design on Etsy.

 

Nothing is simpler than these dipped-style coasters from And Your Bird Can Sing. Pick one color or four to make this very modern set of wooden coasters.

 

The possibilities are endless with these bold and clean word coasters. Find the how-to at Happy Serendipity.

How easy would these be? Just paint 4 dots on a round wood slice and call it a day. Found via This Next.

Craft note: With any painted or stamped wood coaster, you'll need to finish them off with a waterproof sealant. What's worse than drink rings? Runny painted coasters. Nightmare.

Time for Gold Sharpie Projects

I know today's topic is awfully specific, but honesty, I'm amazed how one little pen can make things look so fancy, delicate, and expensive. Check out what you can do with a gold sharpie pen! {UPDATE: After starting to embark upon my own gold-sharpie mug project, I learned that you need to use the Oil Based Paint Sharpies...not the regular markers! Now carry on...}

Draw your design and then bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Endless possibiities here! I may just have to head over to Fishs Eddy this weekend to experiment. Via My Home Lookbook.

 

I've seen the vintage-teacup-turned-candle quite a bit, but adding a little gold bling with words or edging can make all the difference. Here's a perfect example of how the gold sharpie just kicks it up on the elegance scale. By Hey Gorgeous Events.

 

These gorgeous walls were stencilled with a gold sharpie. One word. Wow. By Rethink Design via Bazaar of Serendipity.

 

Embellish white ceramic drawer pulls so easily with a gold sharpie. Via Creature Comforts.

 

A ruler, white paper, and a gold sharpie = lovely wrapping paper. Via Paper Crave.

Time for the 10 Best Valentine Cookies

Yes, this is my second baked goods post in a row; I'm not sure how to interpret that. This post could have gone on for pages, but I reigned it in to 10 of the sweetest confections to make on February 14th. In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite Valentines cookie treats!

{1} Conversation heart cookies had to make the list, but what took these beauties from Martha Stewart over the top were the sewn pouches.

{2} I love that these dot cookies from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle are not red, white, and pink.

{3} Twice the love with these double-decker heart cookies from Bake at 350.

{4} I love the classic cookie and milk combo for sure, but the arrow straw? A genius confection and presentation by Cookies and Cups. (PS...if you want to try this, you can get these precious farmstand milk bottles at Shop Sweet Lulu.)

{5} You don't need a special pan to make these heart-shaped whoopie pies by Annie's Eats. Just trace a heart template onto wax paper and use a pastry bag pipe the dough within the pencil lines. So smart!

{6} This Hayley person is one talented chick! I love her color choices and the tone-on-tone "I Love You" cookies. Very chic. By Hayley Cakes and Cookies.

{7} Lovely cookie-lollipop combo by Martha Stewart.

{8} Love this stack of heart cookies by Patti Paige Baked Ideas.

{9} Need Valentine cookies for your manly man? These woodland ones from Whipped Bake Shop on Etsy are yours with the click of your mouse.

{10} Hugs and kisses or edible tic-tac-toe? These x and o cookies from Woman's Day can go either way.

 

Eat your heart out, lovebirds (sorry, I just had to say it)!