But when procrastination meets simple projects, sometimes magic results! Here are a few of my simple ideas for making the most of a last minute Valentine's Day celebration. From decorations to crafts and a few treats, there's something for everyone!
1) Heart Doily Garland
The first doilies were created from wool by the Doily family in England, but paper doilies as we know them today weren't produced until the mid-19th century. Martha Stewart has an entire video on doily history if you have an extra four and a half minutes and care to watch! ;)
I whipped up a simple garland using pink and white paper doilies from the Dollar General store. Some gold-threaded twine made it even more festive. The trick to using doilies for things like this is don't separate them individually. They are so fragile and thin, a stack of 5-7 made for a sturdier garland (in my opinion).
2) Valentine Craft Jar
Sometimes it's fun to get crafty just for the sake of it. Without any sort of end result in mind. Do you ever do this? It's kind of like doodling or sitting down to write without a story in your head. Just doing it to see where it takes you.
That's why I've created a Valentine Craft Jar. This could really work for anytime of year, but I thought it would be fun for Valentine's Day. I gathered a bunch of different craft materials and supplies and packed them into a cute jar (including pom poms, stickers, glue, pipe cleaners, etc.)
Then, whenever the urge for creativity strikes, I'll have everything I need in one spot. And none of it was fancy or expensive so if I don't actually make anything worth keeping, it won't feel like a waste.
Actually, getting your creative juices flowing is never a waste, because you never know where it will lead.
3) Fun with Puns & Jelly Beans
I'm not usually a fan of misspelled words to be cute or catchy. But if there's ever a time that cheesy puns and cute sayings are appropriate, it's Valentine's Day. The more sugary sweetness, the better (in my humble opinion).
Winter is hard. The holidays are long gone and the days are dreary and cold. If pink hearts and red cupid arrows help cheer these dark days before spring, I'm all for it.
Winter is hard. The holidays are long gone and the days are dreary and cold. If pink hearts and red cupid arrows help cheer these dark days before spring, I'm all for it.
My local grocery store recently added a huge section of Jelly Belly jelly beans in its candy aisle. I'm totally digging the retro vibe and the new flavors so I decided to use a few of these to create fun Valentine's Day treats.
You can probably think of others, but here's what I came up with.
A bag of Tabasco flavored beans with a note that says "Things are heating up!" For the camo beans, "I Can't Hide My Love." And finally, "Valentine, we make quite a pear." Get it, juicy pear?
I know it's silly, but sometimes the silly little things are really fun too.
Another pun-inspired treat I whipped up were these fun Valentine's Day pencils with a note that says "Valentine, you're just write." I was inspired by a great blog and you can download the free printable here.
I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day! Love is in the air!
