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Easy Last Minute Frugal Valentine’s Day Gifts

easylastminutevalentinesgifts

Do you have a Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetie yet?

Nope, me either.

Our gift budget is tight right now and I am the queen of procrastinators.  There are a million things I’d love to buy for Jed, but unfortunately they all cost money.  The Cirque du Soleil tickets I’d really love to get him are WAY over our budget.  He doesn’t really care about Valentine’s Day, but I want him to feel loved.  I’ve rounded up a few fun ideas for last minute Valentine’s Day gifts from blogger friends to share with you with permission from the creators.  Feel free to pin this post for the round up but always pin individual projects from their blog of origin through the links below.  I hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with love.  Check out my frugal date night ideas here for a little more V-day inspiration.

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Frugal Friday: Ten Frugal Date Night Ideas {Perfect for Valentine’s Day or Any Day}

frugaldatenightideas

With two small children galavanting around our house, date nights are hard to come by.  I love dinner and a movie, but sometimes you want a little something different even if you don’t have wiggle room in the budget.  Today I’m sharing ten frugal ideas for your next date night (or day) that are cheap or free after polling my girlfriends to get some fresh ideas for our own marriage.  These dates would be perfect for your Valentine’s Day celebration or any night you can get away with your sweetie.  If you need a frugal babysitting solution so you can afford to go on a date, check out my post on cheap/free babysitting options here.  Read on and please share your frugal date night ideas in the comment section.

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Thankful Thursday – Valentine’s Edition

This week I’m thankful for:
fresh tulips from my love
a crawler(!) in my house
sick days
good naps for my little Bear
sunshine in February
screen doors letting in warm air (in February!)  
Chinese food delivery
front porch sitting
weekends with extended family
What are you thankful for this week?

Frugal Friday – A Burlap Wreath for All Seasons

Thanks to Pinterest, an interchangeable burlap wreath has been on my crafty to-do list for quite a while.  It seemed like the perfect solution to my insatiable need to decorate for holidays but stay within our teeny tiny budget.  I finally got around to it last week and dolled it up for Valentine’s Day without spending as extra dime.      

 I bought a straw wreath form at Hobby Lobby using their eternal 40% one item coupons.  I had a ton of burlap left over from other projects, so I cut it into 4-5 inch wide strips.  I kept the plastic on the wreath form after searching all over for tutorials.  I started gluing and wrapping the burlap strips, pulling them super tight to keep the wreath looking neat.  Every time I work with burlap I forget that it is super messy.  Seriously, consider yourself forewarned.  You will have burlap dust EVERYWHERE.  It is itchy and insidious.  Bring out the vacuum.

 After letting the burlap dry, I went through my scrap ribbon and pulled out all the reds and whites.  The big white poof in the middle was the bow on a Christmas gift I received.  I used straight pins to attach the poof to the wreath, then started pinning the looped ribbon to the wreath around the poof.

 I had a few fabric roses made from vintage fabrics lying around, so I pinned them on the wreath as well.  I cut scrap ribbon into workable lengths and looped each piece 3 times before pinning it to the wreath.  I kept pinning ribbon loops onto the wreath until it felt right.  I was inspired by lots of burlap wreaths and ribbon wreaths that I’ve seen around the internet on Tatertots and Jello, Pinterest, and other fabulous sites.

 You can see one of the pins I used in the photo above.  My plan is to remove all the ribbon and switch to a springy wreath this weekend.  I’ll toss the scrap ribbon back into my pile and start over.

 I couldn’t decide if I liked it better without the felt heart hanging in the middle (3 for .30 at Target after Christmas).  I took it down and liked it much better.

 I tied a loop of ribbon to the top so that I could change that out easily as well.  The whole thing will change to a new season with very little effort.

  Are you on Pinterest yet?  Let me know if you need an invite.
What’s on your crafty to-do list?  
I’m sharing this project at some fabulous parties.  Check them out on my right sidebar.  

The Cutest Valentines for Loved Ones & Classrooms from Minted

Create the perfect Valentine for your special someone at Minted.Y’all already know I’m a huge fan of Minted. We use them for our Christmas cards every year, the Pearl Girl’s birth announcements, and for fun photo gifts. I had no idea until this week that they also have the cutest Valentine cards around. Send personalized Valentine’s Day Cards to your friends and family or pick out individualized cards for a few recipients. With designs from hundreds of independent artists, you’re sure to find something really special for your loved ones.

Find the cutest classroom Valentines ever at Minted for your kids.Minted is also the new go to solution for the cutest Classroom Valentines cards. It’s true! That unicorn card is about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I want it just for me.

Send personal Valentines to friends and family from Minted.

If you didn’t quite get those holiday cards out this year, what better time to send a card to share your love with friends and family than Valentine’s Day. Did a cute new Valentine arrive at your house this winter? Send a V-day themed baby announcement. Pick a design from Minted and use their free address assistant to knock out the job in minutes. The designs are gorgeous and fabulous. I’m obsessed with the foil pressed designs. Click the box below to get 15% off on a Valentine cards, or get a free set of stickers with your set of classroom Valentine’s Day cards.

Preschool Fun: Painting and Lacing Hearts

Preschool Valentine's Day Fun Painting and Lacing HeartsToday I’m sharing a fun activity that pairs art, creative play, and fine motor skill practice for your preschooler. We painted cardstock hearts and then practiced lacing with yarn. The kids had a blast and were so proud of their finished hearts. Be sure to check out all the other Creative Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids from my friends in the Kid Blogger Network at the bottom of this post.

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Read & Play: Read “The Biggest Valentine Ever” and Create a Giant Valentine

Read and Play Read The Biggest Valentine Ever and Create a Giant Valentine

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we read “The Biggest Valentine Ever” this week and worked together to create a giant Valentine, just like in the book. The idea behind our Read and Play series is to take a fun book for kids and encourage further learning through play. Check out our past Read & Play ideas here and find great Valentine’s Day Read & Play activities from other Kid Blogger Network bloggers here. Read on to find out how we used the ideas from the book for a fun and easy art activity with my toddler and preschooler.

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Make a Heart Garland with your Child to Practice Patterns & Stringing

Make a Heart Garland with your Child to Practice Patterns and Stringing for home preschoolWe’re practicing patterns right now in our home preschool, so I thought it would be fun to bring that practice in to practical use making a Valentine’s Day heart garland with the Bear. I found these felt hearts a few years ago on sale at Target, but your could easily make your own or grab felt hearts off Amazon and punch holes in them. We used red baker’s twine to string our garland, and the Bear also got great fine motor skill practice stringing and arranging his hearts.

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