9 DIY Hearts Crafts for Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day. All things hearts and red and pink and Cupid. Oh, Cupid, that cute little guy!

Each year I have good intentions to decorate my mantel and hang a heart-shaped wreath on the front door. Each year I peruse blogs for fun crafts. And each year I don't decorate my mantel or hang a heart-shaped wreath. Not this year! I vow to make at least one of the following crafts AND hang a wreath!

Below I've gathered nine lovely heart ideas that are perfect for anyone to recreate. Grab a chair, your latte and a notepad and pen to make a list of the supplies you'll need to get started!

/1/ LOVE Bowl - It has SPARKLES...need I say more?

/2/ Heart String Art - This could be a pretty mindless activity. Grab the needed supplies and park yourself in front of the TV. Catch up on The Bachelor. Or Downton Abbey. Whatever drama show is your vice.

/3/ Heart Pincushion - The sewist in me LOVES this craft. Make one for someone you love who sews!

/4/ Heart Pom-Pom Wreath - Did you make pom-poms when you were a kid? I did. A million of them! I would wind and wind the yarn around a piece of cardboard, tie it off and then trim the strands until it was a cute little pom. Now you can find a fancy pom-pom maker at the craft store for less than $10. Give this wreath a try today!

/5/ Red Heart Shaped Ice Cubes - Wouldn't it be fun to surprise the kids on Valentine's Day morning with these ice cubes? And the sprinkles trimmed glass? Be still my heart!

/6/ Heart Shaped Bookmark - SUUUUPEEERRR simple craft for the book lover in your life!

/7/ Burlap Valentine's Gift Bags - These would make great little bags to give small Valentine's treats to the neighbors, the mailman and your children's teachers. Fill them with candy or hot cocoa mix.

/8/ Lighted Marquee Heart - The tutorial for this marquee is amazing! Use it to make the pictured heart or a letter. Wouldn't one of these be a great addition to a child's room? I love it!

/9/ Heart Bokeh - As a photographer, I'm always looking for new ideas to take unique pictures. Heart bokeh? Yes, please!

Which of these heart-shaped crafts is calling your name? I'd love to see what you make! Will you share with me? I'm @jonahbonah on Instagram or leave me link to your blog  in the comments.

Wanna see more great crafts with hearts?? Check out this post I wrote on BlissfullyDomestic.com.

Upcycled Leprechaun Trap Craft for Kids #chickfilamomsDIY

I'm a member of the #chickfilamoms panel. We were challenged to create something upcycled from the Chicken Tortilla Soup container. We were provided with coupons for free soup as compensation. This was not a requirement, participation was voluntary. 

You know me, I'm crafty. I love to create things. When I was a kid, my grandma used to take me to the little craft store by her house. I would buy all sorts of beads and paint and pipe cleaners. I think my craft supply of choice for a long time was popsicle sticks. Of course, it was fun to eat popsicles, just for the sticks. But, I needed more sticks than the popsicles I was allowed to eat. So, Grandma would buy them for me. I made ALL SORTS of crafts with those sticks. I bet there are still a few magnetized "Notes" holders floating around somewhere. 

Naturally, when Chick-fil-a asked me to create an upcycled craft with their Chicken Tortilla Soup container, I was up for the challenge. I thought about what I would make for weeks. I finally came up with an idea, that I think will be easy enough for you to sit down and craft with your kiddos. It's a Leprechaun Trap! After all, St Patricks Day is only a couple of weeks away; you'll be needing this trap to catch the little guy!

You'll need:

• a soup container from Chick-fil-a (Try the Chicken Tortilla Soup, it's delicious!)
• gold glitter acrylic paint or gold paint
• foam paint brush
• modeling clay in all the colors of the rainbow (ROY G BIV)
• a couple gold pipe cleaners
• some plastic gold coins
• a handful of cotton balls

I found all of my supplies at Dollar Tree. So, this craft will be easy AND inexpensive!

First, paint the bottom part, or bowl, of your container. While that is drying, you can make a rainbow from the modeling clay. Press a couple of cotton balls to the ends of your rainbow, to finish it off. I then just pressed the rainbow onto the clear lid of the container. 

The little ladder is made from gold pipe cleaners. I simply cut small pieces for the rungs, and then bent the ends, to attach them to longer pieces. 

Now, to complete your Leprechaun Trap, you'll just need to put everything together. Put a handful of cotton balls in your bowl, to act as a filler, then top them with the gold coins. Stand the lid up behind the bowl. (You could hot glue the lid to the back of the bowl to secure it in place. But, I have mine set up on the mantel and it's staying in place, just resting up against the back of the bowl.) Hang the ladder from the front of the bowl, so the little leprechaun can climb in and get trapped! You're finished! Wasn't that easy?

I'd love to know what your favorite soup is at Chick-fil-A. Or, tell me in the comments what you get every time you go! Don't forget to share with me after you've made YOUR Leprechaun Trap!!!

Chalkboard DIY Crafts for Back to School

My kids go back to school in two short weeks. It's hard to believe that Summer is coming to an end. We've had great couple of months, though. We...

• went to Walt Disney World Resort
• went to the Disney 24 Hour Event at Magic Kingdom
• went on a Carnival Cruise
• enjoyed a day trip to Downtown Jacksonville with our friends from Tampa
• A few of our days were spent under the sun and in the lake, at Flamingo Lake 
• took advantage of Kids Bowl Free 

WOW! Now that I finished that little recap of our Summer, I realize we had a very eventful couple of months! So, you can only imagine how ready I am for back-to-school season. With it comes teacher's gifts and Fall crafts. I can't wait! Here's a few crafts that feature CHALKBOARD.

 

Chalkboard Fabric Pencil Pouch - I've been making zipper pouches for YEARS...why have I never thought of this? You can bet I'll be making some real soon!

Chalkboard Mason Jar Teacher Gift - Looking for a quick and easy gift for your child's teacher? This is something she probably won't receive on the first day of school.

Smart Cookie Teacher Printable - Dust off your mixer and make Teacher some chocolate chip cookies. You'll earn yourself {and your child} some major brownie points!

Chalkboard Duct Tape Banner - Have you seen Chalkboard Duct Tape in stores yet? There's even Dry Erase Duct Tape! I love this idea on how to create a quick banner using only duct tape and a couple of other supplies. You could even use it as a photo prop for the 1st Day of School!

Back to School Emergency Kit - There's a little bit of everything in this jar to ensure Teacher has a super first day {or week} back at school.

Chalkboard Calendar - Now that Summer is over, it's time to get back on track {and actually know what day it is}. Oh, just me? Surely, during the lazy days of Summer, there were days that you weren't sure....

1st Day of School Photo Idea - How cute is this photo idea? You could personalize this in many ways...and for boys and girls!

Which is your favorite Back to School Chalkboard idea? Show me which you make by tagging me on Instagram. I'm @jonahbonah!

Blissfully Domestic Happenings {for Fall}

Y'all, I LOVE FALL! The back-to-school season, the weather change, the color changes in our surroundings, PUMPKINS {!!}, Mums and Halloween. Fall is also the time to dust off your baking dishes and make homemade baked goods. Mmmm...

If you've been following jonahbonah for the last year, you know I'm also a writer/curator over at Blissfully Domestic. I'm trying to get better at sharing with you guys what I post over there. I don't want you to miss a thing!

The following four posts are my latest. Each of them are Fall related. Are you ready for Fall? What about Halloween? The ideas in these posts will get you excited!



Paleo-Friendly Pumpkin Cupcakes {my kids LOVED these!}
How to Sew a Simple Bunting
DIY Halloween Costumes for the Entire Family
13 DIY Spooky Halloween Party Ideas

*click the above titles to be taken to the related post.

Go check these out! I've got a few more before Halloween to help you make your home SPooKy!!

7 Too Cute Pinterest Finds for Little Girls

For years I've been adding links and pretty pictures to my Pinterest boards in hopes that one day I'll have the time make the time to recreate all the amazing ideas out there. The other day I was looking for Frozen birthday Party ideas for McKinley's 6th birthday when I came across a bunch of ideas for little girls that I had completely forgotten about pinning. Really cute ideas. Ideas that sparked an interest to not only share them with you but, to also actually do them!

Today I'm sharing a handful of them with you. Which of my pins in this post will be your favorite? Which will YOU recreate?

Rainbow Costume - I think Mabry needs to be a rainbow for Halloween this year. How stinkin' cute is this?

Backyard Painting Party - If McKinley wasn't requesting a Frozen birthday party for her December birthday I just may have done a painting party. I still might buy a few canvases this size and have my own kids do this!

Dress-Up Closet - Dress-up clothes and costumes can take over a little girl's bedroom. Have you seen McKinley's room lately? This would be the PERFECT solution!

DIY Play Kitchen - At only 10 months old, Mabry is showing all signs of being a total girly-girl. I think I'll start looking now for one of these small TV stands at the thrifts. This little DIY Kitchen is too cute!

Scrap Fabric Monogram Craft - If anyone has fabric scraps, it's me. I've got fabric scraps FOR DAYSSSS! The next rainy day we have I'm gonna sit and do this with the little kids.

Fairy Houses - How cute would a few of these be in your garden? Take them a step further and paint them. So cute.

Summer Paper Plate Crafts - I'm a sucker for a good paper plate craft. We did them when we were kids and now it's a lost art. Teachers {and moms} have turned to foam sheets and pre-made foam kits. I say, bring on the paper plates!

Do you have a Pinterest account that you pin all of the things and then never do anything you've pinned? I challenge you to change that...today. Go forth and create!

Summer Fun {put together a puzzle}

This Summer I'm starting a series of Summer fun activities that you can do with your kids to keep them busy and prevent you from hearing "I'm bored!" over and over. Do you have any ideas? Let me know in the comments to be featured!

One thing McKinley loves to do is PUZZLES. Every time I'm at the Dollar Tree or at the Target One Spot I check for a new puzzle. For only $1 a piece I buy them often. These puzzles usually have between 24 and 36 pieces and are pretty easy for her.



Many people have suggested I frame her puzzles when she finishes one. Two things that keep me from framing them; I would have more framed puzzles than one person should ever have AND she likes to put her puzzles together over and over again.

Like any other kid though, she gets bored of doing the same puzzles over and over again. I knew I would need to give her a couple of puzzles she had never seen before if I wanted this Summer Fun activity to be, well, FUN.

Have you looked at puzzles at WalMart or Target lately. There's a LOT to choose from. Some of them have 1000 pieces! While I know she's a master of 24-36 piece puzzles, I didn't want to overwhelm her right off the bat. So, I got her a 300 piece Cinderella puzzle from the Thomas Kinkade Disney Collection. 

It'll take us a few days to put it together. After all, she's 5 and her attention span will not keep for hours on one thing. {Unless it's Elsa and Anna PlayDoh videos. Don't ask.} But, that's okay. When she comes to me saying "I'm bored", I can pull the puzzle down and we can work on it some more. {I bought a piece of foam board large enough to hold the puzzle and the extra pieces while we put it together. No, I won't be framing it.}

When we finish with this one, I plan to buy the others in the collection. There's Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Bambi, and Snow White.

What are your favorite puzzles to put together?


Affiliate links are within this post. 

as seen on blissfully domestic.

A couple of weeks ago I curated a post over at Blissfully Domestic FILLED with 10 DIY Ornaments you can make with your kids. I'd love for you to go check it out!


{click here to view}

This week I'm curating a post that'll give you lots of ideas for Christmas crafting with kids. I'll let you know when it's live. :o)

How was your Thanksgiving? I'll be back here tomorrow to catch you up a smidge on what's been happening around our neck of the woods.

Blissfully Domestic Happenings {June}

You won't want to miss these June posts I wrote for Blissfully Domestic.  You'll find a plethora of information for summer grilling and Fourth of July party prepping.  And a few other fun tidbits of info too!

• Easy Fourth of July Crafts for the Entire Family
• Easy Patriotic Wreath {a tutorial}
• Festive Fourth of July Recipes

• Create a Summer Bucket List {free printable}
• Savory Summer Grilling Recipes
• Must-Have Fourth of July Party Supplies

Hubs made it clear today that should we have a party for the Fourth of July I better not be serving our guests with Dixie cups and paper plates.  {practice what you preach kind of thinking, ya know?}  :o)  To him I say, grill me that Portabella Mushroom goodness I share in the Summer Grilling post! 

Create a Summer Bucket List {free printable}

This week on Blissfully Domestic I'm sharing how to create a summer bucket list for you and your family {with a little help from Lindsey of Pen and Paint.}. This is a super easy craft that the entire family can help with!  I'd love for you to go have a look-see.


{click over to Blissfully Domestic for the link to download and print your own Summer Bucket List printable}

Mother's Day Nest Pendants {a tutorial}

last week i showed you all an easy-peesy tutorial on how to make a simple spring wreath over at blissfullydomestic.com.

this week i'm teaching you how to make mom a nest pendant that she's sure to love and cherish for years to come. i'd love for you to check it out.

{the tutorial is here}

what are some other tutorials/crafts you'd like a tutorial made for? give me some spring and summer ideas!

let's talk about cub scouts.

my jonah joined cub scouts this year.



i knew when jonah expressed interest in scouting that it would be a good fit for him.

he loves the outdoors.
he's eager to learn.
he loves to fish and shoot guns {with supervision}.
he plays well with others.

he's been going every thursday for three weeks and LOVING every minute!
i go, too. and i'm loving it right along with him!!

our first week we were late because i misunderstood the calendar...but, it was raining so they didn't do much anyway.

our second week the boys covered their books with paper bags that they colored with markers.



last night the boys worked from their handbooks on the flag ceremony achievment.
the american flag is very special to our family, since we're a military family.
to see all of the boys so eager to learn how to be respectful of the flag was super!





one more thing jonah loves about cub scouts?
he gets to hang out with his new bud.




remember how i told you i am super excited about scouts, too?
i am.

in a couple of weeks jonah and i are going on our first cub scout campout!!!
and sleeping in a tent.
on the ground.
for real.
{well, i will be taking an air mattress...}

on our camping trip jonah will earn his fishing and swimming badges.
there is also an enormous rock climbing wall that jonah's pretty stoked to climb!

i can not wait to share those pictures with you!!!



since joining cub scouts i have searched and searched the web looking for anything and everything cub scouts.
and there's not much.

in an effort to give a mommy perspective on scouting, you will be hearing about all of our cub scout adventures!
get ready! we're going to have LOTS of fun!!!



one more thing.
jonah's cub scout pack began selling popcorn last night.
if you would like to support jonah please email me at jakemelissajakea AT aol DOT com and i will give you the information you need to order online.

homemade ice cream.

it's spring break this week.
i wish i can tell you we've had a week filled with crafts and activities.
instead, we've done one craft.
or activity?

we made homemade ice cream.
in a bag.

for real.

i got the recipe and instructions from kaboose.com.
it was SO simple.
the kids did it!

ready to be a hero to your kiddos???




you'll need:

a gallon sized ziploc bag,

a sandwich size ziploc bag,

enough ice to fill the gallon size bag,

6 Tbls. rock salt,

1/2 cup half and half

1 Tbls. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract


this is what you do:

fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. seal the bag.

put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.

place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.

shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.

wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. enjoy!
*************************************************************************

all of my kiddos AND their friends loved it!




they've requested to make it again and again.

go try it.
it works!

handmade photo cards for valentine's day.

i've seen this idea floating around the internet for the last few years.
every year i say i'm going to do it and every year i don't.

this year i was determined.

and i made them!

here's jett holding his finished valentine...

cute, right?!?!

and, here's how you can make your own.

first, grab your camera and your kiddo.
do whatever it takes to get him to understand that he just needs to hold his hand out like that, no matter how silly it seems.
you'll get something like this. {after a kajillion outtakes}


next, go to picnik and add some words.
i chose happy {heart} day! primarily because "valentine's" was too long and running into his head.


have them printed at your local photo shop.

mine look great here on my computer screen yet, they printed really dark.
oh well, too late to worry with it now.
there's only FIVE days until {heart} day!

now, bring them home and grab your x-acto knife, self healing mat, a bag of lollipops, and your photos you just had printed.

in case you're wondering what an x-acto knife is...


cut a little slit above his hand and one below.


gently poke the lollipop through those holes and...

voila!
it appears as if he's handing his friend a lolli!

so, you CAN do this!
easy-peasy, right?!
and cute, taboot!

ok, GO!
you'll get ooh's and aah's from the teachers...of course, you aren't making handmade for that reason, though. :0)

*****************************************
did you make handmade valentine's??
i'd love to see them.
will you link them in the comments???