We have been getting a lot of rain here in Arizona. A lot to me that is. Even those tiny sprinkles with shady clouds are treats to me. Just something to break up having the same weather every day. Here in the desert we love rain storms.
You all know what happens when it rains, rainy day inside DIY’s, and lots of them. I took a break from my garden make over for the day and had fun creating Valentine decor.
Just a few little ideas to get you all in the spirit of love. The whole world should join in for this special day. Doesn’t always have to be about couples either. Just a day celebrating LOVE.
Here are a few fun and easy DIY’s that everyone can get involved with. Best of all is they don’t cost a lot so they won’t break the pocket book. Wait, I mean break the bank. Oh…you know what I mean.
First project is a heart garland.
Using fabric scraps draw out some hearts and sew together then stuff.
Add to a Jute rope and hang on the wall or in a window.
All these supplies were donated to me from a neighbor. Total cost…free. I will be making a baskets of chocolate chip cookies to give to my neighbor as a thank you gift. Her and her daughter like baked items the best.
Project two involves one of those mini wreaths I made for Christmas. I used real pine when I made the original wreath. after Christmas I removed the old pine branches to reuse the wreath.
I had a bunch of faux flowers and some faux moss that I had in a jar. I probably used about a cup of moss for the whole wreath. Bought the bag from a dollar store. I still have about 80% left from the bag. The faux flowers were part of a thrift store grab bag of miscellaneous items that cost around $2.
Just glue moss on wreath then once dry glue on flowers.
If you aren’t into wreaths then use as a pretty center piece on a tabletop. Just add extra flowers to the centers or a candle. Total cost was around $3.
Third project are paper valentine cards. Remember these as kids. We used to buy the boxes of valentines to hand out to classmates. I had several sheets of card stock and pretty scrap book papers from a book exchange store in our area.
Then a neighbor that we share garden seeds, eggs, and food with dropped off some veggies from her garden. This is a different neighbor then the one who donated the fabric scraps for the garland. Here on our street we all donate things to each other.
With the veggies I made a yummy salad for the family for lunch and my husband grilled chicken to go on top.
With the scraps from the beets I added a little vinegar to a bowl with some water and let it soak over night. The next day I used the mixture to watercolor some pretty designs for my Valentine cards.
I might do a more detailed post on using nature to watercolor with. This is not something new. They have been using leaves, plants, and dirt to create dyes and art with for centuries. I can not take credit for this idea or the beauty of the colors that come from nature for us all to create with…that’s all God.
Anyway, here they are finished.
So easy, making cards ourselves. Who doesn’t have scraps of paper laying around, even brown bags can be decorated and made into pretty cards. Total cost less then .25 cents a card.
Last project is garden picks. I still have stickers from a little sticker book I bought a couple years ago.
They are usually in hobby stores. Each booklet has different activities to do. Paper dolls, mazes, animal facts and lots of stickers. I used to let my kids pick out these little booklets when we had long road trips or over night sleep overs to keep them busy. Perfect for eating out too. Kids usually are not great at waiting for anything, best to keep them busy.
Just add stickers to card stock and glue a wooden skewer to back then add to plants.
Total cost is less then $1.
Valentine’s should never be about pressure to over spend and go into debt to impress the ones you love. A home cooked meal, baked treats, a love letter, a book, a card, a hug, a kind word, the list can go on and on. The economy is not so great right now with the pandemic. So many do not have jobs or are afraid of loosing their homes. This is a hard time for many people. We don’t know the stories they have to tell. Kindness no matter how small is still the best gift to always give. Valentine’s Day isn’t just an excuse for another gift, it is though a big reason to let someone know they are loved.
Happy rainy day creating everyone. Hope you all get a chance to make something pretty today. I will be trying to figure how to turn my daughter’s old sweater into an Alpaca later. Maybe, just maybe I will have some laughs to share with you later in my nailed it moment adventures. We will see.
Copyright Our Little Red House 2021 ©
Our Little Red House 
Very nice.
I love how you donate to one another. A lovely community feeling.
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It would be nice if every neighborhood was like that. If everyone takes time to smile to one another (remove masks if from a save distance) or just says hello now and then, then neighbors would get along better. That is how it should be around the whole world. Unfortunately there are some mean ones out there. I still try to be nice to them to and when they are grouchy I just walk away. Maybe they will be nice another day I always think to myself.
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Yes, its nice to have a nice community where you can say hello, or chat.
Yes, I have tried with grouchy people many times, but it got no better, so I don’t bother now. I want to use my energy wisely. Even more so now, than then, some years ago when I would attempt several times with those kind of people, or ones who walked right past like you don’t exist.
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Unfortunately there will always be people that not matter what will always be unhappy and mean. Best to stay clear of them after attempting to cheer up their days many times. In the end, they are the ones that are just too toxic to deal with and will only drain others from happiness.
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Yes, I definitely stay clear because as you say, they only drain from others, which I have had that happen. There was no way my happiness would be taken.
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Smart, just stay away and live each day as happy as can be.
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It’s amazing how such simple yet beautifully crafted decorations can brighten up the room! I had no idea that you can use scraps from beets, soak them overnight and used them to paint! And we’ve just had beetroot salad today. Unfortunately, all the leftovers are in a compost bin now, I’ll be sure to save them next time. Thanks for sharing and have a good day. I would love to find out more about how to use nature to watercolour with. Aiva 🙂 xxx
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Thank you Aiva. I need to find a vlog clip where they use natural plants to create colors to paint with. My daughter is always saying I should do videos but I don’t have a cell phone and I am always short on time. When we start going up north more in the Spring when the wildflowers are out (too much snow now) I will collect some plants and see what dyes and paints I can create. There is also some really nice clay up north. It takes a whole process of taking the rich clay dirt and turning into clay to sculpt with. Again…not enough hours in the day to be as creative as we all can be.
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Cute!
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Thank you.
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I love your beautiful Valentine’s Day crafts. I can’t wait to make something. Last year I made a wreath. And you’re right we should all just celebrate love. I hope you’re well and soon Spring will be here. Im blogging here now, so stop by if you’d like- https://asterandpearcrafts.wordpress.com/
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very pretty. Thank you too. I hope you get to make a bunch of pretty things for Valentine’s day.
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I Love it! It is beautiful 🙂
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Thank you.
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You are always so creative. 🙂
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Thank you Jeanne. Hows your new puppy? I need to stop by and see how he is, so adorable. I forget was it a girl or boy but super cute. I wish I were there giving it belly rubs.
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You are very welcome. I just posted something about here. Her name is Juneau, but we call her Juni Bug. http://ajeanneinthekitchen.com/2021/02/06/mommys-little-helper/
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Love the name, that is so sweet. She is adorable.
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Such beautiful ideas 😍 I think I’ll make a heart garland too. I made a Halloween themed one with sewn pumpkins and black cats but I never thought of making a valentines garland.
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I bet the cats and pumpkins were so cute. My daughter wants a little black cat.
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I had a black cat called Shadow when I was a kid. Black cats are the best! Haha
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So cute. I love all the little critters.
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I love these. Those fabric hearts are so cute. I wish I was more crafty. My dad just brought these awesome old fashioned jars with lids and I think they would be perfect for candles. Have you ever written posts about making candles? Point me to it, if you have. thanks for sharing these neat ideas. Your posts are such a nice distraction from life.
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Thank you Lisa, you’re so sweet. I haven’t done candles yet but I have a whole bucket full of old wax to cut down and melt for a mason jar candle project. I was hoping my son could help me with that one. He makes soap sometimes with his dad, but not the fancy smelling kind. They use pine scented oil. It smells good. My son always buys these expensive scented candles and I told him I want to start making candles so he can help me. Just haven’t had time to get to it. I have a whole tray of essential oils.
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You are very creative. Those were lovely DIY’s ideas for Valentines Day. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you and you’re very welcome too.
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This post made me so happy. I wish I’d seen it last Sunday. The guys and I bought and pulled out supplies to have a Valentine’s crafting day, but life got in the way. Love is every day, so we’re going to do it…eventually. 🙂
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That is such a good idea. You can celebrate Love any day of the week. I know what you mean about plans and just how life hits you with other things. You could have an art party and theme could be Love. Fill the table with all kinds of art and craft supplies and create away. Do it outside and invite friends over. I figure when we are outside and we social distance it is safe to connect with others. And that is what loving one another is all about after all. I sent a Valentine card to my cousin over in Oklahoma with some small coloring pages I drew up that day before and told her to color away. You could draw up simple shapes and pictures for everyone to color too. Just have fun.
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I would love to do something like that, but for me it would have to wait till we are seriously “out of the woods” with COVID-19. Two of my friends who mask up, practice social distancing, and go nowhere but the grocery store contracted the virus. I’d rather stay as safe as possible for this short while. Soon enough, we’ll be back to our normal shenanigans…
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That happened to my brother-in-law. He is okay now but it took a lot out of him. Stay safe and eventually we will get back to days where we can interact with one another.
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