Welcome to the place where I thrive on making, baking, DIY and decorating. Most of my decorating involves using vintage trinkets, treasure and other quirky things.
Like many others across the country, I will not be celebrating Valentine’s Day outside my home by going out to a fancy restaurant with Mr. HANDY. We will stay in, cook dinner and watch a movie, not much different from most nights but just to do something a little special, I decided to make a quick and easy (and inexpensive) Valentine’s Day tablescape using items from the Dollarama. The total for the above tablescape was under $7.00.
Instead of using a tablecloth I decided to make my own table runner from paper and craft paint. I used some leftover craft paper from a roll of craft paper from IKEA and red craft paint from Dollarama. Using a foam paint brush I simply painted XOX and OXO in lines from one end of the runner to the other.
In the centre I added a red valentine candle holder, a red pillar candle and heart shaped candy to the candle holder. I already had the candle and holder.
Plastic champagne glasses featuring XO were filled with heart shaped candy. Paper plates featuring hearts were perfect for serving the Little Debbie Chocolate Shaped Valentine cakes. I folded the red napkins to look like envelopes and tucked heart love messages into each one. To complete the look foiled wrapped heart shaped chocolates were scattered all over the table.
A quick and easy and definitely inexpensive Valentine’s Day tablescape is A Wandaful Thing!
Do you make your own Valentine decorations or create a tablescape? I’d love to see see some pictures.
Ditch Store-Bought Cards and Make These Cool Valentine’s Day Treats Instead
“I Dig You” Treat Bags
Pack these goodie bags with chocolate drops and gummy worms to resemble the great outdoors. Fill sandwich bags with “dirt” (e.g. a handful of Hershey’s Chocolate Drops), a few gummy critters, and a toy shovel. Write a “punny” message on a heart-shaped tag (or cut your own from a brown paper bag), then attach with twine.
Check out this pink baby’s breath heart wreath by the house that lars built – full tutorial here
Heart Vase – another amazing craft by the house that lars built – I’m crushing on these guys right now. Make love grow on trees with this simple craft that requires little more than a few cutout hearts and tree branches that are spray-painted white.
Here is a great alternative to candy – Succulent Valentines
There’s no such thing as too many succulents. If you are lucky enough to be able to host a get together this year, why not send your guests home with these adorable painted pots.
If you want to know how to make them head on over to the blog a night owl.
Valentine Chocolate sugar cookies…who knew? There’s just something about a chocolate sugar cookie. Chocolate is the perfect flavor for Valentine’s Day and these adorable little heart cookies will make your valentine so happy. Let me tell you they are delicious, and in this display you can even eat the dish. For recipe and how to click here.
Here’s a fun — and super thrifty — way to fill blank wall space. Plus, it’s appropriate enough to leave up year-round. Instructions here.
This Valentines DIY Table Runner Is A Simple Way To Bring Valentine’s To Your House. VERY simple decor idea, just some DollarTree foam hearts and glue.
Easy peasy yarn wrapped hearts. Print out and cut out heart shape (you can download at this link); trace onto cardboard and cutout. Use a piece of masking tape to tape end of yard to cardboard heart. Wrap yarn randomly around the cardboard heart. Continue until cardboard is completely covered. When covered, cut off yarn and then loop the end through another piece of yarn and knot. Cut off excess yarn and you are done.
Great easy DIY Valentine crafts are A Wandaful Thing. If you make any of them, please be sure to share.
I really wanted some pillows to display for Christmas. I really didn’t want to pay upwards of $40 each. I decided to see if I could find some pillow covers at Dollar Tree or Dollarama and give them some pizazz to make them look like high-end pillows.
To achieve this I found two of the same pillow cover (18″x18″) at Dollarama for $4.00 each. I love this snowflake pattern with the red background.
I uploaded two different images I liked from my Cricut Access to Cricut Design Space. (1000s of free images in you have a monthly design space membership). I decided on the words Merry (and) Bright. I sized them to 10.5 wide x 5.5 tall and cut them from white iron on vinyl . An important tip to remember before cutting is to mirror your image so that when you go to heat transfer the vinyl is it facing the correct way.
Next I weeded the excess vinyl from the design and used my Cricut Easy Press to heat transfer the vinyl to the pillow cover. My press was set at 315 F and I pressed for 30 seconds.
This vinyl is what they call a cold peel, so I waited until the design was cool to the touch before peeling off the clear backing. **( you can use a regular clothes iron for this, set it at the highest setting and make sure the steam setting is turned off).
Once both designs were heat transfered to the pillow covers, I inserted a 20″x20″ IKEA “Inner” pillow form into each one. I don’t find these are very full so I would suggest buying a very cheap standard size pillow from Walmart and use the stuffing that is inside that pillow. It will more than stuff two 18″x18″ pillow covers.
I quite like how they turned out.
Here is a break down of the cost to make two DIY High-End looking Christmas Pillows:
2 x Dollarama Pillow Covers $8.00
1 sheet of 12″x12″ Cricut everyday iron on vinyl $5.00
2 x IKEA “Inner” pillow forms $10.00
It cost me a total of $23.00 to make two high end Christmas Pillows. That is only $11.50, much cheaper than the $30 or $40 you can pay at a big box store. I could have reduced the cost to just $17.00 if I had used the cheap Walmart pillow for stuffing the pillows.
YES, you can DIY on the cheap and it will look like a high-end item from a big box store but without the big box store price.
My friend and fellow blogger Amelia P made a request in the Facebook group Sharing, Inspiring, Promoting Bloggers to collaborate with other bloggers to do a “Christmas Challenge” post.
How it works is we come up with 12 Things about Christmas, write a post on our own blog and insert links to our fellow bloggers. The second I read about it, I knew I was going to participate. Afterall, the name of the group is Sharing, Inspiring, Promoting Bloggers.
I’m thrilled to be collaborating with the following bloggers:
For the last 7 years (since the very beginning of my blog) I have been doing a 12 Days of Christmas Series. It is something I truly enjoy doing as it challenges me to dig deep and find easy, budget friendly, gift worthy things people might like to make, bake, decorate or create. I just wrapped up these posts on November 30, 2020 – I will put links to all of them at the end of the post.
I will admit I have an infinity for Santa Claus and for Nutcrackers. I add to my collection every year and proudly display from November 12 to January 06. I also, rarely, if ever, purchase new items for my collection. If at all possible, I search and buy vintage. Here is a picture of the additions I made this year.
3. I like to make (and sometimes sell) Christmas tree decorations. This year I decided to make tree ornaments using wood slices. This one, I thought, was particularly fitting;
and this one went to my daughter in Texas.
4. I make my own Christmas Cards and try to ensure they are mailed out by December 10th. This one was one of my favorite cards I made this year.
5. I LOVE buying local and especially from local artisans (usually at Christmas Craft Fairs). I did not get to any in person craft shows this year but because there are so many creative beings out there, who were still making and creating their wares, I did purchase items through “on-line” stores so win/win!
6. I am from the East Coast of Canada and even though I now live on the West Coast of Canada, some traditions just never change. On Christmas Eve the evening meal is a feast of some form or seafood. For me this year it is going to be pan fried Digby Scallops. I’m already looking forward to that.
7. Watching Hallmark Christmas movies. I just love watching a good cheesy predictable Christmas movie :O) – I am not sure what the draw to watch these movies is; maybe it’s the music maybe it’s the happy ending, maybe it’s just the magic of Christmas.
8. Speaking of movies – without fail on Christmas Day I watch the movie “A Christmas Carol” – the black & white version starring Alastar Simms, right after the turkey feast, the dishes can wait!
9. On Boxing Day, it’s go to the Movie Theatre for an afternoon matinee, again, not sure what that will look like this year. We will have to wait and see.
10. Traditional Christmas baking for me includes whipped shortbread, sugar cookies, ginger sparkle cookies, gingerbread men, cherry balls, coconut balls and pork pies(not what you think – these are shortbread bottom tarts with date filling and almond icing).
11. We like to drive around and look at the Christmas lights (we walk around our own neighbourhood though). This year we are going to go to something called the Magic of Lights at the Castrol Raceway -it is sponsored by Canadian Tire and provides you and your guests an opportunity to celebrate the holidays #togetherapart; comfortably maintaining social distancing from the comfort of your own vehicle. We are really looking forward to this and who knows, this could become our “new” yearly tradition. All money raised from the entrance fee goes to the Edmonton Food Bank – a very worthy cause.
12. Making anonymous donations to local charities that are near and dear to my heart. The Salvation Army, the local food bank, and the angel tree being my top three.
Wow, I was worried I didn’t have 12 Christmas Traditions but I bet if you really think about it, you do too. Hope you enjoyed these and don’t forget to visit my few bloggers and see what they came up with for their 12 Things of Christmas Challenge.
As mentioned earlier in this post here are links to my 12 Days of Christmas Series 2020.
A WandafulThing 12 Days of Christmas 2020 – Day 12
Thank you for joining me for my 12 Days of Christmas 2020.
Well here we are at the end of the series. If you want to see what you missed, be sure to see all the links at the end of this post.
This year I went back to basics of why I started my blog and that was to inspire you to make, bake, create and decorate, all on a budget of course. You still have time to try some of these simple, easy and budget friendly ideas just in time for the holidays.
Day 12: Holiday Coconut Lemon Loaf
For the last day of the 12 Days of Christmas series, I am sharing a brand new to me recipe. I love coconut and lemon so why not combine the two into one delicious dessert. This coconut lemon loaf will be a hit at any holiday gathering.
This cake gets its amazing lemon flavor from a combination of lemon zest and lemon juice. It gets a triple dose of coconut from coconut yogurt, shredded coconut and coconut oil.
To begin:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
Ingredients you will need:
1 1/2cupsall purpose flour
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/2cupsweetened shredded coconut
1cupcoconut yogurtI used full-fat coconut Greek yogurt
3/4cupgranulated sugar
3large eggs
Finely grated zest of 1 medium-large lemon
2tablespoonslemon juice
1/3cupmelted coconut oil
1/2teaspoonalmond extract
For the cream cheese frosting you will need:
4tablespoonsunsalted buttersoftened
2 ounces of cream cheese softened
1 1/2cupspowdered sugar
1/8teaspoonalmond extract
1/2teaspoonfinely grated lemon zest
1–2tablespoonsmilk or half and half
Shredded coconut and lemon zestoptional garnish
Instructions for the loaf:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and shredded coconut.
In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut oil and almond extract until well combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined, the batter will be thick.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a rack to cool.
To make the frosting:
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon milk, almond extract and lemon zest and beat until combined. If the frosting is too thick add additional milk to thin it out. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake and top with shredded coconut and lemon zest.
Storing:
Store it in an airtight container in refrigerator to keep it fresh longer.
If you decide to make this loaf or try a new recipe this holiday season, what will it be?
A Wandaful Thing 