Quick & Easy Valentine’s Day Tablescape

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.

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Thanks for stopping by….until next time.

10 Item Wish List Christmas 2018

I am doing this post in collaboration with my friend and fellow blogger Amelia from the blog You Can Always Start Now – we thought it would be a neat way to collab and probably discover things we didn’t know we needed or wanted hahaha. We aren’t going to see each other’s lists until our posts are published.

On my wish list are the following 10 items, complete with links to where you can find them.

  1. Sheepskin throw rug – sheepskin is naturally warm, soft and luxurious. A throw rug like this is so versatile as a rug for low traffic areas or thrown over a chair or side of a couch. I think this one from Crate & Barrel is affordable and it makes me want to run out and buy it.  
  2. Santa Gnome from IKEA – I look forward to the new items that IKEA puts out each year and look forward to visiting my local store to see all the wonder that is IKEA, especially at Christmas.  This guy warmed my heart and @ $19.99  I think he’d put a smile on anyone’s face. Do you see him hanging out beside the tree?
  3. Amaryllis – is a popular holiday plant. Tall and graceful, this holiday flower bulb can make a statement as a centerpiece on the table and its trumpet like huge flowers look like they are harking the Christmas holidays. Typically, the red varieties of Amaryllis are sold for the holidays, but they come in colors ranging from red to white to pink to orange and petals that are solid, striped or speckled in all of these colors.  You can get a kit at most big box stores or even at your local grocery store – I saw them for $8.99 at No Frills last week. I need to go back and get one.

    Read more at Gardening Know How: A List Of Plants And Flowers For Christmas https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/christmas-plants-flowers.htm 

4.  A new cookbook – I really enjoy cooking and baking and around Christmas time I    make a bit more time to do both.  I have seen this cookbook floating around in my                travels and liked the concept so it went on my list “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – Mastering the      Elements of Good Cooking” by Samin Nosrat.  I found one on-line and have seen it at          Costco for around $23.00

5. If you like popcorn, you’ve got to check out this next item.

I’m not that girl who buys microwave popcorn as a snack, usually the only time I eat            popcorn is if I go to the movie theater.  I was recently gifted a bag of this deliciousness          and was instantly hooked.   I’m adding it on my wishlist as a possible stocking stuffer –        hint, hint, family members.

6. Body scrubs & body butters – I particularly like The Body Shop body scrubs and butters, like the British Rose Instant Glow Body Butter starting at $6.00 and the British Rose exfoliation Gel Body Scrub for $22.00

Of course you can always make your own, which I also enjoy doing and giving as gifts.          Here is a link for 10 body scrub diy recipes from diycandy. Continue reading 10 Item Wish List Christmas 2018

Thrift Hunting & Vintage Finds – Post #14

For the most part I’ve been trying to stay out of the thrift stores because I am  busy purging and donating stuff to make way for auction and yard sale season AND I find the prices this time of the year a bit too steep.

It is also hit and miss at both thrift stores and auctions as everyone is on their own schedule when it comes time to purge.  However, over the last few days the temperature has been steadily climbing and I feel that I am starting to feel that Spring Fever in my thrift hunting/auction going bones.

It is also very hard to resist doing a once around the thrift store when you are there anyway dropping off donations – so I admit I give in and take a look to see if there’s anything that catches my eye.

I did manage to find a few thrifty items, some are for me and some I will sell. I didn’t find all of this on the same day…ahem, I made a few trips to the donation centre.

I simply couldn’t resist this little pair of S&P shakers (marked 2112 Japan). I can’t narrow down what I love about them more, the vibrant colors or the kilts, I just know they made me smile so, of course, they came home with me.
Continue reading Thrift Hunting & Vintage Finds – Post #14

August Craft Challenge

August Craft Challenge – decorate with a terra-cotta plant pot!

red addy with pillowJust in case you are new and this is your first time visiting, here’s the scoop.

For the Third Monday of every month, Amelia (my friend and fellow blogger) and I do a project or post based on one chosen DIY craft or theme, then we share our results and hopefully have inspired you to join the challenge. (The links to my challenge results can be found at the end of this post.)

Last month was our fabric challenge and the picture to the left shows one of the small pillows I made to use on my Adirondack chairs.

This month our challenge item was a terra-cotta plant pot.  I decided to make candle holders as in my world you can never have too many candle holders. Do you agree??

August Craft 1This project was so quick and easy and the combination of colors could be endless. For this project I used a cream color craft paint. It only took two coats.  Once it was dry, I sanded the areas where I wanted a distressed look. I used E6000 glue to attach the saucer to the top. It just needs a candle and it’s ready to use.

August Craft 2

Continue reading August Craft Challenge

Day 8: Coil Spring Candle Holder

Welcome to Day 8 of my 12 Days of Christmas.

Another easy, simple, unique idea. Coil Spring Candle Holder.

spring coil 2

In the small town I live in there is an event twice a year where people can put on their front lawn or on the curb side, items they no longer want and others can take what they like. After the event whatever is left over is considered heavy pickup and our local waste collectors will take it away for free.

This awesome coil spring was one of the items I picked IMG_4080up during that event and I debated what to do with it until I started thinking about my 12 Days of Christmas.

Continue reading Day 8: Coil Spring Candle Holder