full of love

Hi! Sorry for my absence in blogland. There's been a whole lot going on and changes brewing which have left me little head space for much else. To my surprise January whizzed past, turning into one big rainy blur. Now suddenly it's February and nearly Valentine's and I went to get in quickly and share this simple little DIY with you.
All you need to make your little jar of love is...

• downloadable labels
• A small jar
• A4 paper or inkjet sticker paper
• Scissors
• Heart shaped sweets

To make...

1. Start by downloading your free printable sheet of labels. You can either print this onto paper and glue your labels onto the jar or you can print them onto inkjet sticker paper, which is a little easier.
2. Choose a heart size that works with your jar and draw a circle on top of the heart pattern to cut out and use for the lid. Stick them on.
3. Then fill your heart with sweets. I used heart shaped Haribos but it would work just as well with heart shaped chocolates.

And there you have a Valentine's gift you could probably rustle up in your sleep!

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free printable valentines card

This was actually the card I made Nick for our Anniversary but I thought it would work quite nicely for Valentines Day. Just download the PDF here and follow the instructions below. To get the look, use flecked, recycled card.

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picnic 'how to'

1. hanging flower tins...

Peel the label off an any old tine and scrub to get rid of the stickiness. Then masking tape the area you don’t want painted, making sure the tape joins up. Then paint any colour you want. I used a paint tester pot from a hard wear store and did 3 coats to get the colour looking even, allowing each coat to dry in between. Once all coats are dry, peel off the tape and wrap some twine around the top. You can knot two pieces of twine either side and gather them up to make another knot. Make sure it hangs evenly and then tie another long piece of twine to hang. Then you can put a little bit of water in them, along with your flowers and tie to anything you want.

2. homemade guacamole...

• 1 large ripe tomato
• 3 avocados, very ripe but not bruised
• Juice of 1 large lime
• Handful of coriander, leaves and stalks chopped, plus a few leaves roughly chopped, to serve
• 1 small red onion , finely chopped
• 1 chilli , red or green, deseeded and finely chopped

Cut the tomato into tiny pieces, so that it turns into a pulp. Tip these into a bowl and then de-stone the avacados, and scoop out in with the tomato. Tip all the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and season. Mash everything together. Serve straight away with some fresh coriander sprinkled on the top or leave the avocado stone in the bowl along with the dip and chill in the fridge.

3. picnic lunchboxes...

Download my free printable template. To make one as photographed, print onto A3 or to make a mini one you can print the A4 version. The smaller template could make a sweet gift box as well. Then cut the template cut out and draw around onto some cardboard or card, depending on how sturdy you want them, marking where the fold lines are. Cut out with a scalpel and ruler and score down the fold lines. The box will then easily take on the lunchbox shape and can be secure the flaps with double sided tape. The handles should be able to bend into the slots so it can be carried.

4. picnic invites & labels...

I’ve designed these free downloadable printable labels and invites. The labels can be printed onto paper or card and then secured to your drink containers or the picnic boxes. Print the invite front and back onto card, cut out and then use glue or double sided tape to secure a lolly stick at the bottom. Then glue or spray mount the two front and back together, sandwiching the lolly stick in between and there you have your picnic paddle invite!

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merci

Sometimes it's nice to tell people you're thankful for them. I can't imagine any one not wanting to hear that. I often fell very blessed for the people that God has placed in my life, especially my husband. With that in mind I made him a little thank you postcard a few weeks ago. It's easy to be thankful and just keep it to yourself but why not encourage someone and show they're appreciated with a simple note. You don't need a postcard to say thank you but it's a good excuse. Download the designs here.

Print the postcards onto coloured card or use the coloured backgrounds I've created in the downloads. The envelopes need to be printed onto A3. You then cut around the edges and the mini diagrams will show you where to fold. Stick it all together with some glue or double sided tape and voila.  Happy making!

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