How fun would these be to round out (or to be a springboard for starting) your Valentine decor? Or, if red for Valentine’s Day isn’t your thing, to give to a lucky loved one?
giveaway details: Giveaway open until January 24 at 11:59 pm EST to US residents only. To enter, use the rafflecopter widget below. One unique winner will be emailed + announced on Friday, January 25th at the top of this blog post. I can’t wait to see who wins!
It’s official – Valentine’s Day is a month from today and I’ve started to plan – what crafts the kids will make for loved ones {I have a feeling their versions will be much simpler than what I have planned in my head!}, what I’ll do for John, how I want to decorate … ah, it’s a lovely {pun intended} time of year!
Do you have special Valentine traditions? I grew up with my mom always making sure that we each got a Valentine from her and Dad, and each year that I can remember we had a Valentine meal {usually dinner, but on the years when they splurged for a babysitter it was breakfast :)}.
12 “BE MINE” cupcake toppers from the Path Less Traveled
There were always lots of red and pink hearts – even if they were just cut out of construction paper – and we were strongly encouraged to make cards for each other <3
I’ve continued the family celebrating now that I’m married {to a man who grew up with 6 brothers and a sister – and thinks that I’m cute for making such a big deal of the day :)} and have a family and, by extension, have been stocking the shop with Valentine items. In fact, if you search “Valentine’s Day” here on the site or in my Etsy shop, you’ll probably be a bit overwhelmed with the number of choices!
This year, the new Valentine items are these darling cupcake toppers that you see here. I took the red, pink and white heart toppers and stamped them with “LOVE“, “BE MINE” and “XO” – they turned out so sweet!
12 “XO” heart cupcake toppers from the Path Less Traveled
They kind of remind me of the Sweetheart candies <3 and would be perfect for anything from a class party to a romantic evening. They can also be customized with short words or phrases – how sweet would “MARRY ME?” be?! I’d definitely say yes!
12 “LOVE” heart cupcake toppers from the Path Less Traveled
The Valentine versions of my heart toppers complement the other heart items so well – they almost seem as if they’ve been a part of the shop since the beginning!
How about you? Are you planning something special for this year? I’m looking for something special to do with/for John and would love to hear your ideas! It will probably be something here at home, after putting the children to bed early {since I imagine taking a nursing babe out on Valentine’s might not be the best idea}. So, yes, your ideas please!
Also, if you come across hiccups in our site as we’re building it, I’d really appreciate it if you’d take a moment to let me know, either via email or a comment here on the blog.
<3
p.s. Some of you have been asking if we’ll be carrying all of our Etsy stock – garlands, cupcake toppers, etc. – here as well and the answer is yes! It’s taking a bit of time to add them all to the site, but if the item/s you’re looking for isn’t here yet, it will be soon {and more, too!}.
p.p.s. There will be a giveaway coming soon! I haven’t decided if I’ll do it this week or next, so stay tuned :)
Things around here have been wonderful, exhausting, exciting, busy, sometimes overwhelming (okay, overwhelming more often than I’d like to think), but wonder-ful.
With scenes like this, how could it not be? :) Olivia just turned 6 weeks old {where did those weeks go?} and has begun to laugh a bit. Little things like a baby’s laugh can really brighten your day when you’re covered in said baby’s spit-up. :) And the other two are still completely smitten with her!
But this post is supposed to be a shop update, not a baby update {but baby updates are a bit cuter and sweeter, yes?} :) So …. did you see on the facebook page that I’ve put the silhouettes back in the shop? If you were wanting one (or more!) and didn’t get it before I discontinued them, contact me and we can talk about it. As long as I’m talking about the facebook page, have you been seeing my updates in your feed? Chances are, with the changes facebook has been making, you might not … so, if you’d like to change that {you would, right? :)}, after you “like” the page, hover over what is now the “liked” button, and select “Get in news feed.” That way you’ll be able to see when I post new things like coupons{!}, flash sales{!}, or random photos of a cute little baby. :)
screen shot of the work in progress
Next up – our brand new web site {coming soon to a computer/mobile screen near you!}! My sister {who is really gifted when it comes to tech-y things} has been helping us put together our own web site. It should be ready to go live in another day or two, and I’ll let you know when it does. It will be an integrated shop/blog, a site that has all of our web stuff on it {even Instagram pics :)}. We are working to make sure that when you head here to the blog, you are automatically re-directed to the new location, making the transition as seamless as possible. Oh my, I’m so excited!
There are some other things I was going to tell you, too ….. but I can’t remember right now. Oh well, they can wait until next week. :)
<3
p.s. can you believe it’s just a month until Valentine’s Day? I’d better start helping the kiddos make their cards and gifts for the grandparents {things like that can take a while when they are more interested in cutting up the finished products than in the idea of giving them away}!
What are your plans for tonight? Staying up to welcome the New Year? Crashing early? Celebrating with loved ones, yummy munchies and board games? Snuggling up warm and watching a movie? Doing some online shopping of after Christmas sales (if so, don’t forget the coupon code for 15% off of the shop – maybe a good time to pick up the Garland for Every Holiday set?)? If you’re online, stop by the temporary landing page for our new website – still can hardly believe it’s actually happening! – and sign up for the newsletter so you can stay up to date on sales and things :)
Right now, crashing early sounds really good, but I’m looking forward to a fun evening with extended family, maybe a game or two and some delicious goodies. And enjoying watching it snow. :)
(one of the lovely bits of living in the midwest is having a snowy mailbox :D)
Have you seen the glittered votives making their way around Pinterest? I made some after seeing them and now think I need to make a few more – maybe in pinks and red for Valentine’s Day … :) These have been adding such a festive touch to our Christmas and New Year’s decorations!
Last year’s version of the same window (minus the disco ball) – I made up the twinkle star garland as a last minute way to add a bit of festivity to our house and it ended up going in the shop and becoming quite popular! Kind of fun to see how God uses some of my random ramblings and spurts of creative experimenting :) I’m thinking that some large balloons (maybe like these) and twinkle lights would round this out nicely – maybe next year!
I’ve been reflecting back on 2012 for the past few days (and would enjoy making up a year-end round-up post here) and can only come to the conclusion that God is amazing. And, because He doesn’t change, that amazingness will continue in 2013.
What a day to celebrate! The day that God, in His infinite mercy and love, sent His only Son to earth to live among us and be our Savior, ultimately dying (and rising again) in our place. Yes, indeed a day to celebrate.
I’m taking this Christmas a bit slower than usual. In fact, most of my Christmas cards are quickly becoming New Year’s cards. : ) There are so many things that I wanted to do that didn’t get done, so many things I wanted to make (a bunch of them are on my Pinterest board) that didn’t get made. There’s always next year, though! This year I spent most of my time cuddling our three(!) babes and learning Olivia’s moods and preferences. Which is just as it needed to be : )
It seems that Christmas (not to mention December) has come around again so quickly this year. I’m hoping/planning to put up an end of the year recap post – so much has happened in the last twelve months! God has blessed us beyond our dreams, and are so, so very grateful. This next year is already shaping up to be even more incredible! (one thing being a new website – amazing! We’re hoping for it to be live by the second week of January – while you’re waiting for the real thing you can see our landing page at www.pltmarket.com sign up for our newsletter {yet another new thing!})
My gift to you this years is a shop coupon code (CHRISTMAS2012) for 15% off of your entire order, good until January 30, 2013. I hope you enjoy it! You have each been so wonderful, and I’ve been privileged to be able to serve you. :)
Blessings to each of you and your families this Christmas! May you make memories to cherish and enjoy the wonders of His amazing love.
So, the weekly shop updates haven’t quite as weekly as I had planned. :) But then, I’ve been a bit busy with other things!
The other day I took advantage of a certain baby girl sleeping and made up (and listed – such a feet to get both things done on the same afternoon right now!) some snowflake and Christmas-ey things that I’ve had in my head for a while. :)
Here are a few photos and links to them – there’s still time to place an order to enjoy them this Christmas!
Christmas Star Cupcake toppers – the idea for these came while we were driving just before Thanksgiving and saw the neighbors’ lights. One of the decorations was a star that had the word “JOY” in the middle … and I knew I needed to make something out of it. :)
Snowflake Cake/Pie toppers (or you can use them as wands for little ones pretending to be snow fairies!)
So, there you have it! 4 new items and one more week to place an order to enjoy them. :) And there’s still a few more things I wanted to make for the shop this Christmas … Oh well! Here’s to enjoying our sweet, darling baby girl and celebrating the wonder of our Savior’s birth with Em and Ian.
What are your plans for celebrating with your loved ones?
This year has been so crammed full of blessings! And even when things don’t seem to be blessings, this year I’ve been learning that having a thankful heart helps to change my perception of them, helps me to see them as gifts in their own way. Because no matter what, God is good. He is many other things as well, but along with them all He is good. And so faithful.
And so this Thanksgiving I’m most thankful for His faithfulness. Blessings to you and your loved ones as you celebrate this Thanksgiving and the many blessings you enjoy!
It’s definitely getting nippy around here! A few weeks ago my nesting energy turned toward dusting and rearranging our “mantle” and bookshelves (side note – this shelf has been wonderful! We go it 3 years ago from Ikea and haven’t regretted it once!). I dug out our Thanksgiving box to find our little straw and ceramic pumpkins and brought a few wispy branches in from the yard.
As I was arranging (and rearranging) I remembered that I just made up this fall colored garland for the shop, and then putting up that led to the idea of the “GIVE THANKS” banner … :) Funny how my creative process works!
This cherub used to sit on my grandma’s mantle and every time I see it my mind flashes an image of her living room … so I’m not sure if I love the candle holder or the memories it holds!
The fat candle with the votives is my substitute for a fireplace this year. : ) I seem to enjoy making up “mock fireplaces” when I don’t have access to the real thing (I’ve done it before, you know)!
In a week or so I’ll add our pilgrims and turkeys to the table, bookshelves and windowsill. And maybe the little ones can find a few leaves for some crayon rubbings before they all disappear?
Memorial Day weekend has arrived! Which means school is letting out for the summer – and summer is here!
There’s something special about Memorial Day that I really love – it doesn’t hurt that tons of retailers celebrate it with sales! – and that sets it apart from most of our other holidays. So many of our other holidays and celebrations center on gifts, “me”, and so on, but Memorial Day is about remembering other peoples’ sacrifice, celebrating and honoring it and them. We gather together, barbeque, eat watermelon, maybe light a few fireworks, watch for the first fireflies, and weremember. They say “freedom is not free”, and it is so very true. Pretty much anywhere you look in our nation today, you see the result of someone’s sacrifice, whether it’s their blood on a battlefield securing our freedom or their sweat and tears to maintain it. And it’s what makes America amazing.
Kind of sobering when you really think about it, isn’t it? And so, we celebrate! Celebrate the people and the miracle that America is.
(and, in keeping with the spirit of holiday sales, you can use the code “CELEBRATE” for 20% off in the shop until Monday night – enjoy!)
I made the above wreath a few years ago and thought I’d share it again (and maybe make it again for our front door?). It’s the simplest thing, really, but still has quite a bit of impact. I took a heart shaped berry wreath and stuck American flag picks in it, letting them “wave” in the breeze, and then hung it on our door. So simple!
I’ve been loving Pinterest. Just loving it. I’ve been pinning just about everything and have a board for just about everything. Including Valentine’s Day.
As I started writing this post I realized that the woman who made the original banner has a very nice post about how she made it – I of course didn’t even think to click through to her blog to see if there were instructions or not. I just muddled though and made my own. : )
I used the font Arial Black in 400 point to write out “I LOVE YOU” and printed it onto white cardstock in very light gray. Emma Grace chose the color of the glitter – pink, of course. : )
After trying a light layer of glue, I realized that, to get the nice thick and full look, I needed to put a heavy layer of glue on. A very heavy layer!
Once they were dry I cut slits in in the sides of the letters and threaded a creamy ribbon through.
It turned out quite well, but the sweetest part of the process was my helpers! They were so proud to be able to “help” with things like glue and glitter that are normally off limits to them. And – even though there were a few moments where I was quite nervous about them smearing glue where it shouldn’t be – their joy was more than worth it.
If you haven’t joined Pinterest yet and would like an invitation, let me know – I’ve got several left. : )
