Showing Your Home some LOVE for Valentine's Day

Disclosure: I received compensation from Schlage for including their lock in this post; however, be assured that the opinions expressed in this blog are 100% my own... and I know you are going to love my new DIY wreaths.

If you follow my blog, you already know that I really enjoy decorating my home for holidays and that I love easy and inexpensive DIY decor. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, today I'm sharing a few of my favourite ideas for showing my home some love for Valentine's Day.

In 2012, I made this felt rosette wreath for Valentine's Day, and since then, it has been hanging on my front door annually. However, a few months ago, my husband installed a gorgeous new Schlage handle on our front door. It is now the perfect showcase for DIY wreaths, so I thought it would be fun to craft something new this year.

I ended up creating two NEW DIY wreaths, and I love them both.

The first wreath I made for the exterior of my door is reminiscent of an argyle sweater. I love the simplicity of this cozy wreath, don't you?

To make this argyle sweater wreath (from yarn and felt):

1) Wrap a foam wreath form in white yarn (securing it periodically with hot glue).

2) Cut hearts from various colours of felt.

3) Use hot glue to attach the felt hearts to the wreath.

4) Creat an argyle looking pattern by wrapping yarn in one direction... and then wrapping yarn in the other direction (securing periodically with hot glue).

I also made a simple wreath for the interior of my door. I wrapped a metal ring in twine, made handmade felt flowers (using online tutorials), and secured the flowers to the wreath with hot glue. This simple wreath looks fantastic hanging on my blue door.

My new wreaths look great with my new Schlage Encode handle (which is not only beautiful, but also functional). The smart, keyless entry is perfect for my busy family and my three boys (who are now sometimes coming home without a parent). 

No more worrying about whether the front door is locked. With a Schlage smart lock, you can enjoy peace of mind and freedom from keys. And, with the Schlage Home App, I can even receive a notification once my boys get home from school. It's so easy!

What do you think of my two NEW wreaths? Which one do you like best?

This Valentine's Day, I highly recommend taking a little time to create a LOVEly entrance to your home. Consider updating your hardware with a beautiful and functional handle from Schlage, and get a little creative with your DIY decor. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm so happy I decided to show my home some LOVE for Valentine's Day, and I hope I inspired you to do it too!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Donut Valentines... with free printable tags

Who doesn't love donuts? They really are a perfectly "sweet" gifts to share on Valentine's Day. Today, I am sharing some wonderful ways to share donuts on February 14th with friends, kids, classmates, and family... and I'm including some free printable gift tags.

How cute are these donut hole arrows for Valentine's Day? I started with skewers, threaded donut holes onto the skewers, and used hot glue to attach card stock to the ends. My boys absolutely loved them, and I think they are totally adorable!

They'd be cute to share with classmates too... with a "DONUT forget that I think you are a great friend!" tags.

If you are planning to transport them, I'd suggest packaging them in clear bags with some curling ribbon (like this).

For an easier option, you can skip creating the arrows and just stick a few donuts in a bag. Still cute, right?

To download the cute tags I designed: clock on the appropriate tag below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 picture.

I might make this special snack for my boys too. Nothing beats donuts and milk as an after school snack.

A donut bouquet is another wonderful way to share donuts this Valentine's Day. It's a great alternative to flowers, and kids will love making this clever gift too. You can can find the full "how to" instructions (including a step-by-step video) here.

I love all these ideas for gifting donuts on Valentine's Day, don't you? Donuts in all shapes and sizes will definitely be on my shopping list this year. 😄

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.

DIY Hockey Valentine

My boys have never liked giving out those "store bought" class Valentine's. So, every year, I have tried to come up with a new idea for a treat or trinket they can share with their friends. My older two boys are too old for Valentine's this year, but my youngest son still needs a fun card to share with his friends. Given that he is a lover of all things hockey, I decided to create a simple DIY hockey Valentine this year.

I started by taking a picture of him at the rink. (As you can see, he's trying out being a goalie this year, which is not good for his mother's heart. lol)

Then, I used photo editing software to add a fun message to the top of the Valentine. I love puns, so the Valentine says, "You are top shelf. Happy Valentine's Day!"

I used Picmonkey.com because it is easy to use, you don't need to download anything, and it's free.

I printed the 4x6 photos, used an x-acto knife to cut two slits in the pictures, and inserted heart-shaped suckers.

And it works for players too! I made this one for my nephew. (You can take a picture of a child shooting top shelf and use "You are top shelf" or you can use a little poem like... "Red lines are red. Blue lines are blue. Hockey is fun, and so are you!"

Isn't this an adorable Valentine?!?! I made enough for my son's class, and it didn't take me long at all.

If you have a hockey fan in your life, you should totally give these DIY Valentines a try this year. You could do a similar thing for other sports too. What sport do your kids play? Would they like this ideas?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)



PS - If you want to give Valentine's to give your teammates, these tags are adorable. Click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer and print it like a regular 4x6 photo. Use ribbon to attach it to a package of Excel gum, and you are good to go!

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.

If you have a hockey fan in the house, you might also like this hockey post.

Warm and Fudgy Valentine's Day Chocolate Cakes (with only three ingredients!)

Valentine's Day is synonymous with chocolate, and today I am sharing a recipe you are definitely going to want to try this year. You literally only need 3 ingredients and 2 minutes to make delicious warm and fudgy Valentine's Day chocolate cakes. 

To make these quick and delicious chocolate cakes, you'll need: 

• 3 tbsp chocolate fudge cake mix
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips

Combine the ingredients in a microwave safe ramekin, stir, and microwave for 50 seconds. 

(Note: Be careful when you remove it from the microwave because it will be hot.) 

You can eat the cakes plain, or you can dress them up. I like mine with a little powered sugar and raspberries, but they are great with whipped cream and sprinkles too!

And, of course, milk pairs perfectly with the rich chocolate flavor.

Check out this short video I made with my boys... and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more great recipes, crafts and ideas!

These cakes are perfect for Valentine's Day, but they are great any time of the year. If you love warm and fudgy chocolate cakes, you should definitely give this recipe a try. If you make them, let me know what you think. I'm pretty confident that you won't be disappointed!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.

Socks Valentine... with free printable tags

I love a DIY Valentine, don't you? I love creating unique Valentines, for my husband, kids, and my kids's friends and classmates. This year, I decided to make a cute Valentine with an adorable pair of Valentine's Day socks I found at the dollar store. I paired them with a tag I designed, and I'm in love with the result! Check out the details, and the FREE downloadable tags below.

You can use any style of socks for this Valentine, so it works for any recipient. I think my boys would love a pair of sports themed socks, and my husband can always use socks for work. I also like the idea of festive dollar store socks for babies and class Valentines. The possibilities are endless!

To download the Valentine's Day tags I designed: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

You can also put the socks in clear cellophane bags, and attach the tags with curling ribbon. Cute, right?!?

I am absolutely in love with this DIY Valentine idea. The socks are inexpensive, and the "You know my SOCKS off!" tags are totally adorable!

Who would you share these Valentine's Day treat with?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.

Gumball Class Valentine... with free printable labels

Kids have a lot of fun giving and receiving Valentines on Valentines Day, but I've always struggled to find versions my boys aren't embarassed to pass out to their classmates. They NEVER want to share anything that says "LOVE" on it. lol To solve this problem, I usually purchase little treats and trinkets and add a cute / "punny" tag. Today, I am sharing a fun "gumball" Valentine that works perfectly for classrooms.

To make the gumball Valentines, you'll need: gumballs, curling ribbon, clear plastic bags, and the tags I designed.

Don't you love the adorable "I couldn't CHEWS a better friend" tags I designed?

To download the tags: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

This is such a unique and inexpensive Valentine idea, and it's a little more fun than just a plain paper card.

I'm absolutely in love with how bright and colourful these Valentines are. This really is an easy and inexpensive class Valentine idea. Would your child like to share these free printable Valentines with their friends? I bet they would!

Happy Valentine's Day!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.

Valentine's Day Fortune Cookies... with free printable tags

I love a unique DIY gift, and these simple sweet treats are perfect for Valentine's Day. With some store bought fortune cookies, dollar store packaging, and the free downloadable tags I designed... you'll have everything you need to let your sweethearts know how FORTUNATE you are to have them in your life.

Start out with some store bought fortune cookies. You can package them "as is", or you can "fancy them up" with some melted chocolate and sprinkles.

To make "fancy" fortune cookies: melt chocolate, dip the fortune cookies in the chocolate, and dip the fortune cookies in sprinkles.

Lay the cookies on wax paper, and allow the chocolate to harden. Cute, right?

Then, package the cookies with tags that say how "fortunate" you are.

To download the tags I designed: click on the appropriate tags below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

You can package the fortune cookies in clear plastic bags, or you can put them cute containers. I found these adorable Chinese Food containers at the dollar store, and they are absolutely perfect!

Don't you just love these Valentine's Day treats? They are perfect to share with kids AND friends. I like them as a Valentine's Day party favor too. Happy Valentine's Day!

♥

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.