V-Day Decor

Are you ready for the day of love?  I know.  Me neither.  I have valentines to make for Little's class, cookies to bake, cards to fill out...

However, our home is ready!

You already saw my mantle last week...




...and yesterday I shared the simple craft Little Man and I did together.

Today, I'm just showing a few pics of the others lovey touches around the casa.

I'm a big sucker for seasonal pillows.  This is why I have a white sofa.  I just can't commit!  To pillows.  Don't worry Mister.

I've had the Pottery Barn red ticking pillows forever and stumbled upon the heart lumbar pillow at Ikea last year.  It makes me so happy, even if it is only out for a month.

This little tic-tac-toe game always sits here, but it's so apropos right now!  Don't you love that word?  Apropos.  I feel a little bit fancy.

                               


I made this little garland last year with some leftover red felt.  Easy-peasy.  I just cut out some hearts and hot glued them to a long piece of ribbon.  I love how it looks draped across the hutch.

I pulled out the vintage valentines from last year and put them in the exact same spot in the kitchen.  They're all food related so I thought it was fitting...

                                

And that's it.  It's kind of refreshing to not go crazy after all the hoopla of Christmas.  You know me.  I love to put it up, but I love taking it down maybe a little bit more!

Not too much longer and we'll be busting out the Easter eggs and bunnies!  But first, I have a certain almost 4 year-olds birthday party to plan.

Back to that list...

XO,
  Sara

Tissue Paper Hearts - V-Day Craft

Welcome back to another week at Nest Your Best! Hope you had a fun weekend.  My Little Man had his first baseball practice this weekend and it was hysterical.  Really.  I'm bringing a video camera next time.  he had a blast.

  We are gearing up for all things V-day.  I'm not usually too big on Valentine's Day, but having a blog and a baby makes even little holidays more of an event around here!  Little gets so much joy out of all the crafts, stories, and decorations, how could I disappoint?  Even if it means lots of glue on my Pottery Barn table...

We threw together a fun and time consuming (if you have preschoolers, you know this is awesome!) craft to bring a little fun to the kitchen.

The process was quite simple.  I used to do this with my first graders all the time.

Just cut out a heart or two out of cardboard or something else with some substance.

 Then, trim your desired color of tissue paper into little squares.

Set out a palette of glue and show your child how to scrunch up a square of tissue and dip it in the glue.  We had a big talk about the difference between a 'dip' and a 'dunk'...

Get those little hands moving and about 30 minutes later (Yes!! Fold some clothes, eat a snack, take a nap?? Just kidding, I would never...) you'll have some completely covered hearts!

*Disclaimer - I had to go back in and fill in some spots to cover the cardboard.  Little worked on this for a loooong time, but we had differing opinions on what was "finished". :)

I think they turned out pretty cute and he had a blast working on them, to a point.  Maybe we'll do some shamrocks next month!  Or some Easter eggs...hmmm.

Tomorrow I'll be showing you some more decor we have going on.  Got to go make a gajillion pretzel hugs for preschool!

                              

Hope you have a fab day!

XO,
  Sara

In-Spy-ration: Minty Madness

I was browsing through my Pinterest style board the other day and I noticed a trend.  Mint.  It. Was. Every. Where.

No longer just for bridesmaids dresses.  Here are a few ways this cool color has made it's presence known.

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Love this necklace.  Especially the rough edged stones against the smooth blouse.

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Fun color combo.  Has me pining for spring!

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Don't you just want to be a Boden girl?  They always look like they're having the best time, in really cute mint skinnies.

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Love navy and mint.  In fact, I may be doing this very soon...Top knot and all.

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This is way more intricate than I could do on myself, but it's really fun.

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And for those of you wanting a more subtle splash in the minty turquoise direction...

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Is anyone else craving mint chocolate chip ice cream right now?  Mmmmmm.

Have a fantastic weekend!  My Little Man has his very first baseball practice tomorrow.  I'm getting teary already!  How is he big enough for organized sports?  I cannot wait to see him in a little uniform.  Sigh.  Too.  Cute.

XO,

  Sara

Valentine's Day Mantle 2013

Happy Friday Eve!  Today I've got a lovey-dovey mantle to share with you, complete with an easy DIY.

I didn't spend a dime and I'm loving the touch of fun it's brought to our living room.

You may have spotted the framed Tunnel of Love ticket.  This was a quick DIY.  I found the printable from Flamingo Toes.

I just printed it on cardstock and cut a piece of burlap for it to sit on top of in the frame.  Done-zo!

The "X" and "O" are actually pieces of a tic-tac-toe game I keep on the coffee table.  Perfect for V-day!

You can see how I made the wreath here and learn more about the vintage valentines here.




I just used painter's tape to adhere them to the candlesticks and the basket.

The basket vase, botanicals, and candlesticks are from Pottery Barn.

And there you have it.  A mantle fit for a day of love.

How do you do V-day?  Just a heart or two, or do you like to do it up big?

Next week I'll be showing you some other touches of love around the house.  The big day is fast approaching!  Did you hear that Mister?  It's a week from today.  I mean, I think.  I'm not keeping track or anything...;)

XO,
  Sara

V-Day Fun!

Hi-ho!  I'm popping in to share, or I guess re-share, some V-day things we've done over here in the past.  I always like to see what I did last year when planning out what to do this year.

Here's a quick look back with links to the crafts:

I started by making this cute felt heart wreath (it will be making another appearance in my mantle reveal tomorrow!).




I made a few "Milkglass" pieces to adorn my mantle too.





Little and I made these little treats for his friends.  We'll be doing this again for his class V-day party.  Delish!







I also made some vintage valentines to dress up the kitchen and mantle.  These came out again this year too!






I re-used the vintage cards and the heart wreath, but I did a few different things this year to dress up the mantle.  Tomorrow I'll show you what I came up with.  There's a new DIY that I am LOVING!  Get your printer and extra burlap handy!

XO,
  Sara

Fashion Fun - Hot Orange

Whew!  I'm still recovering from our trip to the Children's Museum.  Oh.  My.

I should have known better than to go on a Saturday, but I was not prepared for the craziness of 100's of children all partaking in experiential, hands-on activities with absolutely no structure or supervision.  I mean, these parents were definitely taking a mini vacay.

Kind of tough to explain to my Little Guy that he has to wait in line for his turn on the crane while Pushy McPusherson gets to elbow his way through.  Maybe that's because Pushy's dad cut us in line on the way in.  Apple.  Tree.  Not far.

Anywho.  There's my vent.

Has anyone else noticed the abundance of hot orange lately?  I mean, it's everywhere.  Jewelry, clothing, home decor.  No problem here.  I kind of like it.  Is it orange?  Is it red?  It's both!

I got this cute little sweater on major markdown at J.Crew and knew it would go perfectly with my Target bracelet.  Love it when that happens.

This is a little "Small Things" hair-do.  If you haven't checked out Kate at thesmallthingsblog.com, you really should.  She has great hair tutorials.

Since my top was so fiery, I paired it with some calm and classy Coach flats.

Please don't be looking at the haphazard towels in the background.  Great.  Now you're all looking.

 It was chilly out, so I put on a tie front jacket from T.J. Maxx.

Do y'all have anything red orange yet?  It really does make you feel warmer!

Tomorrow I'm going to recap my V-Day posts from last year in case you missed them.  I've got a couple of new things up my sleeves to share later too.  We're trading out our Internet modem tomorrow so bear with me if there's a lull.  Hopefully not!

Till then!

  Sara

In-Spy-ration: Playroom

First of all, why is it February?!  Seriously.  I haven't even taken my V-day stuff out yet! Secondly, that little groundhog better see his shadow, or not see it, or whatever he has to do to make spring come early.  Just sayin'.  This southern girl is ready for some heat.

If you're a regular reader, you know I've been trying to give Little's playroom a facelift.  It's cute and cheery and organized, however, I'm ready to take it to the next level...

Here's what has my wheels turning...

I just love the whimsy here.  The button "O", too adorable.

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One of my girls did this in her daughter's room and it is fab.  Great way to show off the book covers and grab little ones' interest.  Now, if I only had a wall for that...

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I love the little seat here.  This would be great because, I for one, get tired of sitting on the playroom floor.  Great colors too.

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This is the last photo because I just love everything about this space.  The texture, the long table with the checkerboard pattern, the light fixtures.  This is what I'm going for.  Just because it's a playroom does not mean it can't be an extension of the rest of your house.  Fun and kid friendly, yes, but also high on style.

Love.

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I hope y'all have a great weekend!  We're heading to the Children't Museum tomorrow.  Should be a blast!

XO my lovelies,
  Sara