I saw this quote this past weekend and had to stop a minute to really focus on it’s truth. ‘Myself’ would not be high up on the list. In fact, myself may not even be on the list without being reminded. For me, there are several people that I would put above myself. People that I would give my life for. Without being reminded though, there are a lot of things and places that I would put on the list before myself. This quote was an eye opener for self love and helped me realize that I need to work on my own. One way I’ve started dismissing the mean voice in my head is by deleting social media apps from my phone. I look at them too often and when I do I feel so bogged down with other people’s creations that it makes me feel like I’m not doing enough. It adds pressure to be better, do more, make it prettier and put off other things that are more important. I left Instagram because it’s more inspirational than belittling. I do limit myself to only looking at it twice/day. Have you ever struggled with self love? How do you shut down the negative voice inside your head?
DIY Valentine’s Day Cards
Hello loves! What month has 28 days? All of them! Get it? Really though, I love that February has only 28 days because it’s almost always gloomy and snowy. Thankfully, Valentine’s Day is smack dab in the middle to look forward to!
I’ll admit, I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day. I do believe it’s a ‘Hallmark Holiday’ but I love sending love to those I care about.
I was excited when Paper Source contacted me to use their Mini Valentine Kit to make my Valentine’s Day cards this year.
Their mini kit was anything but mini! There were enough supplies to make 30 cards! The only thing you would need to complete the cards are a pair of scissors and a pen. I also used glue dots for the pieces I wanted to lay flat. I loved the dimension the foam mounting tape (in the kit) created. I’d never used them before and will be buying some for scrapbooking!
I liked the challenge of making each card a little different and using some of the products unexpectedly. The red circle stickers were meant as envelope sealers but I used them as polka dots.
The pens I used were Zig markers, Micron pens and Posca paint pens. Make sure to give all pens a min to dry so they don’t smear. I had the Micron smear on the envelope and Posca pen smeared on a card.
These cards definitely look hand made but having the pre-cut hearts and coordinating papers made it so easy to mix and match materials to make many unique designs.
My favorite part was writing love notes on these mini cards, stuffing them in these sweet translucent envelopes and sealing them up to send to my Valentines!
I filled little cellophane bags with Martha Stewart’s hot chocolate recipe to go with my Valentines. Sophie decided it would be best if she tested each bag before sending them out! What do you do to celebrate Valentine’s Day? I’m super excited to be able to help Sophie make Valentine’s for her friends in a few years.
For more Valentine’s Day ideas, check out my Pinterest board!
Follow Shelly |DIY Mama|’s board v-day. on Pinterest.
20 Date Ideas
Hopefully these date ideas will inspire you to spend some time with someone you love!
1. Find a recipe and cook it together. Make it a theme night and play music to match the type of meal.
2. Go off the grid for the weekend- no cell phones, no TV, no computers. You’ll be amazed at what you can do for entertainment.
3. Go see a movie at the drive-in.
4. Go to a restaurant you both have never been to and order their specialty.
5. Buy 3 bottles of the cheapest wine and have your own wine tasting at home.
6. Play a board game.
7. Go bowling and order cheese fries.
8. Have a spa night. Take a relaxing bath then follow up by taking turns giving each other massages.
9. Movie or TV marathon.
10. Play some miniature golf.
11. Hit some balls at the batting cages.
12. Be in control and go to a shooting range. Be careful!
13. Put together a puzzle.
14. Go on a food crawl. Go to a different restaurant for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
15. Go fishing with worms.
16. Dress up to the nines and test drive a car you have no intention to buy.
17. Pack lots of blankets and drive out in the country to look at the stars. Don’t forget brownies!
18. Snuggle up by the fire and read a book with hot chocolate together.
19. Give yourself an imaginary budget. Then separately go online and pick out all the things you would buy for each other with the money.
20. Get active! Go on a bike ride, hike, geocache, etc.
Have you heard of ‘couch dates’? They’re a great way to stay regularly connected to your lover every week or so. I’d love to hear more suggestions on fun things to spice up a Wednesday night!
Don’t waste time.
Life is fleeting. Don’t waste time. Do what you love. This can be hard to remember when there’s piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, and groceries that need bought. Yes, sometimes we have to do things that we don’t LOVE doing but we need to make sure to fit in doing things that we do love everyday. At least one thing that we love everyday. Watering the flowers, bath time with our kids, reading a book or walking our dog are all fun things that I love AND help me feel accomplished. Reading a book, not as much, but it helps relieve stress and improve my writing skills. Do what you love…everyday.