A Valentine’s Day DIY For The Guys.

February 9, 2015

Alright friends, who has trouble thinking of cute Valentine’s Day gifts for the men in your life? Man-presents are tough! When a friend of mine introduced to me the makers of JL The Brand and their stylish(and American-made!) dress socks a little light-bulb went off in my head for a cute Valentine’s Day gift idea for my husband. (And PS: I already gave it to him, so I’m not ruining any surprises here… the life of a blogger-husband, you get your DIY presents a week early because it was part of a blog post!). I found a small square box and rolled up the patterned socks — love those little crowns! — and topped the box with a hand-lettered quip that says “I love you from your head to your TOES!“. Aren’t Valentine’s Day puns the best?

And hey! If you’re looking to treat the guy in your life to some stylish toes too, JL The Brand is offering Domestikatedlife readers 20% your order + free shipping, just use the code SoxAppeal.

Please note: JL The Brand has provided me with product featured in this post. All opinions, ideas, and DIYs are my own.

DIY

A Sweet Valentine’s Day DIY + Giveaway.

February 9, 2015

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away! I always seem to come up with homemade present ideas a day or two before the actual holiday comes around, leaving me a short window to actually grab supplies and make it come to life. That’s why I’m excited to share this Valentine’s Day DIY concept today — it’s inexpensive, simple to make and a great idea to have in your back-pocket for last-minute gifts because all of the materials can be found at your local grocery store!

I repurposed a cardboard egg carton and gave it a quick layer of craft paint in a pink tone. Then I popped a dozen mini-cupcakes from the grocery store bakery section into the egg carton once it dried, and glued a hand-lettered message to the inside of the container that says “Happy Valentine’s Day, Cupcake!” It’s a great way to gift sweet treats without having to bake them yourself — repackaging the items makes them feel special.

To help celebrate Valentine’s Day, Rich Products is helping me give away a $50 gift card so you can treat your Valentine (or yourself!) to something special. To enter, follow the instructions below:

Giveaway Details:

To enter to win leave a comment below to share how you’d use your $50 gift card to treat your Valentine (or yourself!).
For an extra entry, LIKE the Domestikatedlife Facebook page and leave another comment below.
For an extra entry follow @domestikateblog on Instagram and leave another comment below.
For an extra entry, share a post with your own gifting ideas using the hashtag #givebakery and include a comment below with your post.
This giveaway will end at 5:00 PM EST on Friday, February 13th and is open to US residents only.

Please note: This post was sponsored by Rich Products Corporation, all opinions, ideas, and DIYs are my own.

DIY

Piñata-Inspired Valentine DIY.

February 2, 2015

With all these blustery snow storms blowing around the Northeast, there’s been plenty of cozy afternoons stuck inside for some Valentine’s Day crafting. During a recent snow-in I got to work updating a store-bought box of chocolates with a piñata-inspired look. It’s a simple DIY that took about 20 minutes, and took a blah-looking grocery-store find to the next level! Here’s how to make your own:

1) Gather varying colors of pink and tissue paper, a glue-stick or scrapbooking tape-runner, a pair of fringe scissors and a box of chocolates (and maybe get some extra chocolates to snack on while crafting so you don’t eat your Valentine’s present).
2) Cut the tissue paper into 1″ tall strips, and then use the fringe scissors to cut fringe 3/4 of the way up the strip of tissue paper.
3) Run a strip of the adhesive on the top of the box of chocolates — starting at the very bottom of the box (set the bottom and the chocolates aside to avoid crushing them) and press down one layer of the fringed tissue paper. It’s okay to let the strip of tissue paper hang over the sides — we’ll trim it later!
4) Repeat this process, adding each layer on top of the other until you reach the top of the heart-shaped box. Using regular scissors, trim the edges to reveal the original heart shape of the box.
5) Give this custom chocolate box to your Valentine!

DIY

Felt Heart Garland.

February 13, 2014

Last week at my West Elm DIY event, I taught a group of crafty ladies to make a festive felt heart garland to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I thought I’d share the instructions here so you can make one at home too! First, using two pieces of felt layered on top of each other, trace and cut out two hearts. Next, using about an arms length of embroidery floss, tie off the end and begin sewing the two layers together (starting at the tip of the heart). When you get to about 3/4 of the way around the heart shape, you want to stop sewing and stuff your heart. We used pillow batting for the garlands and pins, and loose dried lavender to make sachets. Once the heart is stuffed, pinch the layers together with your hands and sew the remaining 1/4 of the open heart closed, tying off the end with a knot. Once you have your stuffed heart, you can sew on a pin to the back, add hook to make it a hanging sachet for your closet, or string multiple hearts together to make a sweet garland for your bar cart or mantle!
All photos via the fabulous Bring To Light Photography!

Life

West Elm Valentine’s Day DIY Event.

February 12, 2014

I’m so excited to share a few pictures from my event at West Elm Fenway a few weeks ago! It was such a fun day — I mean, really, is there anything better than hanging out with your girls and making cute things? I’ll post a tutorial this week with step by step instructions so you can make your own felt heart garlands (or pins! or sachets!). Thanks to my bestie Taz from Bring to Light Photography for taking these fabulous pictures, the lovely folks at West Elm Fenway for hosting, Sweet Cupcakes for making sure we had tasty bites to snack on, and for all of the lovely friends, blogging buddies, and new faces that came out to craft with me! Let’s do it again, OK?

Entertaining

Happy Valentine’s Day.

February 14, 2013

A perfectly cheery picture to celebrate Valentine’s Day today. Hope your day is filled with chocolates and flowers, pink and red goodies, and maybe even a heart balloon or two!

Need some more Valentine’s Day inspiration? Follow my Pinterest board here.

Source: Jodi Miller Photography

Home

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide.

February 6, 2013

Did I mention yesterday how much I love Valentine’s Day? I’ve been eyeing lots of cute little Valentine’s Day-inspired gifts lately, from trinkets for your girlfriends to a few little gifts I wouldn’t mind myself (yes, I mean you, you darling little gem locket!). Who’s your Valentine’s Day gift list?

Need some more Valentine’s Day inspiration? Follow my Pinterest board here.

Sources: Locket, iPhone case, bottle stopper, scarf, clutch, card, earrings, measuring spoons.

Recipes

Hearts.

February 5, 2013

Have I mentioned how much I love Valentine’s Day? It must be all the hearts and hot pink that sucks me in. I went paper crazy over the weekend, picking up some little cards and gifts and paper straws to get me in the spirit. And that heart cookie-cutter came in handy while making some rice krispy treats a little extra special for a SuperBowl party on Sunday! What about you? Valentine day lover or hater?

Need some more Valentine’s Day inspiration? Follow my Pinterest board here.

Life

Vday gift.

February 15, 2011

Last night my lovely boyfriend gifted me cookies and sharpies for Valentine’s Day — boy he knows me well! I spent the rest of the night geeking out and rearranging them in the Sharpie carrying-case. How did you celebrate?

Entertaining

Valentine’s Day Party.

February 14, 2011

Today seems like an appropriate day to share all of my Valentine’s Day girl’s night pictures. We had tons of fun, but then again, how can you not when the champagne is flowing and the cupcakes are stacked high? I’m still recovering from my sugar-high, I think Valentine’s Day dinner tonight will have to be something savory to balance my icing intake from the past few days. What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?