Holiday: Valentine's Day

Are you looking to prepare some quick, last-minute valentines for your little ones? Well you've come to the right place. I used this free printable to create some adorable treats for Anders to pass out at his Mother's Day Out valentines exchange. I simply tied the labels to applesauce pouches using twine, and we were ready to go!

Not only were they cute, but it felt like a parenting win that I was sending something other than candy. Obviously applesauce isn't exactly sugar-free, but surely I score some points for effort. And though I succeeded in helping Anders avoid the seemingly inevitable sugar overload associated with Valentine's Day, he was unable to avoid a slightly different holiday peril - the glitter mustache.

Don't get any ideas, girls. He's my Valentine for now.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! [Updates]

A lot of things have happened since I posted last...almost a month ago. Woops! Things have been hectic around here, but the chaos has been due to a full social calendar so I can't complain. I've meant to post several times, but I have been majorly slacking in the photo department and a blog entry is just so much better with pictures. Here's a brief rundown on Vang updates:

-Andreas and I had a great Valentine's day at home. We enjoyed a low key, three day weekend and some much needed respite. Andreas was awesome and got me a sewing machine as a Valentine's present!

-We booked our 'honeymoon' trip to London!!! With the aid of OCD and my mother's genes I have put together an exhaustive list of sites and attractions covering everything from Buckingham Palace to Abbey Road to Platform 9 and 3/4. That's right Harry Potter fans, read it and weep. We are also going to see Wicked at the famous Victoria Theater, which I am totally excited about!

-Andreas is still playing soccer with several guys from work at a local indoor complex. It is entertaining to hear their collective commentary as the group of 25-30 somethings play against teams composed of high school soccer players. To say they get some serious exercise on Sunday nights is an understatement.

-Andreas attended our church's Men's Retreat a few weekends ago. Call me crazy, but for some reason I just don't think a Women's Retreat would go over as well with one large communal bedroom (although Andreas did say the snoring level was tolerable).

-We are finally in the process of becoming members of the church we have been attending for three years. Last weekend we participated in a very fruitful and educational membership class, and I am looking forward to becoming a covenant member!

-We bought a new couch! Our old couch is still in good condition, but we always knew we would eventually replace it. Andreas should have known not to take me into Crate & Barrel...that store is dangerous to our wallets!

-I got a cyst removed from my scalp, but don't worry it's nothing medically serious. The only reason it's even worth mentioning is because I've been putting it off for years and I finally gave in and had it taken care of.

On an ending note, I leave you with this...

It's a combination of two things I have been playing around with recently - my sewing machine and digital scrapbooking (which I'm very new and not very good at).

The Middle Man

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like. Believe me, I have a laundry list of excuses (weak as they may be). We are busy. Everyone is busy. This is the nature of the American culture. Also, early winter sunsets make taking pictures difficult. Well, more accurately they make taking good pictures difficult, and I just don't like posting ugly pictures if I can help it. Thirdly, Andreas and I have been occupying a lot of our time with what I consider to be pretty mundane tasks that aren't blog-worthy in the least. Do you want to read about us filing our taxes? Didn't think so. With so much cold weather, Andreas and I haven't been venturing outside much lately either. Sure, we've been hanging out and having fun, but things like taking pictures during movies are widely frowned upon. Mostly though, I haven't been blogging as much because so many of the things I want to blog about aren't complete. I'm in the middle of so many projects!

I'm in the middle of making this paper tree...

I'm in the middle of a few other art projects and a book (that I started before Christmas!)...

I'm in the middle of this felting project...

(Don't worry, no pandas were harmed in the production of this blog.)

Heck, I'm in the middle of watching the Grammy Awards right now. As I finish up some of these things, I'll be sure to keep you all updated. I'm also hoping to get a few recipe and gift ideas in as Valentine's Day approaches!

Faux Flowers

A while back I purchased some cheap bud vases thinking that a few flowers could really go a long way in adding a pop of color to one of our bedrooms. I love fresh flowers around the house, but they aren't something I can afford to keep at all times, and certainly not hidden away in a guest bedroom. The problem was that I couldn't find any fake flowers I liked all that much. I bought a few stems from a local craft store to see if they would work, but in the end they just looked, well...fake...and lonely. Luckily one day I happened upon a site providing instructions for party pom-poms made of tissue paper and thought they would make great flowers if I down-sized them. I think they turned out great! They were super easy and I'll definitely be using the pattern again for party decorations in the future. The roses are another idea I adapted from online, originally posted by a woman attempting to decorate for an eco-friendly wedding. She used old paper grocery sacks (which looked awesome!), but since I use cloth bags for my groceries I made these with thick scrapbooking paper.

Now I'm not under the illusion that these flowers look real, but I think they are much more visually interesting than the plastic junk I had before. Plus if you wanted to make them more realistic I think that could be accomplished with colored tissue paper or some dye!

See these sites for more detailed instructions:
Tissue Paper Pom-Poms
Eco-Chic Roses

Just Married

Michael and Signe - have a fantastic time on your honeymoon! We love you!

P.S. - This is the Just Married sign I made for Michael and Signe's getaway car. I'm thinking about trying to sell more like this on Etsy.

Happy Halloween!

Our pumpkin is polka-dotted. Isn't it fantastic?!

I saw this idea in a magazine and really wanted to make it happen this year. Jack-o-lanterns are fun, but sometimes that gets old!

We are going to be out of town on Saturday, but to all our family and friends that will be trick or treating - Have a fun and safe Halloween!

A Personal Touch

Sending correspondence through regular mail has become almost unheard of with the exception of advertisements and financial statements. Email made it possible to instantly communicate with friends, family, and co-workers, no matter where their location on the globe. As social networking becomes more and more popular people prefer to communicate via text, tweet, or status update. While I appreciate the convenience and entertainment value of these options, even I, at 25, recognize that it comes at a cost. There is something lost in these technical approaches to dialogue.

When upon checking the mailbox I discover I received a card or letter, something not instantly tossed in the trash can or shredded, I get excited! It represents time, effort, and love...so much more than simply paper.

When recently asked to send invitations for a friend's shower, I was happy to do it. But I decided I wanted to do something more and add a personal touch. I made the invites! It was a labor of love, and I am so happy I did it.


I think each of the girls who receives an invitation will at least appreciate that it is customized especially for our common friend. Plus, in making the invitations I discovered my newest crafting love....the edger punch! How stinkin' cute are these edges?!

I encourage each of you to find things that will inspire you to embrace the tradition of written correspondence. Send a letter to someone you care about! And then text them a reminder to check their mailbox...because I'm pretty sure most of my friends have abandoned that daily chore.