Looking for something sweet for the breakfast table? These napkins use a heart hole punch to make a stencil for printing on napkins. The heavy clunk of the metal punch is almost as satisfying as the resulting shower of confetti hearts.

Materials: Napkins (washed, dried and ironed), stencil sheets or Mylar (I used frosted Mylar cut into 4 ½ x 6” sheets), heart hole punch, painter’s tape, textile or screen-printing ink, stencil brush, paper plates, iron.

Step 1: Using the heart hole punch, cut hearts in the stencil sheet. I made three sheets – one for each color I wanted to print.

Step 2: Print the napkins by taping your stencil to the napkin. This gives a buffer for the paint as well as holding it in place. Pour small amount of ink onto a paper plate. Dip your brush into the ink and then remove excess ink by tapping the stencil brush onto plate. Apply ink to stencil using a straight up and down motion. Carefully peel away stencil and move to a new area.

Step 3: Apply a new color by repeating Step 2 after the first color ink is dry to the touch. Repeat with a third color if desired.

To make your ink permanent, follow ink manufacturer’s instruction for “heat-setting” the ink. This means ironing the fabric after it has air dried to make it permanent so you can wash and dry your napkins over and over to repeatedly brighten your table.

Big thanks to Michaels for sponsoring these posts.  I hope everyone gets just the right amount of sweet this Valentine's Day. xoxo

I know it’s the thought that counts. But I also believe that if that thought is dressed up pretty, even cookies can taste sweeter. The variations on what supplies to use are endless, but here’s what I used.

Materials for the labels: Plain shipping tags, circle stamp, ink pad, pink marker, red card stock, hole punch, scissors, spray glue, embroidery thread, letter stamp. Materials for the cookie packages: white take out containers, striped waxed paper, polka dot paper, scissors, spray glue, washi tape.

Step 1: To make the arrow labels, stamp a circle on a shipping tag and draw an arrow through the center. To make the fluted corner labels, use a fluted hole punch to cut a circle. Place the cut-out circle atop the shipping tag and cut along a corner of the tag. Use spray glue to affix to label. Add an XOXO stamp.

Step 2: To add a pennant effect around the container, cut a zig-zag length of paper long enough to wrap around the container. Spray glue the back side of paper and affix to top edge of container.

Put a piece of wax paper inside a container, add cookies and affix labels to the top with a piece of washi tape. Send to all your valentines.

A note about recipes: I used this recipe for almond lavender shortbread. And this one for the chocolate cookies – it’s like a brownie in cookie form. If you are eating or serving at home, feel free to make marshmallow fluff sandwiches with fluff mixed with a little strawberry or raspberry jam to tint pink. Be forewarned: they get goopy fast. But the goop is worth it.

Big thanks to Michaels for sponsoring this post and encouraging us all to be creative and sweet in our Valentine's Day celebrations. xoxo

I’m going to come right out with it. The thought of batting my eyelashes across a candlelit restaurant dinner on Valentine’s Day creeps me out. I’m just not that kind of girl.

What I do go for, however, is cooking a great meal and making sweet somethings for the people I love. A cluster of these lightweight veneer hearts hung in a corner or over the dining room table creates a dreamy little heart forest and transmits a 'modern love' kind of vibe.

Materials: Strips of wood veneer (available in different widths in hardware stores), scissors, awl and cutting board, brads, glue, yarn or ribbon, clothespins, paint, decorative tape or glitter for decorating

Step 1: For each heart, cut two pieces of veneer the same length (I used 10” strips for the smaller hearts and 18” for the larger hearts). Bend one strip and then the other, so the cut ends line up and pinch together.

Step 2: Using a awl and a cutting board or mat, push the awl through to make a hole through all four layers of the veneer. Once the awl is all the way through, flip the stack over and push awl in through the other side so the veneer doesn’t split. Push a brad through and open ends to secure.

Step 3: Add yarn or ribbon to hang by sliding the central “stem” of the heart open and squeezing a line of glue. Position end of yarn over the glue, slide the veneer back and clothespin together until glue dries.

Step 4: Decorate with paint – acrylic gives opaque coverage and watercolor creates a softer effect. Alternatively, add strips of decorative tape to create stripes or add glitter.

Step 5: Hang in a cluster, or tie the hearts to dowels to create a mobile.

Big thanks to Michaels for sponsoring this post and encouraging us to be creative in the way we celebrate Valentine's Day. xoxo

I need some lazy mornings with rumpled sheets and dozing. I hope that’s in the cards for you too.

In miscellaneous news, you can see Melissa’s roundup of our Alt Eve dinner right over here. And big thanks to Jenn and Hostess with the Mostess for telling all you party people about Weekend Handmade. It posted while I was at Alt and I’ve been remiss in sharing. It’s quite a compliment considering the source!

Here’s to afternoon naps and eeking out small moments of slow-paced happiness this weekend.

At Alt, Ez and I bonded a little over our love of stars and the night sky. The chat was inspired by Ez's quite awesome constellation dress.

I’m particularly drawn to the night sky in wintertime. Neck tipped up, cold air, close stars. So the inky beauty of these watercolor paintings made me gasp.

They’re from an artist named Christine Buckton Tillman and if you scroll through the drawings section of her site, your heart will become buoyant with happiness and light.

Here was the sound of Sunday night, getting ready for Downton Abbey, with melted butter and smoked paprika waiting in the wings.

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