Valentine's Nerd

Hello, hello, my lovelies!

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly and I thought this year I would go a little overboard on my sweetie's gift. You see, I indulge his nerd side as often as I can, and I figured he would get a real kick out of this Star Wars themed gift. It is oh so much better than that standard box of mystery chocolate- you know the one (toothpaste flavor, oh yum!)

I originally picked up some Star Wars goodies in early January to hold until his birthday (March is just too far..), but I just couldn't resist giving them to him for Valentine's Day. He'll be so surprised! I think he'll love it, but according to him, he's loves everything I do that's personalized. Awwww... 

Below, I'll show you everything I put in his box. And when I say I like to indulge his nerd side, I also mean his childlike heart.. Very childlike heart. There are a few extra things I threw in for good measure, which you will see.

Things you will need:

- If it is Star Wars related, GET IT

- A nifty box to put all those treasures in

- Star Wars Valentines add to the overall appeal 

Yup, it really is that simple. And since it is themed, this gift can pretty much cost as little or as much as you want. It all depends on the contents.

Here we go..

I chose a sturdy container so that it could hold whatever I wanted to add. Dollar Tree has tons of options in many different colors. I picked red like Darth Vader's lightsaber. (This is coming from someone who, sadly, hasn't even successfully sat through any of the original films. Maybe that's what we'll do with the rest of the day..) 

When I was in my local Dirt Cheap, I came across lots of ten cent finds, including lots of Star Wars goodies. I didn't spend more than a dollar on any of the small items. What a great find!

There was a 100 piece puzzle, two small stuffed figures, a giant Yoda eraser, a Grad&Go play pack, a Darth Vader cup, and a full size play lightsaber! Can you say awesome? No worries, I got both of us covered: AWESOME! 

My only real splurge in the box was the Blu-Ray/DVD 6-disc combo pack of the three original films. I also got this really cool light-up candy lightsaber (which I've given him before and he loves).

I placed the Star Wars Valentines on each of the items in the box as a "corny yet cool" feature. My favorite is R2-D2: I bet you whistle at all the droids. Boom. I just love that.

It really came together great and may be one of the best themed gifts I've given him since the Zombie Survival Kit. That was a classic...

Now, amongst all the super Star Wars stuff, I put some cutesy/corny more traditional Valentines. My sweetheart likes dinosaurs, too, so I fashioned some little homemade things together for his gift including a hand-drawn dino picture and a card tied to a plastic T-rex from the Dollar Tree. 

There's also a little stuffed bear in there with the tagline: I love you "beary" much!

So, you've now seen this years Valentine's Day gift! You can follow me on Pinterest and LIKE my page on Facebook! Happy gifting! ♥

Book of Love: A Personalized Scrapbook

    I'm finally getting around to posting this (it took me long enough..), but this was part of my honey's Christmas present! I saw an idea similar to this one somewhere online, but it wasn't as detailed as I was hoping, so I wanted to put mine up ☺ 

    Some of you will be stepping out of your comfort zone on this one. It requires gutting an old book.. *GASP* The horror! I know, I know. I felt bad doing it, but honestly, no one in my household is going to read that Reader's Digest from the fifties. Now, if you make it past this stage, it's clean sailing.

   

    Here is what you'll need:

• An old book- think thrift shop find 
• Glue (and maybe tape)
• Photos 
• Scrapbook pages
• Stickers to decorate (I also used wooden shapes)
• A binder center or rings (I used rings)
• White 4X6 notecards

Ok, gut that book! Just make sure you only take out the pages, but leave the entire cover intact! It won't work if the cover gets ruined.

Next, cover the inside with pretty scrapbook paper.

 Poke the rings through the book's spine. If you decide to use a binder center instead, you will not be able to glue the ribbon down, ok? And you will need to used really strong glue to put it in place ☺ These will hold your pages inside. I used wooden shapes to decorate my inner covers and some of the pages I added. To cover the inside spine, I took a strip of thick ribbon and glued it down.

The pages were also made from scrapbook paper and I placed a white notecard on the pages I wanted to add text to.

Some pages were decorated with ribbon and stickers.

I used some of my favorite mushy quotes and special messages on some pages and glued pictures to the white backsides of other pages. Instead of typing anything, I hand wrote all of it so that it would be even more special.

Make your book as unique as you can ☺ The person who receives it will love all the work you put into it!

                                           Happy crafting!

Easy Picture Book

Hey everybody! I have another craft to share with you ☺ My boyfriend randomly asked me one day if I would make him a picture book. I said sure, kinda worried it would be bland, but he had faith in me! He knows I love using my imagination, and being a little silly doesn't hurt. So I looked through all the pictures we had taken together from the beginning of our relationship til now. I chose my 45 favorites and put them in order of how they were taken. Now, here's the best part- I didn't have to fork out a lot of money to do this project. Walgreens has photo specials all the time, and one I got was buy 25 4X6 prints, get 25 free! How awesome is that? So look often on their website for really sweet specials. Enjoy!

All You Need Is:

- A photo album with about 50 pages (Mine had 48 and I got it at the Dollar Tree)
- Old magazines
- Stickers
- And of course, your photos ☺

 The old magazines will be your best friend when you want to describe a certain photo. Cut out words or phrases that would make sense on a picture. Stickers work well, too, but magazine cutouts can be put together to form sentences- instantly making it more personal! I had to cut out the magazine words and organized them into clear cups, writing what kind of words they were on the outside. This makes it easier to find what you want when you need it without having to dig through a huge stack!

Using the first few pages of the photo album (including the inside cover), I left my boyfriend a personal note and made an "About Us" page that displayed our anniversary date, birthdays, and interests. Then using some of the magazine cutouts, I made a collage that started with "Jamie is..." then picked words that best described my man.

 Each of the photos were dated on the back so I wouldn't lose track of what went where. On the fronts, I also put dates, but I sometimes had multiple photos taken on the same day. The first photo would be dated, then the rest simply followed after til a new date was reached. 

I personalized the front and back covers of the photo album from a simple blue polka dot image to a more graphic floral one. The back cover was replaced with a green polka dot that matched the cover with a small owl sticker placed on the bottom- because I like owls.. A lot. 

Bonus:
What my boyfriend doesn't know, unless he someday takes a peek at this blog, is that I wrote love quotes on the back of the photos. Not all of them have one, but most of them do. I thought this was a simple yet oh-so-sweet thing to do!

I hope you like this craft as much as I do! Oh, and just so you know, my boyfriend loved it ☺ Have a blessed day!

Book Post- For Women Only

Or For Men Only. Or For Young Women Only. Or For Young Men Only. Take your pick! These books are helpful in understanding what your spouse, child, or friend may be thinking and feeling. Several variations are available for whatever stage of life you may be in. There is even one for parents: For Parents Only!

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2004

 

What’s going on in a man’s mind? From their early days, every woman has struggled to understand why males behave the way they do. Even long-married women who think they understand men have only scratched the surface. Beneath a man’s rugged exterior is an even more rugged, unmapped terrain. What bestselling author Shaunti Feldhahn’s research reveals about the inner lives of men will open women’s eyes to what the men in their life—boyfriends, brothers, husbands, and sons—are really thinking and feeling. Men want to be understood, but they’re afraid to “freak out” the women they love by confessing what is happening inside their heads. This book will guide women in how to provide the loving support that modern men want and need.

The Truth About His Inner Life He Desperately Wants You to Know

What's going on in there? Ever been totally confused by something your man has said or done? Want to understand his secret desires and fears, his daily battles that you know nothing about?

In a woman-to-woman conversation you’ll never forget, Shaunti Feldhahn takes you beneath the surface into the inner lives of men. This book is about the things we just don’t ‘get’ about guys. With findings from a groundbreaking national survey and personal interviews of over one thousand men, For Women Only is full of eye-opening revelations you need to not only understand the man in your life, but to support and love him in the way he needs to be loved. Grounded in biblical hope, you will discover how to love your man for who he really is—not who you think he is. -as on Amazon.com

Movie Night Gift Idea

Ok, I had to share this gift idea with everyone! I made this for my boyfriend's birthday (shh.. he doesn't know yet!). I love this! It's so easy to make and anyone would love getting a gift like this! My best friend is moving into a new apartment and I just might make her one, too. All you need is movie theater candy, a big popcorn bowl, popcorn (movie theater butter, anyone?), and of course an awesome movie! I also found some neat popcorn tubs that I just had to include.. So maybe you could whip this up for a friend, newlywed couple, brother/sister, Christmas gift- the possibilities are endless! So snap to it dear!

 

(Find a newer version of this gift here!)

Happy gifting!