It All Started with the Mailboxes…Really!

Suddenly, my Idea Train started rolling, and (I’ve learned!) there’s no use trying to stop it until it pulls into the “All Done” Station!

I knew what I was going to do with these little babies before I even checked out of the Target line (of course, with a receipt of a lot more than $3!). With my cricut machine and a little vinyl in hand, about 15 minutes into He-Man’s morning nap…I had these!

Now I have an adorable little mailbox for each member of our family, as designated by the letters on the fronts. (I even snuck back to Target and picked up a few more boxes in case there are more more kids to join this clan down the road…I’d hate for them not to have their very own Valentine’s Day mailbox after all…and no…I’m not telling how many extra boxes I snatched up, 😉

An abstract pattern on top and a small candlesticks from the Dollar Store helped make the mailboxes extra special and cute. I just can’t wait to start leaving some love letters and treats for my Husband and Son over the next few weeks!

As I was sticking the vinyl onto the last of these little boxes, another idea started nesting…and during the very next nap my son took…I came up with this!

I had been wanting to make some bunting in this shape for a while…but never had a good reason to do so. When I thought of this fabric (leftover from a few of my holiday projects) I knew I could make a super fun Valentine’s Day banner!

Although there is a lot of bunting ideas around the web, I came up with this one all by myself (I’m such a big girl 😉


How did I make this banner?

1. I found a template online for the shape pennant I wanted and printed and cut it out.
2. I laid the top edge along the fold of my fabric and cut out six pennants with pinking sheers (love the look of the zigzag edge!)
3. I then used contrasting thread to sew the pennants shut (wrong sides together), using a 1/4 inch seem allowance around the sides and bottom of the flag. I stopped and started 1/4 from the top of the flags so I could thread ribbon through.
4. I cut out felt hearts from turquoise felt using a template, and then glued each one onto a flag using fabric glue.
5. I strung ribbon through, and it was ready to hang!

My absolute favorite part of these flags is the contrasting thread around the edge…I just love that small detail!

The Valentine’s Day crafting didn’t end there, my friends! Oh no!

Literally as I was finishing this bunting, I came across Amy’s nursery reveal, (which I love by the way!). I was especially inspired by the artwork she did for her son’s bedroom. Antsy to try the contact-paper masking technique, I quickly looked around for a design I could use with my Valentine’s Day decor. When I came across this printable, I knew I had my inspiration!

That night…once the baby was asleep…I had this to add to my decor:

1. Using my cricut, I cut out 18 hearts and the “I love you” saying from contact paper.
2. I then measured out the location of all my hearts so they would be spaced evenly.
3. Carefully, I applied all my contact paper hearts and the phrase to a plain white 11×14 canvas I had on hand.
4. Using red acrylic paint, I brushed on red paint across the entire canvas.
5. Once the paint was dry, I pealed off all the contact paper, leaving behind the white hearts and saying.
6. Because my contact paper was a bit old and wrinkled, I had some red paint leak under the edges. I simply went back and cleaned up each heart with some additional white paint.
7. I painted the edges of the entire canvas red to give it a clean, finished look.
8. I went back at the very end with some teal paint and painted one heart blue!