Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 142

Spice Up Your Valentine’s Day Coupon Book with Mac’s Font Book!

The following post is from Lauren Rothlisberger of Get Me Geeky :

I admittedly get a little “bah-hum-bug” about Valentine’s day. I feel like we just recovered from the holiday whirlwind and expenses just to encounter another one. Nevertheless, I still try to embrace and enjoy it!


In this tutorial I am going to show you how to create a fun Valentine’s Day coupon book for your spouse or kids using festive fonts and “wingdings” (more about those later)!!

The first thing we need to do is learn more about a fabulous Mac tool called the Font Book. The Font Book allows you to see what fonts are currently loaded on your machine. You can also install new fonts that you download using your Font Book.

Lets go ahead and download a couple new Valentine’s fonts to install in our Font Book. While there are several free font sites out there, one of my long time favorites is www.dafont.com. Once you are on the site look for the “Holiday” section to the far right of the screen. Under that you will see Valentine’s as an option. After you choose this you are taken to page after page of Valentine’s Day themed fonts.

Choose the font or fonts that catch your eye. You will notice that not all fonts are actually letters, some of them are called “wingdings” and are actually symbols.  When you type a letter, the output will actually be a symbol instead of a letter. These can be lots of fun!

Once you pick out a font, press the download button at the far right. The file will typically download in a .zip and should unzip on its own. If it does not unzip; double-click the zip file until you get to a .ttf file or an .otf file. Those are the most common font file types. When you double click on the .ttf or .otf file these files will open up in your Font Book. (If you are ever looking for your Font Book you can find it under the “Applications” folder). After your new font opens up in the Font Book you should see an “Install Font” button. Go ahead and click that button.

Congrats! You have loaded a new font to your computer. That font will be available in any application that uses fonts, e.g. Word, Textedit, Photoshop etc… If your font isn’t showing up in the application you want to use; restart the application to ensure the font is loaded. Download as many fonts as you want for your project.

TIP: How do you know what wingding goes with which letter?


If you open your Font Book, find the font you are working with. Click on it and the area to the font will show you all the symbols listed from A-Z.

Now lets get started on our little Valentine’s Day project. Coupon books are a standby favorite for holidays like this, but let’s take a few minutes to spice it up some.

I am going to do this in Word, but you can even do it using Textedit which comes loaded on all Macs.

Start a New Document.
Create a table. Go to Insert > Table in your top Menu Bar.
Then in the upper-left hand corner use the Table Icon create a table that is 1 Column and 5 Rows (Rows equal the number of coupons, so however many of those you want).

Now use each cell as a place to create your coupon. You can use your new fonts and wingdings to create fun new looks. Keep in mind you can apply color just like you can to any font. You can change the borders or just plan on cutting them off once they are printed. Also don’t forget to use line spacing as a way to adjust the layout of your text.

I put these together in Word. I just printed, cut them out, and put them on some fun paper!

source: Lauren

That’s all there is to it!  Now, all you need to do is brainstorm some coupon ideas for all the loved ones in your life!

What coupons would you like to receive for Valentine’s Day?

Lauren Rothlisberger blogs and consults over at Get Me Geeky. As a military wife and mom of three girls five years old and under, she loves focusing on technology and productivity and finding new ways to simplify her life. She recently started putting together MacMinis, which are easy to follow videos for Mac users, and also wrote an ebook, Evernote for Moms.

Spice Up Your Valentine’s Day Coupon Book with Mac’s Font Book! is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Tech Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

Weekly Reads {2/11/13}

My reading list for this week originally included three nonfiction books, but I ended up adding in two fiction books instead. After a busy day I find myself just wanting to disappear into a good book for a couple of hours, and most nonfiction doesn’t hit that sweet spot in the same way — although memories like Kisses from Katie, Love Does and Blue Like Jazz rank right up there with fiction for me. Either way, I’m still doing much better on nonfiction selections than I did last year!

Head here to see Katie’s post for this week. We also want to know what you’re reading! Add your blog post to the linky below or leave a comment with your favorite reads from this week.

(See the full 2013 list here.)

This Week’s Reads

Kisses from Katie by Katie J. Davis

I’m not sure there are adequate words to describe this book. It’s beautiful in a way that’s hard to describe, and I love and admire Katie Davis’ commitment to God’s calling on her life and the people of Uganda.

What I can’t figure out is what I should do with it now that I’ve finished the book.

So much of what Katie says pierced my heart as she talks about our American lives of luxury juxtaposed against the poverty of Uganda, where people are starving to death, unable to go to school or forced to leave their small children alone for days and weeks to seek work to feed them. I don’t feel called to move to Africa and adopt 14 children (although there are many times when she even makes that sound appealing as she describes the overwhelming love and joy in their home), but I don’t want to just walk away from this book and continue on with my life either.

Rebekah (Wives of the Patriarchs Book #2) by Jill Eileen Smith

Although I often read historical fiction, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book set during biblical times (a genre I loved when I was in high school), and so I jumped at the chance to review Rebekah by Jill Smith. This is really a beautiful telling of the story of Rebekah, who married Isaac, the son of Abraham, in the Bible. I loved discovering more about the customs and culture of that time, and Smith is a wonderful storyteller. The one downside was that I had a hard time just enjoying the story and instead spent a lot of time wondering if Smith’s descriptions of dialogue, emotions, etc. were true, but that’s more a reflection of my type-A, analytical mind than it is of her writing or storytelling!

P.S. Jill Smith will be the featured guest on a Live interactive Video Chat Session sponsored by “Shindig” on Tuesday February 19th at 7:00 pm EST! It’s free to attend, and you can meet Jill and ask any questions you have for her about biblical fiction or any of her books! Head here to RSVP and find out more details about this event.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Last week, Katie mentioned Princess Academy in her post, and although I wasn’t sure if I would like it based on the title (despite having four daughters who love everything princess, fru-fru princesses aren’t really my thing!), I was intrigued by the description. When the royal priests divine that the future princess should come from Mount Eskel, the girls in Miri’s small mountain town are sent to a princess academy to learn how to be a princess so that the prince can choose among them. There, the girls face harsh rules and punishments and compete for the honor of being the “academy princess”, and Miri, whose greatest desire has always been to work in the linder mine, discovers a secret about their mountain that changes everything.

I loved this Newberry Medal winner, and I can’t wait to share it with my girls in a few years!

My First Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Each week, my husband takes one of the girls on a library date, and this week our almost-7-year-old discovered these Little House books on her trip to the library. Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder for younger children, these stories are sweet retellings of the Little House stories, full of beautiful, colorful illustrations. I was actually hoping to add these to our home library, but it doesn’t look like they’re being printed anymore, so we’ll have to stick with borrowing the library’s copies!

On My Reading List for This Week

People Before Profit by Ken Koopman
Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller
Where the Wildflowers Bloom and When the Heart Heals by Ann Shorey

Audiobooks

From Parker (5): “I like the part where she walks Henry’s dog in the bathroom. I do like that part and also the part where Henry didn’t know that Ribsy stole Ramona’s cookie. I like them because they’re silly stories.”

From Dylan (7): “Henry Huggins is in these stories too, but these are about Ramona Quimby, a girl that’s 9. In one, she gets fired from kindergarten because she kept pulling her friend’s curly hair and saying “Boing!”. Ramona is mean to her big sister, Beezus, because Beezus always calls her a pest. I like that there’s a collection of stories, and I like Beezus a lot because she’s in a lot of stories.”

The Ramona Quimby Audio Collection

Share Your Reading List

10 Mason Jar Ideas for Valentine’s Day

The following post is from Lisa of The Pennington Point:

source: The Pennington Point

I can’t help it.  I have Valentine’s Day on the brain.  It just brings me so much joy to decorate my home for my loved ones and show love to those who come for a visit.

And if we’re talking love….I have to talk about mason jars.  Why do I love them so?  Maybe they remind me of my grandmother or maybe I just want some jelly.  But they make me happy.

So I couldn’t stop myself from putting the two things together and finding ways to combine Valentine’s Day with mason jars.  It’s like the Reese’s Peanut Butter cup of February – two great ideas that look great together.

Here are 10 of my new favorites:

1. Pink Puffy Vases

source: 504 Main

This darling idea is something I can’t wait to try!  She used puffy paint, but I’ve heard hot glue will work too.  I’ll be making some of these this weekend.  My life now won’t be complete without them.

2. Inspirational Candles

source: RUST

These would work year ’round.  I think I need to make some to put on my piano and play love songs to my children.

3. Doily Jars

source: The Pleated Poppy

So simple.  So cute.  I can see these as a centerpiece or holding pencils on a teacher’s desk.  LOVE.

4. Magic Wands

source: The Gunny Sack

No self respecting homeschool mom can go through another day without a jar of these pencil wands.  I will wave mine over my kids’ heads and sprinkle the magic love dust while they do their math.

5. Candy Votives

source: Make It Give It

I love using conversation hearts to decorate for Valentine’s Day.  These little jars are so cute with their little touches of ribbon, twine, keys and vintage buttons.

6. Spilling Candy

source: Pennington Point

Like I mentioned in my last post, I love a purposely spilled jar.  This jar covered in book pages with a bit of old lace and spilling conversation hearts is so sweet it makes my heart go pitter pat.

7. Baby’s Breath

source: The Pennington Point

You can buy some baby’s breath at the grocery store, and it will look pretty for weeks.  It’s a great way to have fresh flowers without breaking the bank!

8. Glitter Jars

source: Tater Tots and Jello

We can’t talk about Valentine’s Day without bringing a little glitter to the conversation.  These jars look easy to make!

9. Jar Topiary

source: Uncommon Designs

Is it technically a topiary if it’s growing a stick?  Oh well….I can’t resist the little musical banner inside and the love letters on the top.  Precious!

10. White and Hearts

source: Decor Chick

Can you ever have too many hearts?  I think not.

Now I’m all geared up to make a collection of jars for Valentine’s Day.  Will I keep them or give them as gifts?  It’s going to be hard to decide!

What’s your favorite Valentine’s Day decoration?

Lisa winds through her little Texas farm house every night, tucking in her nine homeschooled children and turning off lights. Then she scans the rooms & makes a mental list of what she wants to rearrange, restore or paint. Her husband of 26 years hangs on for the ride while she blogs about it over at The Pennington Point.

10 Mason Jar Ideas for Valentine’s Day is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of DIY Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

Natural Living eBook Collection Just $7.40 {BundleoftheWeek.com}

From homemade toiletries to homeopathic remedies, this collection of natural living ebooks will help you make healthy, natural products at home…and save money in the process. Get all 5 ebooks for only $7.40 (a savings of over 80%) for one week only.

With your purchase, you’ll get all five of the following ebooks:

My Buttered Life {Baby Edition} by Renee Harris
Homemade Health & Beauty by Sandra Calixto
Simple Natural Health by Nina Nelson
Herbal Nurturing by Michele Augur
Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy Karen

Get yours today!

Even if you’re not interested in this week’s bundle, be sure to sign up for the BundleoftheWeek.com weekly newsletter so you can be the first to know about the latest bundle:

Natural Living eBook Collection Just $7.40 {BundleoftheWeek.com} is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Green Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

Giveaway: Essential Oil Starter Kit from PlantTherapy.com

I’ve mentioned a few times that our family is just venturing into the world of essential oils. While we’re 100% convinced about the benefits of natural, herbal remedies, essential oils feel a bit more “woo-wooey” to me, and I’m slowly learning more and incorporating them into our natural medicine cabinet as I learn more, hear about other people’s experiences, etc.

If I’m honest, one of the things that’s been holding me back is the cost. There are several companies that claim to be the “best”, but their oils are very expensive and sold only through a MLM structure, which frankly makes me a little bit uncomfortable.

That’s why I was thrilled to discover Plant Therapy, a company built around a belief in the power and benefits of essential oils. Plant Therapy was founded on one principle: providing the highest quality essential oils at a price that everyone afford so that they can be used in as many households as possible. They offer 100% pure, undiluted and therapeutic grade oils that are sourced from the top suppliers around the world and then pass them on to you at a low profit margin.

I am not yet an expert in essential oils, so I can’t tell you for sure how these oils stack up against other oils, but here’s what I do know:

These oils smell pure. There is no underlying bitter or chemical smell.


There is no oily residue left behind when you do a “paper test”, where you put a drop of oil on a piece of paper and let it dry. Oily residue or staining would indicate that the oils contain fillers, but there’s been no residue from the oils I’ve tested.


As the weather has been changing drastically from one day to the next over the past few weeks, I’ve been using peppermint on my temples for sinus headaches, and the Plant Therapy oils are at least as effective as the other brands I’ve tried.


Plant Therapy oils are guaranteed and certified as 100% pure and natural, of therapeutic grade and free from any chemicals or pesticides.

While we’re still learning about essential oils, I’m excited to have discovered Plant Therapy. I appreciate their transparency about their business model and the sources of their oils, the quality of the oils I’ve used so far and the information and accessories they offer on their site!

P.S. Be sure to follow Plant Therapy on Facebook for additional giveaway opportunities and weekly discounts.

Enter to Win

This week, Plant Therapy is giving one lucky Life Your Way reader a copy of 500 Formulas For Aromatherapy: Mixing Essential Oils for Every Use, a Scent Ball Aromatherapy Diffuser and 14 pure Plant Therapy essential oils, including:

Sensual Synergy (Aphrodisiac)
Energy Synergy (Physical Energy)
Germ Fighter Synergy (Like Thieves)
Relax Synergy (Physical Relaxation)
Immune-Aid Synergy (Immune System Booster)
Tranquil Synergy (Emotional Stress Relief)
Invigor-Aid Synergy (Mental Invigoration)
Lavender (Lavandula Officinalis)
Peppermint (Mentha Piperita)
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus)
Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
Orange (Citrus Sinensis)
Lemon (Citrus Limonum)
Cinnamon Bark (Cinnamomun cassia blume)

As an extra bonus for entering, Plant Therapy will have a special coupon code for everyone who enters, which we’ll send via email after the giveaway closes. (Don’t worry, we’ll only use your email address that one time, and you won’t be added to any lists!) Here’s the fun part: The more people who enter, the better the code! So share this giveaway with your friends; if we get 250 entries, you’ll find a pretty sweet offer in your inbox next week!

To enter, fill out the form below:

This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday 2/17. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Open to U.S. residents 18 years old and above.

Giveaway: Essential Oil Starter Kit from PlantTherapy.com is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Green Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

Weekend Reading: February 9, 2013

source: Olmanson Photography

I’m still making my way through the pictures Shaina took for us back in September, and these are among my favorites. This guy, who was affectionately known as “the cute guy across the street” when I was in high school and college, is now my favorite person in the whole world. I don’t know if I believe that everybody has a soul mate out there, but I know I was lucky enough to find mine!

Have you subscribed to our new weekly newsletter? Check out this week’s issue here and then be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future issues!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Family {For Busy Moms Only}


15 Ways Moms Can Fit More Reading Into Their Day | The Better Mom



12 Small Changes for Busy Moms to Consider Making | The Confident Mom


The Top 7 Apps to Organize Your Life | The Motherload


Just Do the Next Thing {A Fresh Start} | The Finer Things in Life

Homeschooling {A Fresh Perspective}

How to Deal with the Winter Homeschool Blues | Simple Homeschool


What if the Secret to Success Is Failure? | NYTimes.com


101 Black Firsts {Black History Month} | Well-Rounded Home

Food {Made Simple}

Meal Planning Boot Camp | Inspired to Action


How I Manage to Only Cook 2-3 Meals a Week | Simple Organized Living


5 Ways to Get More Fruits & Veggies into Your Diet | Keeper of the Home

Have a great weekend!

Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekend Reading: February 9, 2013 is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Life Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

 
CommentsAww…what a sweet story about your hubbie! You lucky gal. ... by KaceyWhat great pictures of the two of you! Thanks for giving me ... by Kristen 

Wow Your Kids with Printable Valentine’s Day Coupons

The following post is from Kacey of Well-Rounded Home:

source: seyed mostafa zamani

One of my favorite things as a kid was opening up a Valentine’s Day card from my dad. Every year without fail, he’d give me a card selected just for me. The tradition never got old. Being a kid, I probably didn’t tell dad how the gesture made me feel on top of the world, but it certainly did!

Now, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’m looking forward to starting a Valentine’s Day tradition with my own kids. You should, too.

What I know for sure (as Oprah would say) is while those cards probably required little effort on my dad’s part, they left a deep and meaningful impression on me. I’m 36 and still talking about it. While it’s easy these days to get caught up in crafting Pinterest-worthy cards for the kids’ classmates, planning parties Martha Stewart would swoon over and buying enough candy to outdo Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, we must remember the little things are often the main thing.

This year, stop by the card aisle and pick out a card for each of your kids. Grab some paper and a pen, and write them an old-fashioned letter. Or get David Letterman-creative and compile a Top 10 List of reasons you love them. To really knock their socks off, gift them with a few of these printable love coupons.

Whatever you do, go out of your way to give your kids the V.I.P. treatment on Valentine’s Day. Trust me, they’ll remember it.

Click here to download or print the Valentine’s Day coupons.

What is your favorite Valentine’s Day tradition?

With three little busy bodies to care for, Kacey is on a mission to take motherhood to the next level. Her blog, Well-Rounded Home, is filled encouraging words and inspiration for moms in the trenches with taking care of home and wrangling kids. She’s a die-hard Texas girl who loves her sweet tea and the word y’all. By day, she’s the marketing and client services guru for a small real estate investment firm.


 

Wow Your Kids with Printable Valentine’s Day Coupons is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Family Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

Couples and Money: How to Have a Healthy Relationship

The following post is from Christina of Northern Cheapskate:

source: QuinnDombrowski

One of the biggest sources of stress in a relationship is money.  From how it’s spent to how much is saved, there are hundreds of decisions to be made.  And when you have two people who are trying to make the decisions together, it’s even more challenging to find workable solutions.

I know this better than anyone.  I am a saver.  My husband comes from a long line of spenders.  We’ve definitely had some interesting discussions in our 12 years of marriage, but as we get to know each other, we’ve started to forge a healthy relationship with our money.   It wasn’t easy for us to reach common ground, but now that we have, it has strengthened our love for each other and our commitment to our family.

I’ve learned it is possible to develop a healthy money relationship with your spouse by taking these steps:

Be honest.

If you don’t have trust, you don’t have anything.  So start with being honest with each other in every aspect of your lives.  That means not hiding the shopping bags from your trip to the mall, lying about how much you paid for something, or ignoring major money issues (like debt).  This is the most painful part of developing a healthy relationship with money, but it is also the most rewarding.

Accept each other “as-is.”

A person will not change simply because you want them to.  You cannot control what another person does or thinks.  You can only control how you react to those things.   The sooner you can accept your significant other for who he or she is, the easier it will be for you to work together.   My husband likes an occasional splurge.  I am much more conservative.  Our compromise is to budget in the splurge.  I get a sense of  security that I need, and my husband gets the rush of being able to spend.  We have learned to respect each other’s needs when it comes to handling our finances.

Get on the same page.

Set goals for your money together and you’ll find that you fight about money much less.  Set goals for getting out of debt and lay out action steps to make it happen.  Establish plans for saving and investing.  And most of all, dream together about what you want your financial future to look like.  You will always be at odds with each other if you can’t agree on what you want for your family.

Talk often.

None of the steps I’ve mentioned work if you don’t talk to your partner.  Talk, talk, talk, and then talk about your money some more.  My husband and I set up regular money meetings or “money dates” to talk about our financial situation and to set goals.  We cover everything from how much we spent on groceries to where money is leaking out of our budget to whether we should refinance our mortgage. These money meetings were important for us to do because I was getting overwhelmed by being our chief family financial officer.

By having these regular meetings, I was able to share some of the burden of running the household finances.  And my husband appreciated being more engaged in the process.  There are things every couple should know about their finances and talking about them helps you grow comfortable with the topic of  money.

Make sure your partner is truly your partner in every aspect of your life and you will start to form a healthy relationship with money.

How do you and your significant other handle your finances?

Christina Brown is the creator of Northern Cheapskate, a blog dedicated to frugal living through coupons, freebies, and money-saving ideas. She lives in the rural north woods of Minnesota where she clips coupons, pinches pennies, and chases her three boys (a 7-year-old and twin 5-year olds) as a stay-at-home mom.

Couples and Money: How to Have a Healthy Relationship is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Money Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

DIY Rolled Felt Flower Wreath for Valentine’s Day

The following post is from Janel of Life with Lucie and Ella.:

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Earlier this week, Myra shared 9 DIY Valentine’s Day wreaths. Today I’ve got one more for you to add to your list!

Since the “Valentine’s Day” season is so short, I don’t want to spend a lot of money for decor that won’t be displayed for very long. Homemade decor can be very cost effective  — especially if you use supplies that you already have on hand.

As I got to thinking about what I had on hand, I realized that I really should try to make a dent in the box of felt in my craft closet. (Yes, I really do have a BOX of felt. What can I say? Felt is a little addicting!) I also had some really cool wire that I used to create napkin rings in the fall.

Inspired by the rolled paper flower arrangement I created at Christmastime, I decided to make a heart-shaped wreath with some DIY felt flowers. Felt is actually much easier to use to make rolled flowers – the rolling goes much faster. Of course, you will want a good pair of scissors to make the cutting quick and easy.

How to Make a Rolled Felt Flower Wreath:

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Supplies:

felt
circle template (I used a large can)
pen
scissors
heavy-duty craft wire (I used Panacea Naturally Wired Wire)
wire cutters
hot glue gun & gluesticks

Directions:

Trace your circle template onto the felt and cut out the circles. Starting at the outside edge of the felt circle, cut a spiral. You can cut a curvy spiral if you wish, but I chose a straight spiral for this project.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Take the outside point of the spiral and roll it toward the center while lining up the bottom edges of the flower.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Apply hot glue to the bottom of the flower and press the center of the spiral over the hot glue to hold the flower together. Repeat until you have enough flowers for your wreath.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Use the wire cutter to cut a long length of wire for your wreath form. (Mine was about 45 inches long.) Form into a heart shape and twist the ends of the wire together at the top of the heart. Leave a hole in the twisted portion to use as a hanger for the wreath.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Draw a line of hot glue onto a small portion of the wire and press a flower down onto it firmly. Repeat all along the wire wreath frame. Be sure not to glue on top of the hole in the wire that you will use to hang the wreath.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Remove any lint or little strings of hot glue. Hang and enjoy your wreath!

Related Projects:

Braided Vine Napkin Rings — Set a pretty table for your Valentine’s Day dinner! These napkin rings are a great way to use any leftover Naturally Wired Wire you might have. You could also use rolled felt flowers in place of the satin flowers.
Felt Cup Identifiers – Dress up your glassware for Valentine’s Day by making some special cup identifiers with any excess felt you have.
Mantel Words – Make some custom words to use alongside your wreath!

How do you decorate for Valentine’s Day?

Janel is a stay-at-home mom of two and law school wife. Raised in a budget-conscious and do-it-yourself minded family, she loves seeing something in a store or magazine and making her own version at home for less money. Janel blogs about motherhood, crafts and recipes at Life with Lucie and Ella.

DIY Rolled Felt Flower Wreath for Valentine’s Day is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of DIY Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

Fooducate {iOS App of the Week}

Hillary recently introduced me to this great FREE app, which lets you scan the barcodes of grocery products to get information about their ingredients.

What I love about Fooducate is that it doesn’t focus on the “nutrition” of an item but on really providing information about the ingredients used. For example, it knows all of the code names for MSG and sugar and will tell you when something has a high amount of sugar per serving, is highly processed or contains controversial ingredients.

I was surprised — and a little bummed — to realize that my favorite “healthy” crackers contain an MSG derivative (thankfully only one of the flavors!), and I love that it provides this information with the press of the button so that I don’t have to spend time Googling the items I don’t recognize in the ingredients list!

Download for your iPhone, iPod or iPad: Fooducate (FREE) or Fooducate Plus ($3.99)

P.S. This app is available for Android or your computer as well!

See all of our featured apps here.

Fooducate {iOS App of the Week} is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Tech Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.