Aunt Peaches

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Valentines

The Amazing Parade: Love is in the Air

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Valentines featuring hearts made from coffee filter scraps.
The week has come to an end and my living room looks like cupid exploded. There are flower petals in the carpet and gold lace doilies in between the couch cushions. Yesterday I found a tissue paper heart laying on top of the litterbox. See, even Lola is getting in on the Valentine* action.
The blizzard induced confinement spurred a surge of craftiness, as well as a few new internet adventures. Thought I would share a few highlights…
For anyone who isn’t in to making their own Valentines, check out the lovely illustrations of Katie Daisy. 
Attention Font Snobs: listen up, Comic Sans has something to say to you.
Delicious homemade ice cream using ONE ingredient and without an ice cream maker. AND it’s healthy? Shazzam!

I think I’m getting a parental inadequacy complex (read: Lola is getting a sweater.)

Speaking of parental inadequacy, one time I met a girl named La-A, pronounced LaDasha (“because the dash don’t quit!”)…and I thought that was ridiculous. Then I read this. Oh. Wow.
*Reminder: It’s not too late to sign up for the Valentine Swap.  Send me an email before 5pm Feb 7: emailauntpeaches@gmail.com and include your address!

Anyone want some handmade valentines?

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OK, this is last minute, and it might be a total flop….but what the heck, you only live once!
See, I love sending handmade valentines. It’s sort of my thing. Some people send holiday cards; I send valentines. Folks appreciate a little something special in their mailbox in February, plus, let’s be honest, there’s a lot more time to spend on special touches this time of year than in the hustle of December.

And as much as I love sending them, I love receiving them too. It doesn’t happen a whole lot, but every once in a while someone will paste together some post-its and construction paper and send it my way. Blows my mind. I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel. Over the years, I have built up a small circle of people who exchange valentines with me. None of us are sweethearts, we just like making valentines and appreciate the token of kindness.

So, this year, now that I have a blog, I am widening the circle! I’ll bet there are at least a few people who read this blog who would like to join the club. Are you in?

In a nutshell, this is what I propose:
You send three handmade valentines to total strangers = You will receive three handmade valentines from total strangers.

Sound good? Who wants to join in the fun?  I need at least three people to sign up in order for this to work, but I’m aiming for 30 participants. You in? Send me an email with your address: emailauntpeaches@gmail.com subject “valentine swap”…it’s easy!

Knitty Gritty

Here is what you should expect:
  • You make three handmade* valentines.
  • You send me an email with your address before 5pm CST on Monday Feb 7.
  • You receive an email from me on Tuesday Feb 8 with the addresses of three total strangers.
  • You send one valentine to each address you receive, no later than Feb 10.
  • You receive three valentines sometime around Valentines Day. 
*Handmade is an open term. No one is expected to produce a masterpiece. If you are saying “But I can’t make anything nice!” then you are *exactly* the sort of person who should participate. I want hear from YOU! Construction paper, paint, paste, macaroni, crayons, collage, glitter, pipe cleaners….sky is the limit. Only requirement is that it fit in a standard envelope.

Please Keep in Mind…
  • This exchange is open to anyone, anywhere, any skill level. No one is expected to buy anything except stamps (heads up: people who read this blog are scattered around the world, so we all might need to double up on stamps!)
  • You are welcome to include a note inside your valentines with information about yourself, your blog/website/etsy business etc…but it is not required or expected.
  • This is not an advertising opportunity. This is just a simple way to exchange random acts of kindness and send some love out into the world. No Debbie Downers, please 🙂
  • If you feel weird disclosing your name and address, I assure you I will not compile and use this information for any other purpose besides sending you valentines! If you are concerned, feel free to use just your first name, or an alias. Sometimes I like to use my bellydancer name (shampoo name + the color of your toothbrush). If anyone gets a valentine from someone named Pantene Aqua Sparkle, well, you’ll know it was from me 🙂
So, who’s in?
 
Send me an email before 5pm Feb 7: emailauntpeaches@gmail.com and include your address!

***Update: Y’ALL ARE AWESOME! This post has only been up a few hours and I have gotten more than 30 responses. Keep them coming! New goal is to have valentine representation from every major continent. I’m talking about YOU, Australia!

Delicate Wax Doily Valentines from Scented Candle Stubs

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I heart snow days. Literally.

Tuesday’s blizzard meant spending Wednesday indoors having fun with Bird, eating frozen pizza and making all kinds of valentine fun, including these wonderfully dainty wax doilies. They are so delicate and elegant! Smell nice too. Most things come out of my craft studio covered in glue blobs and smelling like burning hair…these valentines must be Bird’s influence.

Hearts made from melted crayons have been popular for a few years now, thanks to Martha’s tutorial. But as much as  I love Maratha’s hearts, I’m too much of a klutz to follow the steps without breaking the end result. I decided it would be easier if there was softer wax and a sturdier base;  enter paper doilies and scented candles.

Materials

  • Heart shaped paper doilies, any size or color. My dollar store happened to carry pink, but white doilies will show off the wax the best.
  • Wax shavings from scented candle stubs. Note: any old candle will work, but Ikea candles are dirt cheap and shred like butter–LOVE working with them. I also like to sprinkle in some contrasting crayon wax too. Plain white bar soap also worked, leaving opaque, snow like flecks. Experiment!
  • Old cheese grater (makes wax shaving easy-peasy –just grab one from the back of your junk drawer or the thrift store or the dollar store)
  • Wax Paper
  • Iron
  • Needle and Thread


Scatter wax shavings over your paper doily. The more wax, the thicker the end result. I like to use at least two colors (orange and pink are personal favorites!)


Sandwich your doily and wax shavings between two pieces of wax paper. Use a warm iron (delicate/low temp setting) to sweep across the surface. The longer you iron, the more the colors will blend.


Before the crayon/candle wax has a chance to dry 100%, peel the paper doily away from the wax paper. Now, just look at that! Aint she a beauty?
Repeat through your stack of doilies, then fold and cut out a heart in the center. 

Place two doilies together, then whip stitch up the middle. I used gray thread because I’m too lazy to dig through my sewing kit to find red thread for demonstration purposes. You go ahead and choose whatever color you like. If munchkins are involved, vertical staples will also get the job done.

The end result is so sweet and dainty, but the wax makes them surprisingly durable too. Love it! Make a batch of them and slip them into those translucent vellum envelopes and send far and wide. These will really make someone’s day 🙂

Or, keep them all for yourself. Like me! 

My plan is to hang these on a fallen tree branch, similar to an egg tree. Only problem is that all the fallen branches are currently submerged in four feet of post-blizzard snow drifts…so, it could be a while. Luckily I have many more snow day valentines adventures to make and share in the days ahead while I wait for a branch. Stay tuned!

A Love Letter to Coffee Filters

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Oh my dearest Coffee Filters
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

For lining my flower pots so the soil doesn’t drain out…
For hanging out in the produce bag and keeping my lettuce crisp…
For making my own tea bags…
For making clove and soap sachets to line my drawers and closets…
For blotting up greasy blobs when I fry up biscuit doughnuts…
For diffusing the flash on my camera…
For serving up my morning cup of dry cheerios…
For backing fabric when I’m embroidering or hemming delicate fibers…
For wiping glass, chrome and mirrors without ever leaving a trace of lint…
For baking up super-size cupcakes and cornbread…
For lining the food scale when I am measuring in grams…
For straining wine when I shred the cork…
For covering bowls and dishes in the microwave…
And most of all, for being the neatest and cheapest art supply ever! 

Oh my dearest Coffee Filters , how I love you so. There are lots of other uses for coffee filters, but my favorite is making art, especially kid-friendly art. I have found that kids really enjoy working with coffee filters –it’s different from regular paper and there is something deliciously mischievous about scribbling and tearing up functional objects. It’s like getting permission to draw on the wall –it just sounds fun!

Last month, when I saw Sara’s amazing rainbow-style snowflakes, I just knew they would be great for making valentines. You can color your filters by painting them, or if you are lazy like me, just ask a munchkin to draw on the filters with a washable marker, then spritz with water and watch the magic happen. Once they dry, just trim into snowflakes, same as always. Cheap, easy, beautiful AND just one more reason to love coffee filters!

PS: Try making a few coffee filter flowers and you can enjoy them all year long!