Love book made from deck of cards

I am so glad that it is finally time to start making Valentine’s Day crafts. I just love them. Can’t get enough of those hearts and flowers and rainbows and paper doilies.

I found eight lovely and do-able Valentine’s crafts.

1. Little felt heart pins. These are so simple and yet so sweet. Just a bit of felt cut into heart shapes, hand stitched and stuffed with a little pin backing.
2. A garland of love. Print out pictures of your loved one(s) and cut into the shape of hearts. Glue picture on a heart shape red card. Tie heart onto a string. Make a garland of love.
3. 52 things I love about you. This is so clever! Take a deck of cards and punch 2 holes. Use rings or ribbon to bind together (see picture). On each card, write a reason why you love your love.
4. Valentine coupons. Must admit that I made last minute Christmas coupons using this wonderful online tool. You can customize the coupon and print it out. A great idea to help your kids come up with a gift for mom.
5. Rose petal covered bed. I’m not sure if this really qualifies as a craft, but it is such a great visual of the perfect rose covered marriage proposal. Short and sweet video.
6. Heartstring. Turn a cardboard tube into a heart string. Great reuse of cardboard tubing. The messy part is going to be painting the cardboard red. For young kids, I suggest using magic marker. If you are going to make this yourself, you might want to consider spray paint.
7. Heart shaped crayons. Simple and unique craft to make with your kids using that big box of broken crayons you own.
8. Pop-up heart card. This is a unique pop-up design that requires an adult hand and exacto knife…but worth it. Nice.

OK, get busy making those Valentine crafts. And remember, you can make every day Valentine’s Day with just a little love.

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Expect a post soon about ways to save money on kitchen renovation! I’ve accumulated a lot of tips.

See you Monday.

~Julia

aka Bargain Babe

gwrrty/Flickr

By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains

A couple of years ago during the Los Angeles fall fire season I had to decide which of my belongings to pile in my car when I evacuated. The items I left might be burned to a crisp. The stuff I could take with me was limited and therefore HAD to be my favorites.

One of the things I grabbed was my Klutz book collection. In retrospect, that was probably foolish, but it certainly is an indicator of how much I like them.

What are Klutz books? They are THE standard in hands-on learning for everything from crafts to science.

Over 33 years ago, three college buddies stood a sidewalk corner and began selling juggling lessons.  This turned into the very successful how-to book “Juggling for the Complete Klutz,” which now comes with instructions and juggling balls. People liked it. I mean, they REALLY liked it. These three guys must be making a fortune.

My first Klutz book was the polymer clay book. I bought it used because I didn’t need the clay that the new version comes with. I needed the instructions. I pulled the book apart, put the individual pages into a ring binder, and used it to teach hundreds of students how to work with oven hardened clay.

Then I discovered that many people sell their Klutz books once they have used up the supplies that come with the book. The supplies are good, but the best part is the instructions. So began my pursuit of used Klutz books.

The books are almost always bound with white wire spiral, which makes it simple to find them at a yard or book sale. I just reach in, grab that binding and if I am lucky, there is a fabulous Klutz book in my hands. Instead of paying $10 to $24, I pay a buck. Yipee skipee! Yard sale score!

I have Klutz books on face painting, costumes, table top football, nail art, trick photography, magic, science, car games and more. My latest Klutz acquisition is the “Klutz Book of Animation” which teaches you how to make your own stop motion movies.  I have to confess that I actually bought this new from Amazon.com.  I just could not wait for it to show up at a yard sale.

The next book I really want to get is the Superhero Starter Kit.  It comes with a shiny red cape. I hope it shows up at a yard sale soon. Maybe someone will bring it to the Frugal Festival on June 19. You never know what will show up at a swap.

Related posts:

Free online craft projects

Cheap summer fun for the kids

Free movie tickets for kids and families this summer

meddygarnet/Flickr

There was a cool story about doing home improvement on your own versus hiring someone in the latest Real Simple (April). The story was strangely skewed toward hiring someone to do the job, however, and missed the benefits of doing projects yourself.

First, the story says, consider three factors before making a decision.

1. Peer pressure. Whatever your family and friends do, you are more likely to do. So if everyone you know colors their hair at home, you will feel pressure to eschew the salon. Similarly, if your family has always hired contractors instead of doing it yourself (DIY), you’ll probably hire, too. Follow your gut and make the decision that is right for you, regardless.

2. Your positive attitude. People assume their DIY project will go well but often underestimate the time and skill it takes.

3. Your perspective on your free time. People believe they have more time than they really do. (What??? I don’t know anyone whose schedule isn’t jam packed.) We have a hard time measuring time and “are willing to take more risks with it” than we are with money, the story says.

Then Real Simple suggests you answer four questions. Can I realistically pull this project off? (i.e. learn the required skills?) What kind of time commitment is really involved? (Double estimates from a contractor.) How much will this task cost to complete myself? (Supplies + calculate your hourly rate.) And lastly, how much will I really enjoy the process?

I wager that doing home improvement projects yourself (which is a lot like growing your own food) has many benefits that the story missed…

1. The enjoyment of learning how to do something challenging that you didn’t think you were capable of.

2. The money saved over time from learning new skills. Snake a toilet once, and you’ll never fork over $200 to a plumber again.

3. The confidence from pulling a project off. What an accomplishment!

An important part of the DIY v. hire debate is determining how much your time is worth. See the post below to calculate your hourly rate!