ENTERTAINING: Hearts Day Special

Chocolate truffles with liqueurs, Owl handwarmers, Yes-No pillow,
Valentine Light Box, 3D paper hearts, Garlands and Messages,
Underwater flowers and candles, Valentine nails

By Mary Canovas

Chocolate Truffles with Liqueur

You don´t have to be a pastry chef or candy maker to make these delicious truffles. They can be made very easily and they will cost so very much less than store- bought. Plus you can choose your favorite kind and brand of chocolate and liqueurs. What is Valentine´s Day without chocolates? And the best chocolates are definitely our homemade truffles. Ingredients below. Follow instructions on our video tutorial above.

Ingredients
• 250 gr dark chocolate
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tblspns butter
• 2 tblspns liqueur
• Toppings: Coconut flakes, cocoa, nuts etc.

3D Paper Hearts

Make them large or small. Put them on gifts, greeting cards or tape several of them on the wall in different sizes. Follow our video tutorial.

Materials: red construction paper, scissors and staples.

Paper Heart Garland

Easy to make. Great decoration for Valentine´s Day or any party. Follow our video tutorial.

Paper Hearts with Secret Messages

Paper hearts that enclose messages you want to send to your loved one, so very easy to make and so many ways to use them. Valentine’s Day, a birthday, anniversary or as a get well gift for a friend, they are always heartfelt and well received because they are your personal wishes to a friend, family or love interest.

• Use them for your greeting cards, scrapbooking and notes.
• Put them in a bottle with instructions: “Take one a day every day for a month” – just like medicine. These are sure to make anyone happy with your special thoughts for special people.
• You can also use these hearts as though they were tiny fortune cookies – with fortunes hidden inside. Place on the table at a dinner or gathering as favors to surprise your guests. Some people have even made earrings and tiny pendants out of them.

All you need is paper, a pair of scissors and of course our video tutorial which will show you step by step ” how to”. Very easy, I promise.

Underwater Flowers with Floating Candles

Many of you have seen these underwater flowers and many have tried to make them at home but there´s a problem, they float. There´s a very simple secret to holding them down. We have also made them available to everyone even if you don´t have an expensive tall crystal vase. We do it with recycled soda bottles and they are just as lovely as the glass. The best is we can make them as tall or as short as needed and we can make more than one and arrange them together for a really nice effect. These are great for any table and especially nice for a romantic dinner where the indispensible decoration is always some flowers and candles. We add water which makes everything look more luminous and romantic.

See the tutorial and follow the instructions and experiment not only with flowers but with ribbons, plastic icycles etc. like in the video.

Secret Message Light Box

THE PICTURE DOES NOT CONVEY THE CRAFT. PLEASE CHECK OUT TUTORIAL TO GET A REAL LOOK.

If you want to make something special, different and easy – even for non crafters – how about a Secret Message Heart Light Box? All you need is a box, LED lights, a pointed object like knitting needle, some paints, glue and sequins or beads and glitter.

During the day, it looks just like another decoration, albeit with lots of glam and bling, but when we turn down the lights at night and turn on the LED lights in the box, you can see the hidden letters (his and hers initials or message (“Love You…”)and glittering lights within.

The tutorial will show you exactly “how to” step by step. You can customize it: make as many holes as you like, whatever design you prefer, it´s so easy a child could do it. The important thing to remember is that you must use LED Christmas or Fairy lights not regular lights as they will be in an enclosed box. Great for Valentine´s Day or for a special someone any day of the year.

Owl Handwarmers with a Heart

Handwarmers – what a great way to say I love you especially on cold winter days! Easy to make, extremely inexpensive – leftover pieces of material, some rice or linseeds and needle and thread and you made yourself an unexpectedly warm and thoughtful gift. Owls are so popular nowadays, some say they bring luck and of course they are the symbol of wisdom par excellence. Ours also have a heart, to say I love you.

Just heat them in the microwave for 20 to 45 seconds and the warmth will last between 20 to 30 minutes. Make one or more in heart shapes or squares, whatever takes your fancy.

You can also use them to chill out in summer – put them in the freezer (wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil) for an hour. The cold will last approximately 20 minutes. Follow our video tutorial for step by step.

Yes – No Pillow

Great fun gift for Bridal Showers, Just Married, Couples, Valentine´s Day or Just for Fun. These are also easy to make, and inexpensive. Always made and given in twos, one for each partner.

Sometimes it´s hard to say or insinuate whether we´re up for a romantic evening or if we really need some downtime. This fun pillow helps avoid conflicts and can arouse anticipation depending on your mood. We show you 3 different modes – one an undercover message – (like if you live with your in–laws -just colors) the second a little more graphic (nice decorations not too obvious) and the last the definite YES or NO non-negotiable message.

See our video tutorial above for full instructions.

Hearts and Flower Nails

Fashion nails have been all the rage for a few years now. These are perfect for Valentine´s Day or Springtime. We show you how.