DIY Valentine's Day Straws

With the mental fog from the beginning of the year finally lifting I come to you today with a quick and easy DIY that makes a cute touch for your Valentine's Day table. I don't know about you, but I've definitely caught the paper straw bug. They're a simple way to add a colorful touch to your party table and they've become increasingly easy to find in stores.

For this project you'll need a package of paper straws and a package of felt hearts. I used embellished, pre-cut hearts that came with adhesive backing, but you could also cut and decorate your own using hot glue to attach the hearts. I've been hooked on stripes so when I spotted these at Target I couldn't resist. Polka dots would be equally as adorable.

Pair off your hearts by design. By attaching the two back-to-back you don't have to worry about which direction the straw spins in your cup. Peel off the adhesive backing at attach approximately one inch from the top of the straw. If you are cutting your own hearts out of felt, pair them up and attach with hot glue first to the straw and then with a dot of glue at the top of each curve so they sit evenly and stay together.

All total this project took less than ten minutes to complete, but they were the hit of the party. Pair with your favorite sparkling pink lemonade or sorbet float. My personal favorite? Scoop a serving of raspberry sorbet into the bottom of your glass and fill with limonata.

What fun touches are you adding to your Valentine's Day table?

Monogrammed Glasses DIY

I have a special treat for you today! The lovely and inspiring Margeaux from A Snapshot of Today has a DIY to share with us. I've been wanting to give glass etching a shot and I think this project may just be the one to get me to give it a go.

I am so happy to be posting over here at Baubles & Bites. Erica is a huge blessing and a wonderful bloggity blog friend.

I made this simple (but super classy!) DIY project in 15 minutes when I got home from work tonight. It was a blast. I knew I couldn’t make any for Jordan. He has a lot already and mine just wouldn’t be cool enough since he collects them when we go to breweries. Hehe. I made some for my co-workers instead, though, and they turned out lovely.

I gathered my supplies:
Etching Cream
Foam Brush
2 Pint Glasses
Contact Paper
Alphabet Stickers
1.5’’ Hole Punch

I used the lines on the back of the contact paper to line up the circles I punched out. Then I lined it up on the top of the glass so the circles were in the same place on both of the glasses.

I put the stickers in the middle of the circles, making sure everything was completely stuck down. I didn’t want there to be places where the cream could creep under the contact paper.

Then I put a thick layer of the cream over the entire area. I followed these rules on ABM for safely using the cream.

I let the cream sit for 3 minutes. I think I might let it it sit longer next time to see if I can get it even “etchier.” I ran them under warm water and washed all the cream off before I peeled the contact paper and the sticker off. Once they air dried on the counter they were ready to rock and roll.

I am so happy with how these turned out. Since the only item I had to actually pick up was the pint glasses, this project cost me $2.12. I think that’s a pretty great deal.

Have a lovely day, readers! Craft on!