My Favorite EASY Valentine's Inspiration

I'm taking a break in my baby series to post a little Valentine Inspiration!  If you have kids, they most likely will exchange Valentine's with their friends.  If you didn't realize, that is this Friday...

But don't worry!  The internet is jam-packed full of fun, easy, DIY (or free printable) options that are probably simpler and cheaper than buying the pre-packaged, over-priced boxed Valentine's plastered in cartoon characters.

I first fell in love with the personalized lollipop Valentine's that I saw a few years ago.  And with the free online picture editing sites (like picmonkey), and the inexpensive cost of printing pictures (think Costco, Walmart, or Walgreens), these personalized Valentine's would be a cinch to make and very budget-friendly!  Now I have stumbled on a ton more personalized Valentine's that I am crazy about.  Here are a few more ideas!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

If personalizing isn't in your time frame, here is an idea board full of simple, DIY Valentine's that are too cute for words.  (Be sure to follow the links to the sources, many have tutorials or are FREE printables!).

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

And if you are sick of all the candy and other sweets, give these adorable non-sweet Valentine's a try!  I'm sure they will still be a hit with kids, they will get plenty of candy elsewhere!  I'm sure most of these things could be ordered in bulk online, or found at the Dollar Store for very little.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Fun Valentine's aren't just for school-aged children, though.  Last year I made a little personalized Valentine "from Landon" to give to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a few little friends with a treat attached.  I did another one this year, I'll share on Valentine's Day.

Last year's Valentine from Landon...

Photo inspired by this pin

And even if you don't have any kids, you could do some variation of these as a married or dating couple or a single person, to send to loved ones.  Think of it as a light-hearted holiday card.  People love receiving happy mail or finding something fun on their doorstep.  Hope you have a great week and show those closest to you how much you love them.  Even a thoughtful note or encouragement means a lot!

Leftover Candy Corns...

It's not a problem I normally have, to have a slew of leftover candy corns.  But if your stash isn't dwindling, as quickly as mine did, I thought some of these ideas were adorable ways to use them up, that aren't all "Halloween-y".

These candy corn penguin cup cakes are from Naomi's instagram (of the fun blog, Love Taza).  From what I can tell, they are oreos, candy corn, and mini chocolate chips.  They look easy and fun, for any time of year!

These are adorable little pretzel turkeys, that look simple and easy!  They would be a fun place setting for the kid's table at Thanksgiving!  For some more "turkey" inspiration using candy corns, I can't get over how cute these nutter butter turkeys are, or try out variations of the Reese's peanut butter cup turkey, here or here!

And if your candy corns are stale, or you are all sugared-out, you and your kids can make a sweet little card, inspired by this handprint turkey, or this Thanksgiving card.

Have fun using up that leftover candy corn!  Now I wish I had some left...I will have to plan better for next year!

St. Patrick's Day {Food Edition}

St. Patrick's Day is around the corner, and it is fun to be creative with our food.  Rainbows and green are the colors to work with, so the possibilities are endless! 

Here are a few ideas that would be fun to try.  They are sure to be a hit with your spouse, kids, or both!  Simple, inexpensive, and festive...

 

Breakfast: 1, 2, & 3 are all some fun breakfast ideas.  Rainbow pancakes would be a little complicated, especially if you don't have a lot of time in the morning.  You could just add a little green food coloring to the batter to simplify and make green pancakes (and add it to the milk and/or scrambled eggs while you are at it!).  If you are in a serious pinch, who doesn't love a bowl of lucky charms?

 

Lunch: 4 is a simple idea of a lunch to pack up.  You could also use guacamole and chips, broccoli, a green/herb tortilla wrap or any other green items.  Look around the produce next time you are grocery shopping. 

 

Dinner: 5 is a corned beef and cabbage recipe that looks simple and easy--you use the crockpot!

 

Dessert: 6 is instructions on how to make some leprechaun floats for after dinner using lime sherbet and 7-up.  A quick and easy dessert that completes the day of festive food. 

 

Of course, there are millions of ideas out there for festive food, especially St. Patrick's Day food (Pinterest, anyone?).  What are your favorite festive food ideas?  Do share!  And did you grow up having fun food traditions?  I want to hear about them!