I've been on several hunts lately...scouring antique shops looking for just the perfect thing for Valentine's Day...and I found just what I was looking for and more! But first, let me show you what I made last week for a little Valentine luncheon I was invited to...
Valentine cones to hold candy hearts or whatever treats your Valentine would like! So easy to make...I should have taken pics to give you a step-by-step but really, you don't need one, you just:
1. Roll up a piece of card stock into a cone, secure in place with tape. Cut top evenly.
2. Cover card stock with fabric. I used Valentine fabric but really, any cute fabric will work just fine. Roll fabric around cone, glue in place, trim around top.
3. Decorate your fabric-covered cone with bits and bobs from your sewing stash, using hot glue to hold in place...yo-yo's, heart-shaped buttons, paper flowers, ruffled circles, lace, ribbon, boa pieces! Whatever you want! Have fun and be creative - you can't make a mistake!
4. Add a ric-rac handle or a pipe-cleaner handle and you're ready to fill with treats!
So fun to make - I used all kinds of trim and I think they turned out so cute! I made an even dozen, packed them into a basket, filled them with candy hearts and pranced my way to the luncheon...
They are so cute, I'm rather obsessed with them right now and might have to make more! Can you ever have too many Valentine Cones? Wait, don't answer that!
Onto the finds! This book IS the perfect Valentine gift! It was published in 1904; it is a compilation of verses, poems and stories contributed by "the Amerian Public" in a nation-wide contest! I could not love it more...and spent the better part of an evening reading through it...and it's called Heart Throbs - how perfect is that!?!
Next up, this sweet little book, Adventures in Good Eating, published in 1948 by Duncan Hines...thee Duncan Hines! Haven't you ever wondered if your favorite restaurant from childhood was still there?!? Well Duncan Hines did! Every year he would publish this little book which lists all of the great restaurants in every state...it's an antique version of Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives! And one of my family's very favorite restaurants is listed and is still going strong! Maddox in Brigham City, Utah! Woot!
Porn for Women...how could I resist?!? I'm sure you've seen these books, they came out a few years ago to the delight of women everywhere! I found this in the same antique shop where I found the other books...and really, if this doesn't smack of Valentine's Day then what does?!? I took pics of a few pages to give you a glimpse of the goodness inside...oh, just so you know, this book is rated "G". (Click on the pics to see a larger version.)
Isn't this a cute little plate? On the back it's stamped 1975 - coincidentally the same year I was born! Hahahahaha...
Godiva chocolates, super comfy socks, chocolate hearts and a fabulous smelling, heart-shaped soap, along with the antique Valentine Card I found, round out the Valentine basket I'm sending to my mom!
I'm sure my mom will love this basket! And mom, if you're reading this, please act surprised when the basket arrives. (Our Max loves for me to tell him what I'm sending him before he gets it, so I figured I'd do the same for you! Now you can be surprised twice!)
Hopefully it will be there a day or two before Valentine's Day - so my mom can put the candy on the little plate, set it beside her chair, put on her socks and nibble on the candy while she reads the books! And not to worry about my dad...mom will share the chocolates...if dad doesn't eat them first! My parents have this system...mom sits in her chair and reads something, then when she's done she passes it to dad to read or if he's not in his chair, she leaves it there for him. Before he sits down he picks up whatever papers or books are in his chair and then he reads them...then, when he's finished, he throws them on the floor...it's like Morse Code without the dots.
My kicthen hutch needed a little something for Valentine's Day...I love decorating my hutch, makes me happy and it brightens up the kitchen on these cold, gray February days.
Yes, there's Miss Valentine, holding court...I love her, no matter how scary my friends think she is! I hung one of the Valentine Cones on the cupboard knob...it's the perfect height to walk by, reach in and grab a candy heart!
How could I resist this?!?! I didn't find this in an antique shop, as no one in their right mind would ever part with this! I found it on-line, here, and ordered one for the boy who thought it was funny and said he'd wear it on Valentine's Day for his fiance who hates all holidays but especially hates "Hallmark Holidays"...and I'm going to be her mother-in-law...how funny is that?!?
