Valentine Be Mine

 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY


XOXOXOXOXO

BE MINE

XOXOXO

HUGS

&

KISSES

Valentine Trivet

Valentine Trivet: Any Cook would love to receive this adorable valentine.

You'll need:

6"-square white tile, glazed or unglazed

Small (3/8") mosaic tiles: 75 rose, 66 varied off-white (from crafts or tile store)

Liquid Nails Adhesive for Small Projects

1 small container of premixed tile grout

Grout float or cardboard; sponge; rag

Fine-point permanent marker

Tracing paper

Trace heart, printed over text, on folded tracing paper, placing fold on dashed line. Cut out heart. Trace outline on center of tile with marker.

Glue a border of mosaic tiles evenly spaced along front edges of the large tile, using 10 whites on each side and a rose tile in each corner.

Glue rose tiles along heart outline, then inside following contours.

Glue off-white tiles in remaining spaces around heart. Let dry.

Spread grout over tile and between squares using float or a small piece of cardboard. Let grout set for about 15 minutes. Wipe off excess with damp sponge. Let dry for 48 hours. Polish off any haze with the rag.

Valentine

Make your sweetheart some extra special treats. Be sure to include the secret ingredient.....SSSSSHHHH!!!! LOVE!

White Chocolate-Coffee Truffles

Ingredients : Candies 3/4 c Whipping cream 1 tb Instant espresso or coffee powder 14 oz White chocolate, very finely chopped 2 tb Kahlua Dipping chocolate: 1 lb White chocolate, very finely chopped 2 ts Vegetable oil 3 tb Chocolate-covered coffee beans, very finely chopped

Preparation :

To make the truffles: In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and espresso powder to a boil. Pour over the chocolate and whisk until completely melted. Whisk in the Kahlua. Refrigerate until completely chilled and firm. With a teaspoon, place pieces of the chocolate onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm; roll into balls and refrigerate again for about 30 minutes. To prepare the dipping chocolate: In the top of a double boiler set over hot water, place the chocolate and oil. stir until almost melted. Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Continue to stir until the chocolate has cooled and reaches a temperature of 90 degrees. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with aluminum foil. Dip each candy center in the melted chocolate, shake off the excess and place on the baking sheet. When you have dipped a row of candies, top each with a little of the chocolate- covered coffee bean. Before each dipping, stir the chocolate vigorously with your fingers. If the centers become too soft, chill for about 30 minutes. Let the candies set for about 2 hours before storing in refrigerator. If the centers start to come through the bottoms of the chocolates, as often happens with soft mixtures, dip the bottoms again in melted and cooled chocolate.

Red, White, and Blue!!!

Fourth of July Glass

Handmade gifts...Indoor Herb Pots

Handmade gifts are the best type of gifts. Here are instructions for a fairly simple project. I have received herb pots as gifts and they are so nice. I have fresh herbs when ever Im cooking and year round.

Herb Pots
Supplies needed for the Indoor herb pots
4" Terracotta pot
2 c. organic potting soil
18g. stainless steel wire 7"
organic herb seeds ( I chose Basil for this project)
plastic baggie
10 " square material
ribbon
needle nose pliers
sm. 3" envelope
Vitrea paint pen ( bakes on to become permanent)
herb scissors (optional)
1.choose how you will decorate your pot. paint, stencil, etc.or leave it natural they look just as nice without decorating them at all. I used the vitrea paint pen drew a few leaves and wrote the word Herbs on the front.
2.add 2 C. organic soil to a baggie put a rubber band around it.
3. Place the baggie in the center of your material pull the sides up up and tie it with your ribbon.
4.The herb marker. Use your needle nose pliers to twist the wire into a spiral. I made up the BASIL marker on the computer. Printed it on card stock. It fits perfectly into the stainless steel marker. You can see it in the picture.
5. The small envelope i used to put the seeds inside and labeled the front. I also inserted a card in the envelope for growing directions. The pot needs to be placed on a window ledge that receives plenty of sun.
6. You can add any other details you want. Herb scissors, small stones,small garden shovel. I found adorable herb pot markers on Etsy. I added a fused glass stone to mine with the word GROW fused in it.
The end result is so cute.
I actually ended up etching the front of one of my pots.
if you dont feel like crafting and making your own mine are for sale at Glass City Gifts on Etsy.

This completes my first project for my blog. Hope everyone has fun giving it a try.

Etsys wedding showcase

Just getting all my glass items ready for Etsys wedding showcase. My items will be shown on Monday 06/28/10. Mostly a lot of monogrammed glassware but there are some fused items. I enjoy doing the monograms but I love when customers want the custom images etched on glass. They turn out great.

Well check back with me soon for some creative craft tips and instructions on how to make your own handmade wedding gifts.

glass city gifts

Wedding Gift Showcase

The wedding season has officially arrived, and what better way to give your blessing than with a unique, thoughtful gift, perfect for the newlyweds? The Weddings: The Perfect Gift Showcase will display items that would make a memorable wedding present for the happy couple, whether it's for their home, travels or just for fun.

This Showcase will run from Monday, June 21, 2010 12 a.m. ET until Sunday, July 4, 2010, 11:59 p.m. ET.


Follow me to find that perfect wedding gift at etsy.com