Red Hot Valentine's Day Goodies

In one month, it's going to be Valentine's Day, and when I think of Valentines I think of RED!  Some people think that this holiday is only about mass marketing--but it doesn't have to be.  For the people who are special and unique in your life, you don't have to settle for gifts that are cheaply produced and sold in every chain store.  Gifts from your heart require creativity and thought--so you're in luck.  Etsy is chock full of people who use their creativity and thought every day to make their stores really special. These featured items are either handmade or handpicked vintage pieces that are available right now to get you thinking about how to suprise all your sweeties.   So without further ado, please enjoy!

Wear this adorable red nautical dress from Nou Nou Vintage when delivering your valentines.  I love these handmade ones from Studio Haus. These love notes are personal, totally unique and very reasonably priced.  What's not to love about that?

No ensemble is complete without the right accessories!  These sparkly red Swarovski crystal hearts from Jay Behrle and adorable red love bracelet by ZaneyMay could be a gift for someone special, or  for you if you drop the right hints...

Valentine's Day is only once a year, but you can feel fun flirty at anytime with this fluffy handbag by Gladraggz. 

Hang a dash of romance in your house year round with this cute country hug and kiss garland by PACountryCrafts.

Not everyone is into mushy romantic Valentine's Day things.  No problem--you can still share the love!  These robots by DesignLab443 have a sneaky heart on the back and  a secret zipper to hide a love note, a candy kiss or two, or a sweet (but not sugary!) present like these pink and red skull magnets from FiveFootFury13.

No Valentine's Day would be complete without a heart shaped candy dish and this vintage piece by Heliopsis fits the bill perfectly.  Where else are you going to put your Conversation Hearts?  Or better yet, you can stash those earrings and bracelet to wear again!

Thanks for looking!

Flower Costume part 2

Okay, so the costume is completely finished and it's been worn twice already! Here's what's happened since you last looked....

I added some wires to the petals to make them stand up better. I sewed some small channels onto each petal and stuck a bit of florist's wire up there. It didn't work, they are still flopping over.

I had a brilliant idea! I sewed my daughter a vase to put the flower into. It's vinyl pencil skirt, the bottom of which was done in a watery looking fabric and trimmed with big aqua colored sequins. The waistband and the bottom hem of the skirt are edged in silver lame'.

She really likes it. The only problem is that the sweatpants are a bit bulky underneath. It'd probably look a lot better with stockings or green leggings that are more stemlike. But the sweatpants are warmer.

I sewed on my leaves to each sleeve and added a cute ladybug just for fun. The bottom two petals are on piece that buttons over on the right. The green ribbons are a drawstring to cinch the hood and petals around her face. The petals are flopping over here, I'm going to tack them back to the hood so that this doesn't happen. She still looks really cute though!

She still looks really cute though! Here also are my two boys, the E-Z Pikachu costume and a vampire.

Coming soon, Pix of the big night, Halloween!