Homemade Valentines

We decided to go homemade this year when my sister showed me these superhero lollipops. They are so cute, it was no brainer.

They exchange Valentines at school, but no candy allowed, so we made conversation heart pencil toppers.

Arise Shine and Sparkle

I recently started working with the young women and just in time for New Beginnings. The mutual theme for the year is Arise and Shine Forth. When I found the idea to make it Arise Shine and Sparkle, we kind of went nuts. Sparkle and bling are pretty much everywhere and we found lots of inspiration for decor and delicacies.

Thanks to a little help from my friends at Sisters in Zion, the invitation was pretty dazzling.

We had round tables with easy center pieces (thanks to my mom for sharing pretty much everything), which were inspired by Better Homes & Gardens.

The refreshments were divine and looked almost too good to eat. Edible glitter is my new favorite thing.

We gave the girls sparklers in DIY custom holder with the theme on them...never mind that they are illegal here.

With lots of white lights, lots of tulle, and battery operated tea lights, the girls introduced themselves and told in one sentence how they arise and shine forth and then all sang Arise and Shine Forth by Joan Sowards beautifully.

It was fun to incorporate the sparkle and easy to get carried away. But even better was seeing these young women anxious to shine and know that they can be "...a standard for the nations."

Valentine's Craft

I found this Valentine's craft that I actually had all the supplies for....just had to dig through the trash to find that paper towel roll I'd thrown away. It is a perfect independent craft for 7 and up, but my 5 year old did it with a little help stringing.

I cut up two paper towel cardboard rolls (that made plenty) and we just used spray paint, much faster and easier.

Shaped them into hearts.

Poked them top and bottom with a tack.

Chose from my random collection of beads.

We used fishing line and it was sturdy enough that we didn't have to use a needle. I had them loop back through the bottom of the bead to hold it in place and help keep the heart shape.

Not quite as fancy as theirs, but still very festive.