Jello Marzipan Hearts

Are these not the sweetest Valentine candies ever?!  I made these pretties using the Jello-style strawberry marzipan recipe.  After I formed the hearts, I dipped them in Wilton Cake Sparkles to make them super glittery.




I think they're just beautiful and would be such a special treat in a little bento box or a pretty gift box tied with a ribbon! (Harry not included.)

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As Close As I'll Ever Get to Johnny Depp

There's chocolate, and then there's chocolat.  And this, my chickadees, is chocolate of the most decadent kind.  The kind of chocolate that makes a town swoon.

Have you ever seen such beautimous gourmet delights?  While they don't come delivered by your very own Roux, I think these gifts are gorgeous in their own right.  I mean, seriously.  Hand painted.  Bejeweled.  Encased in mahogany.  What!  I say forget your Sweetheart-- order a box for yourself and dream of 21 Jump Street.



SweetBliss
Chocolate Pump and Purse14 ounces of dark Belgian chocolate, filled with a ribbon of soft caramel, hand-decorated in colored chocolate. 2 pieces - $52




Sucre
For the Love of Chocolate CollectionDark chocolate ganache blended with sweet red raspberries in a shimmery heart shell.
15 pieces - $35




Norman Love Confections
Valentine's Day BLACK Chocolate Gift BoxSingle origin chocolates from Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Bolivia and Venezuela.
15 pieces - $35




Bissinger's
Confectionista CollectionFeatures crèmes—including a maple pecan creme, caramel, a truffle, solid chocolate and molasses chips.
8 pieces - $22




Christophe Artisan
Large Chocolate HeartHand-painted and truffle chocolates in hand-painted chocolate heart box.
11 pieces - $39.95




ZChocolat
Romantic Collection- ToucheMilk chocolate Supreme with hazelnut praline, black Mystiquevanilla Bourbon caramel, white Toquade with chocolate ganacheand red Amore ganache scented with bergamot.
12 pieces - $96.61

Jello-Style Strawberry Marzipan

I was soooo excited when I found this candy recipe in Grandma's cookbook! She used to make these once in a while for me when I went to visit. She didn't make them often, but when she did, I loved helping her dip the little berries in red sugar to make them glisten.  Thanks for the berries, Grandma!






Ingredients
3/4 c sweetened condensed milk
1 c shredded coconut
1 c chopped pecans
2 small (3 oz) pkgs strawberry Jello  (measure out 2 T and set aside)
1 pinch salt
slivered almonds
green food coloring

Method
1. Blend milk, coconut, pecans, Jello and salt in a food processor.
2. Cover with cellophane and chill for 1 hour.
3. Remove from refrigerator and shape into strawberries.
4. Roll strawberries in leftover Jello.
6. Shake almonds and a few drops of food coloring in a Ziplock.
7. Place one almond in each strawberry for stem.
Keep refrigerated. Can be frozen.

Click on the recipe card below to print out your very own!






Linked up with:
Fireflies and Jellybeans' Show Off Your Stuff Featured on: Domessticated

For Your Viewing Pleasure

This is my favorite love song. I generally don't like lovey dovey songs, but it's by Willie and well, you know how I feel about Willie. I've seen him a bunch of times, but one of my favorites was when we saw him at The Grand in Galveston on Valentine's Day. It was a weekend trip for our anniversary. Willie sang "Valentine" and even after all these years, it was perfect. Hope you enjoy it and have a lovey dovey Valentine's Day!

Wearing His Heart on His Sleeve

Years ago...

My brain: "Look how cute those baby onesies are with the Mom tattoo on them...I should make some of those...Oh, it would be even cuter if they were actually on the sleeve...Hey, that would be a great Valentine gift...Too bad I don't know anyone with a baby...Hang on, who needs a baby?...I should make one for the hubster!"

And so, the heart tattoo sleeve t-shirt was born. I drew the tattoo, scanned it, added my name, reversed the image, printed it on inkjet iron-on paper (you can find it at office supply stores or online) and ironed it on. I thought it turned out pretty cool.  And the best part of all-- he wore it without embarrassment. Success!

So, now that it's been tested, I'm sharing it with all my chickadees!  I drew two heart tattoos especially for you:  one with a crown for the king of the castle and one with roses for the romantic dude.  I also included "Mom" tattoos that would be super cute for little muscle men!  The artwork has already been reversed, but you may have to resize it to fit on little shirts. Sure, you can use any plain ol' piece of tattoo clipart, but don't you want a Silly Bee original?  Rock on!

The How To:

First of all, you will need a color printer, iron-on transfer paper, scissors, a t-shirt, a handkerchief and an iron. 

Once you've chosen your favorite design at the bottom of this post, click on the artwork to enlarge it, then right-click and save to your computer.  Now you're ready to personalize it.  You can do that one of three ways:






1. Open the design in a graphics program like Photoshop or Illustrator.  Then, add your name to the ribbon, rotate it a bit and reverse the entire image (including the name) before you print it onto the iron-on paper.  Don't forget to flip it.  Remember you are printing on the back of the transfer paper, so the tattoo needs to be reversed or you'll have to include a mirror in the gift box so he can read it! OR...



2. Print the design onto plain paper (I actually suggest a photo paper so the colors are still vibrant.)  Write a name on the ribbon with a black marker.  Include the kids:  have his little ones write their own names on the ribbon!  Then, scan it, flip it and print it. OR...

3. Print the design onto iron-on paper.  Iron it on the shirt, let it cool, then add the name with fabric paint.



Now that you have your tattoo printed out, trim around the design and follow the instructions on the iron-on package. Don't do it on top your ironing board. I use the kitchen counter so I don't ruin any furniture.  Iron it for a good while before you start peeking.  Lift it just the tiniest bit to make sure that it's stuck, but remember, once you have lifted the design off of your t-shirt, It's really hard to repair it without goofing up the image.



Iron-ons aren't just for t-shirts!  You can make heart tattoo pillow cases, baby bibs, tote bags and aprons!  Tell me about your tattoo project and most of all have fun!

By the way, if you like the font I used, it's called Bleeding Cowboys and you can download it from dafont.com.

 


This tutorial is linked up with:

Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday
Momnivore's Dilemma's Creative Juice Thursday
The Girl Creative's Just Something I Whipped Up Valentine Party

I Found One at Long Last!

A Valentine Cake Wreck!  I am so proud.  I discovered it at Kroger.  It's the dreaded cupcake cake in absolutely no recognizable shape at all!  Seriously, were they out of cupcake containers?  I hope they taste good, at least!

To Sir, With Love

Have you mailed your cards to be stamped with special Valentine postmarks yet?  I sent out a bunch last week just to share the cutest stamps with you. OK, so I sent myself a bunch of Valentines. It was all in the name of research. Okay? Geez!

Pick your favorite stamp and mail your cards right away or you may miss the deadline for February 14th delivery. Though, if you do, don't sweat it. I'm sure the special postmark will more than make up for its tardiness!  Ship your cards inside another envelope addressed like the example above.  Double check the zip codes on the USPS Valentine list.






















































P.S.- Make sure you include the correct postage on your cards. It would be totally sad if they were returned to you.  First class letter mail is $.44.  Remember, even if they aren't any bigger than regular cards, square cards cost more to mail just because they're square.  If your envelope has a different kind of closure, like brads with strings or something, they're extra.  Anything smaller than 3.5"x5", or bigger than 6"x11" is more postage, too.  If you include any other stuff in your cards, make sure you weigh them.  Plus, bumpy stuff will be extra.  Don't forget, extra postage inside probably means extra postage outside!

NOTE- Beauty, Kentucky is not offering Valentine postmarks this year.


Featured in:
Valentine's Day Round Up on One Pretty Thing
Valentine's Day DIY Craft Round Up on The Davis Dailies


Linked up with:
The Girl Creative's Just Something I Whipped Up Valentine Party

Dinner, Origami and a Movie

Need a great Valentine date idea? Get a romantical-like movie through NetFlix, eat some spaghetti and fold your NetFlix flap into an exquisite Valentine.

Not into hearts? Maybe your Valentine would like a NetFlix origami frog instead. Now that spells romance! Click on the link below for instructions.  You're welcome.

A Valentine for Your Valentine from Valentine

When I was planning my wedding, many moons ago, I wanted to make my handmade invitations special from the envelope right down to the response card.  So, on top of using pretty love stamps, I thought it would be extra fun to have the invites mailed from a place with a Valentine-y name since our date was Feb. 15th.  I jumped online and started researching and was soooo excited to find out there is a town named Valentine way, way, way over in West Texas!  Can you believe it?


I quickly called the postmaster, a kind lady named Maria, who was more than gracious about my request to hand stamp 300 wedding invitations. So, I bundled them up and sent them on their way to Love Station. When my parents' invitation arrived, I was so excited to see how the stamp turned out...it was perfect! Not only did Maria hand stamp them and handle them with care, but she also sent us a wedding card of congratulations!

Later, I thought it would be fun to have a special invitation sent to me on my actual wedding day. So, I sent one with a thank you note to Maria for all her help.  Sure enough, my very own invitation was waiting for me when we came back from our honeymoon. This time, it had the cutest Valentine postmark in red ink! It turns out, the little town receives about 15,000 cards every year to be stamped with a specially designed Valentine's Day stamp and Maria and her assistant handle each and every one. I think their special postmark is more unique than other Valentiney cities because each year, there is a contest among students in the tiny town (population 200, yeeeee haw) to design the coveted stamp. I imagine the kids thoughtfully drawing their lovely designs in a one-room schoolhouse like Little House on the Prairie. I know, it's bad but I can't help it. Just don't tell Maria.


If you'd like to add a special touch to your Valentine cards, put your addressed, stamped cards inside a larger envelope addressed to:


To make sure you don't miss out, mail your cards pronto. Also, remember to choose a Valentine with a light-colored envelope so your fancy stamp will really stand out. While you're at it, include a little Valentine for Maria, I'm sure she'd love it!

Click here to check out a listing of some of the country's most romantic postmasters just waiting to add their own extra special touch to your Valentines.