valentines day

Craft Project | Rustic Heart Wall Hanging

This heart happy little project was done by a family member, and it’s so pretty I had to share!

She said she can’t take credit for the idea, she saw it done and decided to give it a try herself.

Inspiration tutorial by Shades of Blue Interiors. Link can be found here: Branch Heart Wall Art.

There are a few differences in the the inspiration and her rendition; the original crafter uses fallen sticks, this one is done with driftwood collected from the beach—white string was used on the original and this uses a rustic twine—and of course the color palette is different (pink versus teal).

I’m told that creating the heart shape was in no way easy!

1. First lay it all out. Plan to spent considerable time switching different length sticks in and out until it takes on the desired shape.

2. Then, do it all over again when you tie the twine to each one and suspended it from the long rail.

Pro-tips:

  • Hang the rail first and ties each stick to it while hanging. (Trying to do it on a flat surface is impossible!)

  • Start with the center stick and build out each side.

3. Once you’ve got everything strung up in a heart shape, you may just decide to leave it natural… but if not, then it’s time to paint.

Choose your color palette, here it starts with white, then a light teal, and finally a dark teal. You may decide to use more or less to create an ombre effect.

Laying a ruler across the heart shape helped to know where to start the paint, each new layer was started about an inch down from the previous color.

4. Once painted, hang once again, readjust as necessary, tighten the string/twine, and clip off any excess.

5. Hang where you will enjoy!

I love both, the original and our example here! And I’m sure there are countless other ways to craft something similar using this post as your inspirational jump-off point!

What materials would you use and what color scheme?

Where would you hang this? I think a beachy cabin, a bedroom reading nook, or a bathroom would all be perfect.

Let me know if you give something similar a try!

First comes the materials collection… then arranging and hanging.

It helped to lay a ruler across the heart shape to get a general sense of where to start the ombre painting.

Recipe | Cake Batter Protein Bites

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Love is in the air…

Valentine’s Day might have been conceived as a marketing ploy by the holiday card companies but it is one of my favorite days of the year. And while my motto is to Love Someone all year long, it is nice that there’s a whole 24 hours dedicated to spending quality time with your sweetheart (or whomever it is you love & adore).

Baking an entire cake from scratch on a weekday is a find aspiration, but sometimes just isn’t in the cards (heart-shaped ones or not!) because of our busy lives. So often, we’re then tempted to grab something from the nearest grocery or convenience mart that comes in a box and is guaranteed to be full of processed coloring and added sugars.

So, if you are anything like me and are trying to stay healthy-ish as we embark upon a new decade, but still want to enjoy a sweet TREAT this Valentine’s Day…do I have a sweetheart of a deal for you with these delicious little protein bites!

CAKE BATTER PROTEIN BITES

NO BAKING REQUIRED!
Serving Size: 18-20

Ingredients:

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  • 3 cups Coconut Flakes

  • 3 cups Organic Coconut Oil, melted

  • 3/4 cup Almond Flour

  • 6 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

  • 3/4 cup Vanilla Protein Powder

  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

  • Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

  2. Mix with hand mixer or by using your hands until all ingredients are well-combined.

  3. Scoop out heaping spoonfulls of mixture and roll between hands to form small balls.

  4. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

  5. Refrigerate until firm - at least 30 minutes - transfer to bowl or sealed Tupperware and store in refrigerator until ready to eat - up to one week.

*For a softer “bite” remove portions from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before eating.

Bon Appetit!

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