craftgrrl | My valentine's day decorations and more!

So, we're big valentine's day people around here. Since we got married around this time (on the 17th), we combine the two into a week-long extravaganza. It goes without saying that we decorate.

To start, I made a heart mobile in the dining area.

It's made using the grade-school wax paper/crayons/iron method. And it's hung on a paper lantern covering our 80's light fixture.

Make it yourself!
Place protective paper on your surface, especially if it's your ironing board. Don't want wax everywhere.
Place a rectangle of wax paper on your surface.
Fun Part: Shave crayons over your wax paper using a pencil sharpener. Combine colors in unique ways but stick to a few colors, 2 or 3, for each work of art. More colors will mke it look more and more like brown or black when it melts. Make sure there are spots where some colors are concentrated and make sure about the inner two thirds of the wax paper is completely covered with shavings.
Cover shavings with another rectangle of wax paper.
Cover with a protective peice of paper and iron! Just iron over the entire surface with your iron set at high (cotton). Make sure the entirity of the wax is melted. The colors will blend and look faboo!
Set aside to cool and work on your next masterpiece.
Cut into any shape you like. These make great sun catchers so make a bunch and put them in your windows.

To make this window display, I formed a heart out of wire about the thickness of coat hanger wire, wrapped lights around it and secured with wire ties. I used suction cup hooks to attatch to the glass.

It looks much better in person.

I also did a wreath, which I don't have a picture of. I have a grapevine wreath that I decorate for every holiday. This year, I wrapped many different pink, red and white ribbons hap-hazardly around it and added daisies as a focal point.

And, since I have never posted a "looky what I made" post here before, I'll add another of my most recent crafty things.
My first knitted project was the knitting club hat from the book The Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits.

For anyone wanting to finally learn how to knit, this book is great. I remember my mother in law teaching me to crochet, which I got down pretty quickly, but when she tried it teach me to knit, it was a loosing battle. With this book, I finally taught myself and impressed her the last time we visited.

Soon to come, my month of softies softy, a cat draft dodger!