After plastering the flowers for Valentine’s Day, I became a bit obsessed with the medium and started grabbing random objects from around my home to dip. This simple fruit basket was one of my favorites! I also plastered a couple bows, a cutting board and a paper star but stopped myself before grabbing the television. It was just too easy… mix, dip and pin up to dry.

This weekend I am putting together our Valentine cards, it’s the first year the kids will have a real party! I’ll be sharing what we’ve come up with next week:) Have a happy weekend.

PS. My thoughts on why blogging is a crazy roller coaster ride and thanks so much for your awesome support of the latest issue of Styled. magazine! More exciting magazine updates coming soon.

I purchased a small box of plaster last week and went to work dipping a sampling of bright fuax flowers. Mixing + dipping my varieties took about ten minutes and then I hung them upside down for a day to dry. The flowers have become the center of our Valentine’s Day decor. This pink, single stem came out as my favorite! What a perfectly fun (and unique) bouquet they would make wrapped in brown craft paper.

Excited to announce we are live with Styled. magazine issue number four! It is filled with cozy projects, lots of wood, an indoor picnic (with craft paper fire!), a bright beautiful bridal shower from Italy and a fun graphic collaboration with instructions for how to throw a proper party. Plus, lots of other goodies… including Erin Lochner’s exciting celebration news, in case you hadn’t heard. Click through to see the issue!!!

Just a reminder, all featured stories are now blog posts. Click through the title to find more photos, instructions, downloads and to save/share/pin what you love. Thanks so much for your support of this project!

Make these surprise yarn balls to pop the ever important “will you be my bridesmaid” question! A fun idea for a small brunch or get together to announce your good news. They’d also be a splendid gift to receive when wrapped up and mailed to friends far away.

To make your surprise yarn balls look great, download the ten different color options (a couple shown above) by clicking here!

You will also need a carton box, one large bead and a ball of yarn. Secure the chosen tag at the end of the yarn with a knot. Start wrapping the tag in yarn until you get a yarn ball.End by securing the bead to the yarn with a knot

Project by Alessandra Aghila for Styled. issue four.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I am excited to share a couple projects to celebrate the holiday with subtly and style. These milk heart cubes are a sweet surprise for your man’s morning coffee or a tall glass of milk. As they melt, the milk turns pink (the twins were in love!).

To make the milk cubes, combine milk and a few drops of red food coloring together in a small bowl. Fill an ice cube tray, my heart one is from Ikea and freeze overnight. So easy, right!?!

PS. A few other Valentine favorites you might have missed… individual mini fondue, sweet love brownies, stitched hearts (these would make adorable Valentines), crocheted heart cake toppers and one of my first DIY blog posts painted love bottles.

In the dead of winter it can be hard to find bright inspiration. Celine’s blog is not entirely devoted to celebrations, although she is a kick-ass wedding photographer. It is her everyday life photography that I find inspiring, scrolling her site left me with twenty awesome new party ideas:) Happy Monday!

What are you up to this weekend? I will be busy photographing and selling a basement full of items not useful to the family any longer. Every time I say goodbye to stuff I’ve purchased, especially baby things, it’s equal parts joy (no more clutter!) and sadness to let go. On the plus side, we are having our deep, comfy sofa recovered next week in an avocado green cord and doing lots of small updates to brighten our home for winter. Sometime soon I will give you a proper house tour. In the meantime have a happy winter weekend and I hope you are looking forward to the next issue of Styled. magazine coming out in a couple days (hooray!).

PS. How to throw yourself a pity party (love the “stay off social media” suggestion).

Sneak peak photo from next week’s magazine by a pair of pears one of my fave photo couples.

Twilltape.com giving away $50 gift card to their store this week. You can use it to purchase great quality tapes for wrapping or decorating. You can even have certain rolls customized for a specific event. Their color selection and quality cannot be beat (I especially love the rosy pink!). To enter, check out twilltape.com and comment below what you would use your winnings to purchase. Contest will be open until Monday night.

I found the brightest fortune cookies last month at my local World Market and grabbed a bag of them immediately knowing they would be useful for a party. Using tweezers I took out the sayings that came inside of each cookie and replaced them with my own hand written, “thanks!” creating this super easy, bright and festive idea for wedding and party favors. See the complete tutorial and a link to buy bright fortune cookies online over at Project Wedding.

Thanks to an old Real Simple Magazine issue, I’ve discovered the easiest way to frost a cake… with a comb! I tried it out and it works. Genius idea for last minute parties and homemade goodies.