The Modern Valentine

I have finally found {NON} crafting success in 2011!!  Yay!!
I spent all day yesterday making fun stuff.  And I can't wait to show them all to you.

But backwards for a quick second....

I've had a couple people ask me why I say I don't "DO CRAFTS" when clearly this blog is full of "crafts".

Well, I kind of lay it out in my ABOUT ME page, but essentially...in a nutshell....

it's because I hate the word "crafty" and all it's derivatives. 

Why?

It just reminds me of gatherings of middle-aged church women being forced to make out of style things out of wood.  (And then the entire neighborhood having the exact same thing hanging on their door.)  It reminds me of nasty dishtowels.  And toll-painting.  And making something in a gymnasium for $5, out of a ziploc bag. And following directions.  Which I REFUSE to do.

I might not be able to help my rapid journey toward being a middle-aged church going woman.  But I feel I can take control over my refusal to make a $5 "craft" out of a ziploc.

And that's all I have to say about that.


Now.
In addition to not liking "crafts".  I'm also not a huge fan of holiday decor.

I know, RIGHT?  I probably just lost 6 followers.

Let me clarify by stating that I just don't always love things that you can buy in the holiday isle.  Although, I have to admit that stores like Target, Hobby Lobby, and even 'ol Walmart are starting to carry decor that isn't completely tacky. It's awesome.

I also tend toward a really clean and modern design aesthetic, and those aren't usually common in holiday decorating.

I'm rambling to tell you....
this is the first year we'll have any Valentine's Day decor.  Partly because we've never been able to afford it.  And partly because I never found things I really liked very much.

I'm determined to have fun decor, that doesn't look like it came from a gathering of church ladies.  We'll see if I've succeeded.

This particular decoration actually didn't cost me a penny. It is made with things I had around already. But if you had to go and buy supplies, I'm estimating around $5 or $6. (and that would leave you with a few left-overs for another time)

I started with a regular clay pot. I painted it white. (any color you want as a base) Make sure to go a couple inches inside as well.

Then I had my Silhouette machine, "SCARLETT", cut me some circles. I decided to go ahead and use vinyl for this project. I think contact paper might have worked, and it's cheaper, but I worry about it peeling up the paint. So I went with vinyl for it's easy removal factor. If you use contact paper, and it works, let me know!

• Another tip for conserving when you use vinyl, is to plan several projects at a time.  You can see that my screenshot includes a second pattern that will be shown in an upcoming project. (and it's MARVIE....PS)  By combining and making sure you use up as much area as possible, I don't feel like I've wasted anything!

I placed my vinyl dots equidistant on the pot.  You could also do just various placement as well.  I actually only printed about 1/2 as many dots as I needed.  I painted 1/2 the pot in a metallic black paint, and then moved the dots to the lower half. (Again, saving on vinyl.)

*Remember that wherever you put the dots, the under color will show through.*

• The dots aren't fool proof.  Particularly around the curves.  Don't paint too vigorously, or it will seep.  And just FYI I had to do a little touch up with a tiny brush.  But it was super easy to fix little oopsies.

Next I took a left over styrofoam ball and some RED beads and made another beaded ball.  There are more detailed instructions on making those HERE. Super easy.

Lastly, I painted a small wooden dowel white, and stuck it inside the ball.

Wanna see the finished product?

I just shoved a piece of styrofoam in the pot, and hot glued the stick in.  I decided to use the hot glue just because the ball is a bit heavy and I didn't want it to pull out.

I also added a very small amount of moss/grass to cover the styrofoam.

Now when you make yours, you might want to tie a ribbon or ric-rac at the base of the ball, or around the pot.  I tried a lot of different ideas along those lines.  But, for me, it took away from the super clean, modern lines.

If your home is decorated in a more casual/home-ee feel.  The ribbons would look really cute!

And there you have it.  My, pretty much free, super modern, Valentines decoration.

(and no charge for the giant rant on the word "craft".  You're welcome!)