Young At Heart Mommy

Managing Motherhood Through Love & Laughter

Valentine Button Heart Canvas #ValentinesDay #ValentineCraft

Pinterest has many wonderful ideas for holiday crafts, including Valentine’s Day! While browsing through pins last week I stumbled upon a project from Southern Lovely. She made a Button Burlap Heart Canvas and I fell in love with the final product. I thought the idea was genius and decided to take it upon myself to create one for my own home. I changed the colors a bit and added a little something extra with the buttons I had left over. Have you fallen in love yet? You can make your own Valentine Button Heart Canvas too!
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Sweet + Salty Valentine Munch #ValentinesDay

Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it. In addition to Christmas, it truly is my favorite holiday of the year. Not only is it a day to share love with those around us, but it is also the day that my little girl entered the world! Since February 14, 2009 I have been celebrating Toodie’s birthday and going ALL out on this wonderful day. This includes baking, crafting, and party planning.
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Valentine’s Day At The Children’s PLACE!

Celebrate a month of love with trendy reds, pinks, glitter, and heart patterns at The Children’s PLACE! From sparkly skirts to sequined heart headbands, you can find everything you need to create an adorable outfit for your little Valentine. There are themed graphic t’s for boys and girls along with matching accessories to bring together a look full of love. Take a look below at all of the February trends that are in stores for Valentine’s Day or any day at that!
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A “Beary” Special Valentine’s Visit To Build A Bear Workshop!

The month of love is finally upon us and that means it is time to continue a “beary” fun tradition. Each year in February my daughter and I take a trip to Build A Bear, only the coolest place to customize your very own teddy! Since Valentine’s Day is also Toodie’s birthday, we always create a new friend together to add to her growing collection. This year we had the unique opportunity to visit Build A Bear for a very special in store experience. For the month of “Bear-uary” Build A Bear has a selection of Valentine’s Day friends to build, dress, and bring home. These include the Love Hello Kitty, Hugs-A-Plenty Puppy, Sock Monkey, and many more. You can personalize your little friend in festive accessories, clothing, and even a love song! In February, Build A Bear is offering a set of free Valentine‘s cards with the purchase of $20 or more so your child can spread the love to friends.

When the day came to make a visit to our nearby Build A Bear Workshop, we were very excited to see the seasonal selection. You can’t help but feel welcomed when you first walk in. The store inside our local mall has always been a hot spot and popular place for children and adults. It‘s a wonderful place to create memories and gifts with love for those you care about. As an adult, I have even made bears for a few important people in my life! With the wide variety of clothing and accessories, it is truly the gift that keeps on giving. 

Upon entering the store we were presented with a display of Valentine’s Day friends stuffed with love, hugs, and friendship. One puppy even had a cute pair of sparkly red roller skates on! The entrance also had a wall covered in a vast array of stuffed animals for the choosing. There were so many to pick from and each visit I notice there are new additions to the wall. I love that Build A Bear always keeps up with the trends and follows what children are into at the time. Their recent Disney Princess line is to die for. Not only do they have the costumes, but you can also buy wigs to make your bear look like your favorite princess. Such a cute idea!  
Before getting started we couldn‘t help browsing around the store to see all of the different accessories available. There were clothes geared towards boys and girl, allowing each to customize their plush animal to their liking. Shoes, sunglasses, hair clips, hats, purses, AND cars? Yep, they have it all! Your bear can have it’s own bed, suitcase, sleeping bag, and closet. Even a motorcycle is available for those that seek adventure. These furry friends seem to have more clothes than I do! Most importantly, everything was affordable and reasonable. You can dress a bear in a complete outfit for around $20. 

Before we arrived to the store, Toodie was set on picking out the Hugs-A-Plenty Puppy because right now dogs are her THING! My daughter assisted the very helpful Build A Bear employee in filling her puppy. Placing her foot on the pedal, small bursts of fluffy stuffing began to bring her to life.Once stuffed with softness, her puppy was in need of a heart! Following the trusty “Heart Ceremony” she was instructed to do each small step with love and care. Given a miniature cloth heart, she placed it in the palms of her hands and rubbed them together to get it warm. This was just the beginning of a list of tasks that were very important in creating a friend for life. In addition to the fabric heart, she also added a realistic heart beat button and a Bubble Gum scented disk inside. Each time Toodie would cuddle her puppy, there was an aroma of sweet bubble gum coming from his tummy. After all of these things were placed inside with care, the puppy was sewn up and ready for her bath.

Heart Ceremony

Rub your heart in your hands so your animal has a warm heart.

Rub it on your head so your animal is smart like you.

Rub it on your cheeks so it has a big, pretty smile.

Rub it on your nose, so the animal knows who you are.

Rub it on your hair so it never has a bad hair day.

Rub it on your tummy so it’s never going to go hungry.

Rub the heart on your knees so your animal is always going to need you.

Rub it on your back so it will always have your back and protect you.

Rub the heart on your side so your animal will always stay by your side.

Rub it on your toes to the animal is toe-tally awesome like you are.

Shake your heart up high in the air to give it high hopes.

Bring your heart down low, so it never lets you down.

Jump up and down to get the heart pumping.

Give your heart a kiss, close your eyes and make a wish.

Decked out in the cutest outfit, named with love, and cleaned from a good scrubbin’– “Valentine Puppy” is sure to be the cutest pooch on the block.

After looking at all of the Valentine’s Day outfits and accessories, this puppy came out dressed to impress! She is wearing the Heart Print Dress, Pink Heart Sunglasses, Red Bow Glitter Flats, Red Glitter Heart Bows, and a Happy Valentine’s Day Sash. Inside she has a Heart Beat effect button and a tummy smelling of delicious bubble gum thanks to the SCENTiments™ disk! I still am amazed at how strong the scents are. I was skeptical at first but WOW, days later I can smell her puppy immediately when I enter her room.

Toodie was excited to welcome home the newest member of her teddy bear family. “Valentine Puppy” will fit right in to the bunch. She will also be making an exclusive appearance in her birthday photos this year!


A special thanks to the friendly staff at Build A Bear Workshop for making this memorable experience possible.
You can visit the Build A Bear website to browse the entire Valentine’s Day line along with the new Princess and Harajuka Panda collections. Also, get social by following along on Twitter and Facebook for updates, promotions, and much more. Give the gift of love, hugs, and friendship this Valentine’s Day! 
Disclosure: This post has been sponosored by Build A Bear Workshop! All opinions are my own.

Valentine’s Day Gifts For The Whole Family! #ValentineGifts

Stuck on what to get that special person in your life this Valentine’s Day? Take a look at the three ideas below for woman, men, and children! Each will be sure to please each member of your family without leaving anyone out.

FOR HER:
An empowering blend of luxurious, rare, carefully curated ingredients, Bath & Body Works’ Forever Red EDP is the ultimate Valentine’s Day accessory. The scent combines red-inflected notes like Brazilian red pomegranate, fiery marigold, peche de vigne, and the sensual yet delicate red osmanthus for an alluring feminine effect. This scent is going to be HOT in 2013. It is even on my own wish list this Valentine’s Day! Along with the fragrance there is also a lotion, shower gel, and even a golden sugar scrub. Pamper that lucky lady in your life this holiday. The perfume retails for $44.50 and you can purchase it in stores or on their site.

FOR HIM:
Show him how you feel with the Philip B Man-Pleasing Favorites Gift Set.This cooling duo revives and refreshes his body and soul with the Peppermint & Avocado Volumizing & Clarifying Shampoo and Nordic Wood Hair & Body Shampoo. The men in our loves need a little pampering too! This set is $65 and can be found on their site here.

  

FOR THE KIDS:
Whether lounging around the house or dressing up for school, your kids will love to show off these Valentine’s Day fashions from The Children’s Place. You already know that Toodie & I do a ton of shopping here throughout the year. They have adorable clothes, a huge variety, and great deals to save you even more money on top of their everyday bargains. Visit their site or shop in store to check out their Valentine’s collection. You won’t be disappointed! Even better, their Valentine Picks are up to 30% OFF right now.


Disclosure: The majority of the text and images were provided by Tractenberg & Co. All opinions are my own and I will not be compensated for this post.

Valentine’s Day Craft: 14 Acts Of Love & Kindness #valentinesday

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, if not my TOP favorite of all time. It’s one of those “feel good” kinda holidays and also my little girl’s birthday, exciting!   It is also filled with love, kisses, hugs, candy, cards, flowers, and everything else we would love to receive on a daily basis. With all of these wonderful things in mind, it is not only a time to receive but also give. This year I will be beginning a new tradition with my daughter in hopes of creating a humble appreciation for this time of year. The “14 Acts of Love & Kindness” craft promotes doing nice things for others and spreading love to those you care about in the month of February.

Supplies needed:
  • Medium sized clear jar or vase
  • Valentine themed ribbon
  • Mini heart cut outs
  • 14 festive pencils
  • (2) bags of Brach’s Conversation Hearts
  • Elmer’s glue & a hot glue gun
  • Printed sheet of 14 Acts of Love & Kindness     

Before getting started create a bow with your festive ribbon. Wrap it around the neck of the vase or jar you are using. You can make the bow as large as you would like depending on the size of your container. Once finished you can add in your conversation heart candy. These will be the base for your pencils. If you do not have enough candy they will not stay in place. Since I went with a medium sized vase, two bags were sufficient and filled it to the rim.

Using a hot glue gun you can attach your pencils to the heart cut outs. Place a generous amount of glue towards the tip of the heart and secure you pencil in place. While it is still tacky place an additional dot of glue on the metal portion and along the lining of the heart. Take another heart cut out and place it on top while attaching the edges with your finger tips. Press down lightly to ensure the hot glue does not seep out. I have seen other people use pixie sticks and straws for this craft. I went with pencils because the hearts make a fun topper and your kids can use them afterwards for school or drawing at home! Repeat these steps with all 14 pencils.

On the front of the vase I used sticky photo squares to add the banner. After you have all of your acts of love and kindness cut out into small rectangles, use Elmer’s glue to attach them to the back of the hearts.

The next part may cause a few problems if not done correctly. Instead of trying to wiggle each pencil into the candy, dump half of it out first. Put the remaining candy into a cup. Hold the pencils together in a bundle and place them into the middle of the vase. Without letting go, pour the candy hearts all around the ends of the pencils until the vase is completely filled. There may be a few gaps and holes but you will fix those afterwards. Once covered, let go of the pencils and maneuver them so the blank side of the hearts are facing forward. You will notice that while moving the pencils around, the candy falls into place and fills the spaces.
 

Beginning on the first day of February, give your child the opportunity to choose a pencil and read them their task. They can be anything that you feel fits your family or their age. Since Toodie is younger I went with simple acts that she would not only enjoy but also understand at her age. The whole point of this activity is to share love and kindness. This is a fun way to countdown the days until Valentine’s Day!

Creating Valentine’s Day Memories With Kleenex #ShareTheSoft #cBias

Through the years the Kleenex® brand has become a dependable part of my family. It is always there to wipe away tears, clean messy faces, and soothe runny noses. It also doesn’t ask any questions! I grew up having a box in every single room of our home, and today not much has changed. I have very fond memories of Kleenex®. Although no one enjoys being sick, this is when I would spend the most time with my trusty box of boogie wipers. Whenever I was feeling under the weather my mom would come home with soup, a tub of ice cream, and a nice big box of tissues to call my very own. I was set and for some reason I felt better plopped on the couch with my Kleenex® right next to me. Today I am passing on the admiration to my daughter, who seems to be sick a lot more often than I would like. With a stock pile in each bedroom and bathroom, there are never any unattended sniffles in this house.


As a result of Toodie going to school regularly I notice that she comes down with a bad cold at least a few times a month. In the past year we have gone through our Kleenex® supply quicker than expected. With it running low we decided to take a trip to Walmart and replenish. When we arrived there was an organized display with different sizes and types of packages to choose from. I picked up a few boxes of the popular Ultra Soft and a convenient To-Go Pack to keep in the car. Now it was time to get home and get crafting. Since Valentine’s Day is a few weeks away I thought it would be fun to make a homemade treat box to hold cards and goodies.


Here is a list of the supplies you will need:

  • Empty box of  Kleenex® tissues
  • Valentine’s Day themed wrapping paper
  • Large googly eyes
  • Foam shaped heart cut outs
  • Rectangle foam sheets
  • Elmer’s glue
  • Red sparkle felt
  • Glue gun 
  • Shape stencil   

To begin take your rectangle box of Kleenex® tissues, preferably Ultra Soft. Remove the tissues and put them in a safe place. After all, you don’t want to let them go to waste! I placed ours in the bathroom where they are used on a daily basis. Once the box is empty, re-seal the pull away tag by taping it back into place. Using scissors you will cut a generous sized slit on the upper end of the box. Make sure the hole is wide enough to fit Valentine cards and treats. If it is too small you may have a hard time getting them back out. Wrap the box in your festive paper and leave the open end for last. This part may seem tricky. Trim the excess paper around the edges of the opening and tuck any remaining pieces into the box. Use tape to secure the paper inside.

In the center of the owl glue a medium sized foam heart. For the eyes I traced two circles on white card stock. To add depth and texture I used the glittery felt to make a smaller circle for the center. Once these are glued together place the googly eye on top. Now your little friend should be coming to life. The remaining parts of the owl were made from a single sheet of light pink foam. I used the smaller heart pieces to trace the feet and free handed the wings, nose, and ears. If you are working on this craft with a child I suggest stepping in to attatch the parts. Using a glue gun will keep them secure and sturdy. Since they are thicker than paper the Elmer’s glue may not hold the weight.

Your Owl Valentine Box can be used to hold cards, candy, or loves notes. You can even place the original tissues back into the top of the box and use it as a tissue holder for the month of February. Until Valentine’s Day gets closer we are using ours as a decoration! Empty Kleenex® tissue boxes are great for crafting and creating.

Attached to the 4 pack bundle of Ultra Soft Kleenex® was a peel away coupon which would allow us to redeem a FREE streaming movie on Vudu.com. Once the coupon was removed, a unique 16 digit code was revealed. By visiting www.walmart.com/kleenex I was able to create a Vudu account and browse through the movie selection. Compared to other video streaming websites, there were many choices and new releases to choose from. It was very easy to navigate through and there were movies that everyone in the family could enjoy. In addition to the $4 credit, I also received 10 free movie rentals by signing up for the first time. The complimentary Vudu codes can be found on specially marked Ultra Soft and Lotion 4 packs.


After looking through the many categories and genres, Toodie was stuck between Coraline and Frankenweenie. I can tell that I passed on my love of Tim Burton movies to her! She ended up going with Coraline and I proceeded to the rent the movie within seconds. As a 24 hour rental, you can continuously go back and check your Vudu account to see the remaining time left. If you have a child that is anything like mine, they may want to watch the movie two or three times! Having this reminder available is very helpful. Vudu is really starting to grow on me.

As if it wasn’t already convenient enough, Vudu movies can be streamed directly to many different devices. These include your HDTV, Blu-ray, PS3, Xbox 360, Roku, PC, and even select tablets. I love watching movies on my IPad. It makes things so much easier! After creating out Valentine’s Day #ShareTheSoft craft, there was no better way to relax than to watch a fun movie together. With all of her stuffed puppies tucked in and a full bed of comfy pillows, we snuggled up and enjoyed Coraline together. It’s the moments like this that make me appreciate being a mom and thankful that Kleenex® helps to make them possible everyday! This Valentine’s Day be sure to #ShareTheSoft and the love with your family too.

To get a closer look at my Walmart shopping trip and Vudu.com experience, stop by my Google+ album.

 
You can get more information on Kleenex® products by visiting the Walmart website. You can also interact with the brand and other fans by following along on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Kleenex® Brand Tissues  #CBias #SocialFabric

Spread The Love With Shutterfly + GIVEAWAY! #SFLYValentines

While Valentine’s Day may be a “Hallmark” holiday to some, it is much more than that for myself and my family. Four years ago on this special day I received the greatest gift possible, my little girl! With that being said, you can only imagine how many memories and moments we capture during the month of February. Pictures are important. They are not only a memory but also a way to re-live some of the happiest times within our lives. I love looking back and remembering the milestones and years that seem to pass so quickly. Shutterfly makes creating these lifelong keepsakes possible with their photo gifts and personalized cards. Valentine’s Day is a symbol of love, affection, and appreciation. By giving that special someone in your life a photo card, you are showing that them extra thought went into your gift. Shutterfly offers many different options such as a variety of styles, colors, designs, and sizes. Get your children involved and choose a fun family photo to send to your relatives, friends, and even classmates. There are so many adorable cards to choose from that picking a picture is the least of my worries! I picked a few of my favorites after browsing their site and seasonal selection.

Love Doodles

Rainbow Letters

Their custom photo plaques also make wonderful gifts and are a unique alternative to the everyday picture frame. These are offered in three different sizes and range from full color, sepia to black & white.

Custom Photo Plaque

You can get social with Shutterfly by liking them on Facebook and following along on Twitter.
In preparation for a holiday full of happiness, one lucky reader will win their own Valentine’s Day prize package containing (50) 4x5 Stationary Cards and (1) 5.5×5.5 Desktop Photo Plaque from Shutterfly. Enter below through the rafflecopter form and good luck!

Disclosure: This post and giveaway have been compensated by Shutterfly.

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