Sarah Hearts

Last night, Kevin and I had our Valentine’s Day dinner. We’re not really that big on the holiday, but I absolutely love any excuse to decorate the table and plan a menu. We recently finished our brick paver patio so I thought it would be great to have a Valentine’s dinner al fresco. I used only supplies I had on hand to decorate the table (after crafting for awhile you seem to accumulate all sorts of things).

Here are some of the details.
Tablerunner: a scrap of burlap I had, ironed and cut into a table runner.

Candle votives: mason jars left over from cheesecake in jars and jam. I torn a 1″ wide strip of fabric then tied it around each jar. Use scissors to cut the edges. Place a tea light candle inside each jar (you could also fill the jars half full with water and float the candle).

Heart drinking glasses: I made these about a month ago while I was recovering from my foot surgery. They are cheap Ikea 365 glasses that I painted a heart on. I used the Martha Stewart craft paints (from Michaels) which are dishwasher safe after they cure for 3 weeks.

Menus: I made a free printable template and you can get the details below!

Planning a Valentine’s day dinner or maybe an anniversary or birthday dinner? You can make these menus in a few minutes.

Supplies:
• Download the free Valentine’s Day menu template
• One 11″ x 8.5″ sheet of card stock per 2 menus
• Solid or patterned cardstock to mount the menus on, cut into 4.5″ x 6.5″ sheets (1 per menu)
• Glue or washi tape
• Scissors or an x-acto knife and ruler
• Word or Pages
• Home printer
• If you want to use the font I used, you can download it here.

Directions:
1. Install the Later On font (if you want to use the font I used). Open the template in Word or Pages and edit the menu. Print on card stock.
2. Cut out each menu then mount it on the solid or patterned paper. Use glue or washi tape to adhere it to the backer paper.
3. Enjoy your dinner with lovely little menus.

{Photos and printable menu by me.}

While I’ve been house bound recovering from foot surgery, I am (slightly) ashamed to say I consumed an entire jar of Nutella and a few packages of delicious, Florida strawberries. While I’ve been on this Nutella kick, I searched for other ways to enjoy the chocolate hazelnut goodness. I  stumbled upon this Nutella banana muffin recipe on Sweet Pea’s Kitchen and thought I should give it a try. It’s easy to make and absolutely delicious!

If you’re planning on making your love breakfast this Valentine’s Day, you should make these. Your significant other will love you forever (or at least until the last muffin is consumed). The recipe is below and you can even print out the cute little “you are sweet,” tags to put on them. Or use the tags on a box of chocolates or tried around a gorgeous bouquet.

I baked the muffins in little paper baking molds. If you live in central Florida, I purchased them at D & G Occasions, a great local bakery supply store. For every one else, you can find them online at Mignon Kitchen Co.

Valentine’s “You are Sweet” Gift Tags
Download the tags here!

Nutella Banana Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed well (mine were a little green and thats ok too)
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped, optional (If you’re cheap, like me, and have walnuts in your pantry, use them)
• 1/4 cup Nutella (one teaspoon per muffin… or tablespoon if you must)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. If you are using the paper baking molds, just place them on a baking sheet. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. If you are using an electric upright mixer, you can mix this in a bowl.
2. In another large bowl, combine the mash bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
3. Slowly add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine.
4. Fold in the nuts if you chose to add the. If the batter is really thick, add a little bit of milk.
5.  Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full. Spoon one teaspoon (or more) of Nutella on top of each muffin. Then use a toothpick to swirl the Nutella with the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
6. Print out sweet tag template on white card stock and cut out each tag. If you have a circle punch, you that, it works perfectly. Use your favorite ribbon or baker’s twine and wrap it around the muffins. Punch a hold on the tag and thread it though the ribbon or twine and tie a bow. Now give some sweets to your sweetie (and save a few for yourself, of course).

{Recipe via Sweet Pea’s Kitchen, printable tags and photos by me}

Today I thought I would share my free Valentine’s Day printable love coupons that I shared last year. They are perfect for the person who has everything and super sweet for those with busy schedules. I mean, who wouldn’t appreciate some intentional quality time with their significant other? Best of all, you can make these cute coupons for pennies and in a few minutes.

Here’s step-by-step directions and eight coupons you can print out on your home printer.

{Photos and printable by me}

This week I will be sharing simple gifts you came make for all your fooide friends. Like some of the gift ideas from last week, these will be easy to make and be very affordable.

Today’s gift was inspired by a recipe I discovered in the current issue of Everyday Food. This citrus-herb seasoning salt uses pantry spices to make a very versatile seasoning that can be used as a meat rub, a bread dipping sauce, popcorn or nut flavoring, salad dressing mix, and even a veggie dip.

After making this simple seasoning, you can print out the gift tags I made (shown above and below). They include serving suggestions and a place for you to write the expiration date.

Since the seasoning contains fresh lemon zest, it will last 3 months when stored in an air-tight container. Glass jars with a rubber seal work perfectly for gifting this.

Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 4 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 3 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Supplies:
• Glass jar with an air-tight rubber seal (I got the one above at Home Goods for only $1.99)
• One sheet of card stock
• Home printer
• Ribbon or string (I used baker’s twine I had on hand)
• This Citrus Seasoning Salt Gift Tag Template

Combine all ingredients in a bowl then place in a clean jar. Wrap jar with string or ribbon and add gift tags. Be sure to write in the expiration date, which is three months from that date you made it. Happy gifting!

Cost: $1.99 per gift

I have another free Easter printable for you today! I made Easter coasters. All you need to do is print them out on heavy cardstock and cut along the dotted lines. If you are going to use drinking glasses (or any glass that my “sweat”), I recommend printing them out on a laser printer or laminating them if you are using an ink-jet printer. Water may cause the images to bleed. If you are using wine glasses or any kind of stemware, no worries,  any printer will do.

Download the free printable Easter coasters here.

With Easter just around the corner, today’s wedding post has been replaced with a free Easter printable! I made some cute tags that can printed on cardstock and used as tags for Easter baskets or treat bags. Or you can print them on sticker paper and make labels! Above are a few ideas on how I used them. (Yes, my eggs are not dyed yet, I will be doing that today).

Download the free Easter printable here.

I will have more Easter goodies for you tomorrow!

Today’s post features a cute printable project: a just married banner! Last weeks wedding post prompted me to create an easy banner than you could make at home. The banner is available in red, kelly green, sky blue, and black. It looks great printed on a light colored paper or patterned scrapbook paper (think tiny dots or florals). You could even print each character on a different colored or patterned paper. So if you’re feeling crafty, here we go!

Supplies:
• Download the Just Married Banner template in red, kelly green, sky blue, or black
• 12 sheets of 8.5″ x 11″ card stock (solid color or patterned)
• Scissors
• Glue stick or PVA glue and paint brush
• Coordinating .5″ – 1″ wide ribbon, approximately 8′ long

Directions:
1. Print out the template on your selected paper. Pages 7-12 contains 12 blank circles. These need to be printed as they will be the backs of each circle.
2. Cut out every circle along the gray line. You will have 24 circles when you are done.
3. Lie the ribbon on a table and arrange all the front pieces (those with type or the heart) in the correct order. Also place them equidistant  from each other.
4. Apply glue to one of the back pieces. Place it behind the circle containing a letter (I like to with a circle in the middle of the banner and work my way to the outside). Make sure the ribbon is sandwiched between both circles. And press the edges together to ensure that the circles are firmly bonded.
5. Repeat step 4 until all circles are glued and it looks like the illustration above. Yay, you’re done!