Pepper Design Blog

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I don’t think I’ve shared Liv’s first year photos here before, so in the spirit of Valentine’s Day here’s our little nugget of Love with her teddy bear ‘Behr’ (as named by her Grandpa):

I didn’t take monthly photos – more of just when I remembered to snap a quick pic so some of the pictures are weeks apart and others months. I hope to keep the tradition alive with an updated picture maybe every 6 months to a year (won’t that be great when I have an 18 year old sitting in Behr’s lap?) .

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to the park yesterday! She’s such a cutie.

And here she is hamming it up:

Such a little cheeseball. She has the BEST faces, if only I could capture them all. And the best run! It’s sort of a stomp, stomp run because I think she loves to hear her shoes make tapping noises when she moves (which works out much better on our hardwood floors).

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Customized Valentine’s Day Treat Bags

I have a massive stationary collection (I heart beautifully made cards) and was rifling through my stash the other day to write thank you notes for Liv’s first birthday when I came across a handful of cards that I had purchased for envelope purposes only. I am often short on envelopes and sometimes buy the super cheap cards just for extras!

These cards have a sweet pattern that remind me a little of a playful Valentine’s day note – and an idea was born.

After hunting around the house I was happy to find that I had nearly everything I needed on hand for my Valentine’s Day treat bags. Though I did pick up those two small bags of salt water taffy for $1 at Target.

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Custom Valentine’s Day Treat Bags
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Materials: cellophane treat bags (available at Michaels or on Amazon), note cards, candy, photos, scissors and stapler

To make the treat bags, I filled each plastic sack with salt water taffy and a photo of Liv trimmed to size (I keep a stack of pictures on hand from Costco to send to grandparents and great grandparents when they’re needing a Liv fix). My cellophane bags were just the right size to match up with my 4×6 note cards, but if you’re buying all of your materials from scratch that’s something to keep in mind (you can always trip down your note cards but you don’t want the bag to be wider than the cards).

The notecards have the perfect fold for the top of your treat bags, I simply chopped mine in half length-wise (so that the card was shorter near the fold) and sandwiched the treat bag between each side of the card. Two staples held my finished bag in place.

An alternative to note cards would be scrapbooking paper with a bone folder for a professional looking fold (this tool scores and creases your paper). Or for a cheaper option just fold that sucker in half and press between heavy books so that the fold stays put.

These would be great for family, but for a kid-friendly option I would fill the baggie with animal crackers and include a fun illustration instead of a photo, or perhaps a few crayons and a coloring sheet. Cookies and wrapped candies are probably the way to go since any candy prone to melting would smudge up the photo and transfer ink to the candy. Fun stamps or stickers might make for a neat note at the top of the treat bag, too.

I can see reusing this ideas for party favor bags somewhere down the line… PS I can’t believe it’s already the middle of February!

More Valentine’s Day ideas right here.

Unique Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! While searching recently for some inspiration for that special someone in my life (because in the past I’ve always been a tad late on putting something thoughtful together for this holiday – always), I actually came across quite a few ideas that I loved for the ladies. These gifts remind me of the types of presents I might make for a friend or Mom or Grandma just to say I Love You. Taking inspiration from Mrs. Stewart, I pulled together a few of my favorite themed gifts from her gallery (the one inspiration photo in each collage) and added a few of the resources needed for making that special something for that special someone.

Feel free to forward to your boyfriend/husband/significant other.

 Stamp parchment or wax paper with a small heart shaped stamp to create your own unique wrapping paper. Tie up a bundle of your favorite homemade lemon cookies or a loaf of zucchini bread with baker’s twine and deliver to your loved one. Feeling like going above and beyond? This apron from Anthroplogie is the perfect addition for another lover of baking.

A tea lover will be over the top surprised to receive a custom tea set complete with small heart shaped tea labels for each tea bag. To recreate, invest in a paper cutter like this one, a few sheets of red construction paper and a box of your favorite tea. Cut out small hearts and share a message on each in a white colored pencil, then affix to the tea bag string with a dot of glue. Feel like going above and beyond? Include this beautiful tea pot, these striped tea towels or this adorable cake stand.

Friends with a green thumb will find custom seed packets especially endearing. Create small envelopes yourself with construction paper and add seeds from pre-purchased bags or affix custom labels to each little seed packet. Add your new seed packets to a beautiful and brightly colored pot and deliver. These gardening gloves add a little something extra.

Create a special dream-themed gift for your Valentine by packaging up a luxurious candle with the softest slippers (I own these in black and love them for chilly wood floors around the house). Go above and beyond by including a handmade sleep mask (found this beautiful floral version on Etsy).

Four Valentine’s Day ideas that are customized, special and unique, because there is nothing like opening up a gift that was created just for you. Plus, themed gifts can be really fun to pull together as the giver – the possibilities are endless once you get the creative juices flowing!