Jenni is a blogger and marketing professional in Portland, Oregon. A Well Crafted Party is a blog about all the little things to celebrate in life. Follow Jenni or A Well Crafted Party with BlogLovin, RSS feed, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
Valentines are on my mind as of late. So much that even while I was doing my bi-monthly trip to Trader Joes I saw fun Valentine ideas around every corner. I managed to avoid allll of the yummy chocolates, but filled my cart with items from their spice selection to create these spice-themed valentines! These are great gifts for a loved one or friend who is dynamite in the kitchen.
This is not a sponsored post. However, I’m all about some TJs. All opinions and ideas are my own.
Supplies
I created these free printables to coordinate with three specific spices (using that term loosely as they are really two seasoning blends and an extract, but you know… for the sake of brevity!) from Trader Joes, however… you could really pair them with a variety of spices from any store.
I’m among a large majority of people my age in being completely obsessed with flavored soda waters. I love that there is no sweetness, but there is an essence of flavor to it. That love really goes in overboard with the brightly-colored, excellently designed cans of Bubly water. You have likely seen them in many of my previous party photos. That love has transpired to create these fun soda water themed valentines that are perfect for friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
(I feel like, with the effervescent exclamations of my love for this brand of bubbly water, I should likely mention that though I totally WOULD work for this brand, this is an unsponsored post. All ideas, thoughts, and photos are my own.)
While Valentine’s Day is often a romantic holiday for many, I’ve never been a huge fan of that side of things. Expectations often lead to disappointments! What I do love about Valentine’s Day is it is an opportunity for me to shower my friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors with a little cheer.
Supplies
I really like that the creation of these valentines is actually super affordable! And, affordable is important if you are getting for a fair amount of people. A box of soda water can run around $3 to $5 for multiple cans! The rest you can do with a home printer and some found supplies. While I have specific ones listed below, I’ll also share some alternative ideas so you can craft something without a lot of expense.
Soda Water Themed Valentines
Below is a list of supplies I used. The supply links below are affiliate links to Amazon. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no cost to you the reader. Thank you for supporting A Well Crafted Party.
Supplies:
Soda Water of your choice. I designed these printables to specifically go with the Bubly soda waters, but really, you could do it with your favorite brands!
I made the printables fairly basic so that you could really do what you pleased with them. I attached to straws using hot glue because I liked the way it looked, but you could also use a hole punch and use it as a tag, or simply tape it to the can!
Using a hot glue gun, glue the heart-shaped valentine message to the straw, about an inch and a half down the straw.
Using a hot glue gun, put a small dot of glue on the side of the can, and attach the decorated straw. Try to make sure you attach the straw where the bottom of the straw meets the bottom of the can or it will be difficult to sit down flat.
Gift to your friends, neighbors, or coworkers!
Alternatively, tape or glue the tag to string and string through the tab of the can. Or, simply tape the tag straight on the can.
Don’t forget to sign the heart with your name so your friends, neighbors, and coworkers know who to thank! 😉
Like these free printables? Please comment, like, share on your favorite social media site. It really helps in creating future fun free printables!
Guys, life is interesting. So interesting that I’ve dropped in and out of this blog for a bit now and I just now jumped on the train for 2019. I figured it was high time for a life update and an update on how things are moving forward in this little corner of the interwebs.
Rather see parties? Check out the post I shared earlier this week on Galentine’s Day ideas. Hanging in there for the no-holds-bar update on life in the world of this blogger… read on! It isn’t a short one (over 1,000 words!), but I appreciate you reading!
Some background…
I’ve been blogging here for nearly nine years now. I started this blog well before kids were in the plans and I needed a creative outlet like WHOA. This blog has opened SO many doors for me including my current career in brand development. Blog readers that have stuck around from the beginning have followed me from being a bartender and party enthusiast to full-time blogger, blogger with full-time marketing job, two kids, and three moves. The latest move being from Portland, Oregon to Spokane, Washington.
Our new home…. in Spokane, WA! I said I’d never move from Portland… here is me eating my words!
So, that is where we are now. I moved to Spokane this past July, all while continuing my career. I’ve been trying to make my house a home, keep my job, make sure the family is surviving, and trying my damnedest to create fulfilling relationships here all while missing my social circle from Portland. January came around and I felt… nothing. I had no goals other than SURVIVE. (Yes, a tad melodramatic.) But, now that we are at the end of January things are looking up. Before I get into PLANS let me share a bit about the past that is influencing these plans.
Health: Fibromyalgia
I always feel slightly uncomfortable sharing my health stuff online. (Though I have dabbled in it to raise awareness for issues such as anorexia and skin cancer.) However, I also feel grateful when others share their experiences with health issues that I share. So…here it goes:
One of many…many doctor’s appointments trying to get to the source of pain.
I’ve been struggling with pain and extreme fatigue for years now. I’ve been diagnosed with PPD and Hashimoto’s Disease in the past. While I don’t doubt those are accurate (especially since my thyroid levels are hard to argue with) I still was dealing with pain even with treatment.
Sometime over the past year or two, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and began a very long and frustrating path of finding treatments that would work. The most successful treatment of Fibromyalgia (according to my doctor) is frequent aerobic exercise—which sounds easy… but, I was unable to even walk the recommended steps in a day without so much pain that I couldn’t bend down to go to the restroom. There were a few nights I honestly didn’t know if I was going to live until the next day— the pain was so bad.
Self-care and awareness are essential to managing life with fibromyalgia. Stress and overdoing can set me back weeks. I can look at my blog and literally see when my fibromyalgia began messing with my day-to-day, times when I got it under control, and times I’ve over-done it.
August to November change in weight after decreasing carbohydrates for pain management. Weight loss = 26 lbs.
I’ve made a lot of changes to my life over the past five months including cutting out a LOT of carbohydrates. I’ve found that extra sugar in my diet causes inflammation and thereby causes excess pain. Have I been perfect? HECK NO. Pizza is my downfall. 😉 But, it has helped. It has ALSO helped me drop 35 pounds so far (26 pounds pictured above). The weight loss has gone a long way in allowing me more room to exercise which has in turn seriously helped with the pain of fibromyalgia. (BTW– looking for a low-carb pizza alternative… check out Caulipower pizza. SO GOOD.)
New Town, Meet New Girl
Dear lord…moving to a new town is HARD. I came into this move with eyes wide open, knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy. I had spent a LOT of time and effort building the friendships that I had in Portland. However… I had a lot more energy then! I didn’t have two kids (at least not the entire time) or a full-time job and a new house. I also had the benefit of being very similar in beliefs to those around me in Portland.
Enter Spokane… where, literally everyone I’ve met has been lovely. But, at least in the beginning, I was wondering if I’d have any friends that would share the same belief system I did or value the same things I valued. We don’t need to be the SAME, but we needed to have at least one or two things in common to build a friendship.
One thing that Spokane seriously has going for it—and perhaps there are these same resources in Portland but I didn’t need them at the time— are some great meet-up groups for women! I’ve encountered mom’s groups, business groups, and just women’s groups that have introduced me to really fantastic women who make me… I guess the word is HOPEFUL. I’m hopeful that I’ll find people that will eventually become my Spokane peoples.
New girl… plus, new hair! Woot.
Looking forward
It has been difficult for me to look farther than the week ahead while trying to control my pain, manage my home, and not fall into the depths of despair (Anne of Green Gables fans… anyone?). However, after three weekends of…
little to no pain
engaging moments with new friends and
news of old friends visiting my new space
I’ve finally been able to make some decisions and plans. I’ve decided that I’m not quite ready to move away from this blog. I love sharing ideas, stories, and DIY content. I’ve also decided that while I want to strive for regular content, I’m not gonna let that stress me out. I know that regular content will grow my blog to where it used to be or beyond. I know that readers like to know when I’ll be posting. However, I also know that right now… that isn’t super realistic. I’ll aim to hit my goals, but I won’t be fussed if I don’t meet them right now because my focus right now has to be my health and my new life in a new town.
2019 Goals & Blog Plans
My 2019 blogging goals are simple:
Blog at least every Monday and Wednesday— I’ll aim to post a party topic every Monday and a lifestyle topic—including beauty, fashion, parenting, self-development, current reads, podcasts and more!—every Wednesday. If I’m feeling extra frisky I’ll get in a Friday post. 😉
Post more in Instagram/Facebook. Gosh… I work in marketing and social media… I KNOW how important it is. I think sometimes COMPARISON is hard and wanting to SHARE is hard. I don’t really want everyone to know every detail of my life… so, I struggle with WHAT to share and how often. However, I do know that I enjoy other people sharing so I am aiming to share daily on these channels at least throughout the week.
Share my house stuff on my house blog. What!? I can’t keep up this blog yet I started another. Yep. That’s me! Anywho… while I’m sure to share some of the new house updates here, I did start a blog called A Well Crafted House where I plan to update about house projects.
Being more present as a mom is a personal goal of mine.
My personal goals are a little more important/ harder:
I’ll continue with my health journey to decrease overall sugars and increase exercise. It’s f***ing hard. But, it is making an overall difference in how I feel, so I gotta keep with it.
I want to be a more present mother. I’m tired of my kids hearing, “Mommy doesn’t feel great.” While true… I want to make the times that I am engaging with them to be fully engaged.
I want to indulge in creative pursuits. I love painting. I love writing. I truly enjoy decorating. I want to intentionally focus my time in these areas.
Enough about me…What about you!?
Okay, so you’ve read about ME, ME, and more ME. I’m pretty much bowing down that you’ve hung on this far to my indulgent update. But, I promise you… that all of this ME isn’t without wondering about YOU. Tell me… what are your goals this year? What are you prioritizing? How can I help? Because, I seriously would love to help!
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