Ruff Draft: Tee-Rific, Wheelie-Cool Valentine Ideas (Great for Boys!)

I am so excited to introduce a fabulous new contributor to our site!  Lydia, of The Party Wagon, is here today to share some adorable valentines card ideas today on the Ruff Draft.

We know there is a need for super cool valentine’s cards for boys that don’t include all pink and hearts!  Lydia approached us with these 3 fun Valentine Card ideas and we happily designed them for her to style and have photograph.

Lydia is here today to share these ideas with you…. Thanks so much, Lydia!

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In Lydia’s Words…
“When it comes time for the annual Valentine’s Day card exchange at your child’s school, tee up the creativity with these fun ideas for sharing the love! These ideas were created with my son in mind, but they work equally well for girls and boys!

My son loves golf, and he especially loves collecting as many tees as he can stuff into his golf bag! I knew he would love telling his friends how “Tee- rific” they were! Using golf tees and white gumballs, here is an easy idea that is sure to be a winner!

They make perfect little packages when put in cellophane bags…add a little bit of paper “grass” and put a colorful tee and a white gumball in the bag.  (If giving to younger children, opt for the smaller-sized gumballs~ they look just as cute!)  If you want the gumball to stay in place on the tee, add a dot of white icing.  I attached the Anders Ruff Tee-Rific Valentine card with an adorable mini clothes pin, but you can simply punch a hole in the card, add a ribbon, and tie to the top of the bag!

Another great idea to get their little motors running on Valentine’s Day…WHEELIE COOL CARS for WHEELIE  COOL FRIENDS!

I found packages of colorful cars at The Dollar Store and used them to create Valentine gifts~ the Wheelie Cool Vintage Car Anders Ruff Designs Valentine card ties it all together!

I love the vintage car on the Valentine card…the boys and the girls will love having something to zoooom… the parents will love not having extra candy!

You can easily attach a car to the bottom of the card (using a Glue Dot or clear tape).  Or, you can package it in a clear bag.  I found bags with red and white stripes at Party City!

And, here is little idea dreamed up by my son~ I am pretty sure he is going to be quite the charmer!  He requested that he give SLIME to his friends for Valentine’s Day!  Charming, right?  Well, we had a good time making slime and trying out recipes.  You can also buy pre-made slime to give to friends if you like.  The key to pulling-off giving slime for Valentine’s Day is presentation, presentation, presentation.  I was thrilled to have a cute (and still very boyish) tag designed by Anders Ruff Designs to help us make it work!  Instead of, “I’m Yours” these tags read, “Slime Yours!”

We put slime in dome containers from Shop Sweet Lulu.  I tied the tags to a lollipop stick using ribbon and attached the stick to the container with tape.  You can use Washi Tape to make it more decorative.  The tags also contain the ingredients needed for making your own slime.

So there you have it… three easy, fun ideas for a Valentine’s Day card exchange!  I hope your little Sweethearts’ Valentine’s Day is a tee-rific, wheelie-cool (and a little bit slimy) day!”

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Thanks so much for sharing these today, Lydia!

Find the Tee-rific Golf Valentine Printable, Wheelie Cool Car Valentine Printable and Smile Yours Valentines in our shop.  You can find many other printable valentines in our shop here.

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CREDITS:
– Printable Valentine Cards: Anders Ruff (Available here)
– Photography: ZoomWorks Studio
– Concept & Styling: The Party Wagon
– Blue Striped Paper Loaf Pans & Dome Containers: Shop Sweet Lulu
– Gumballs & Favor Bags: Party City

“Let’s Stick Together, Valentine” – Printable Gum Wrappers!

As you know from our blog posts lately, we are definitely in the Valentine’s Day card and gift mode right now.  Our new Mr & Miss Mustache Valentine’s Day Collection.  It is our full printable collection full of party and decorating designs.  It has been so popular and we just keep coming out with more accessories to coordinate!  The best part – the collection comes with both colorways of each design! (Pink/red/white/black AND blue/red/white/black)!  Boys and girls LOVE mustaches these days!

I have a whole list of poems and sayings that I have been wanting to create valentines for, and these gum wrapper printable valentines definitely topped the list so I knew I had to create one to coordinate with the Mr and Miss Mustache collection!

So….. Don’t get yourself into a “sticky” situation with last minute Valentine planning!  We have the perfect valentine candy chewing gum-gram for you!

The best part!  I went to my local Dollar Tree and bought 5 sets of Big Red gum (They sell them in packs of 4 for $1! so I could get the whole class accomplished for $5) and then got printing and wrapping.  Be careful because a lot of stores only sell the “Orbitz” type larger packs of gum, so I’d definitely head to the Dollar Store for the best value.

Yes, yes, I know kids can’t have gum in school but that is what makes it such a treat – an excuse to get gum at school, since it is Valentine’s Day.

These are so easy to do!

HOW TO:
1. Download your gum wrapper printable (Available as an instant download in the shop here.)
2. Print on photopaper or cardstock (or even copy paper if you don’t have either).  Be sure to print at 100% scale and don’t “scale to fit page”
We use an inkjet with photo paper for that gorgeous saturated color.
3. Trim along crop lines/edges with a paper trimmer or scissors
4. Have your child fill out the “to” and “from” section on the back
5. Fold or score on each set of red lines that are on the stripey border.
6. Wrap around the pack of gum (these fit standard packs with 5 pieces) and seal shut with double stick tape.
7. Optional: You could also attach the pack of gum to a printed valentine card for even more cuteness.  (We have one that fits a pack of gum perfectly and says “Keep the gum out of your “stache””.  Those are available in our shop here.)

PS. Like the symbolism with this one?  How many meanings does that have for “Let’s stick together” on the gum pack, do you think? I can count these:
- Stick as in stick of gum
- Stick as in Stick mustache and lips
- Stick as in Stick together like stick by each other’s side
- Stick as in Stick together like kiss
- Stick as in sticky gum!

I’m a nerd, I know.. but at least my Valentines are cool!

Find the printable gum wrappers in the shop here.  (The set comes with both the blue/red and pink/red sets!)

“My Heart Melts for You” Valentine’s Day S’mores Idea

Who doesn’t LOVE Smores?  We have shown a few fun ways to do s’mores kits (Remember Emily Maynard’s daughter’s party we styled? Glamping S’mores) and we were excited to show a version for Valentine’s Day!

We designed a bag topper that says “You melt my heart, Valentine” to match both our Sweet Valentine’s Day Collection as well as our fresh new Mr and Miss Mustache Valentine’s Day Collection!

 

These are so simple and easy and the perfect little treat for Valentine’s Day parties or classroom valentines!

HOW TO:

MATERIALS:
- Heart Marshmallows and Graham Crackers
We got the adorable heart marshmallows at the Dollar Tree!
- Chocolate Bars
(We got the fun sized bars $1 for a pack of 6 at Dollar Tree)
- Cellophane or Ziploc Bags
- Printable Bag Topper (Available to purchase and for instant download in out shop here.)

STEPS:
- Print your bag toppers and trim. Fold in half
- Fill your bags with the graham crackers, chocolate and heart marshmallows
- Fold the bag down and adhere shut with tape.
- Place the folding bag topper over the top of the bag and adhere shut with either a stapler or tape.
- The kids could sign their name on the backside if you wish!

Overachievers:
You could even put a few cute mini chocolate bars with our printable chocolate bar wrappers on them inside the kit!

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So, do you like this idea for your own Valentines (or your kids’ valentines!)?

Thanks to Vivian Kerr for the cute wording and suggestion!!

NEW Mustache Valentine’s Day Party & Cards Collection

We are excited to introduce our Mr & Miss Mustache Valentine’s Day Party Printables Collection!

We took some of your feedback from our facebook poll and decided to create a collection that was perfect for both boys and girls. We all know the “mustache” trend is in full force right now – for both boys and girls!  Go into any toddler, tween or teeny bopper store and you’ll find a mustache or two on the clothes and decor.

Our new Printable Mustache Valentine’s Day Collection includes both the boy and girl colorways of the designs!  That means 2 of each design – one in a boy colorway (red/blue/white/black) and one in a girl colorway (red/pink/white/black).

Yesterday Adria and I put together a quick display of all of the fun designs in our Mustache Valentine’s Day party and card designs.  We had one night to prep the little set, but it was totally “doable” and inexpensive by pulling cake stands and props from lots of past shoots.  It was fun to use our props from past shoots to put together a little setup that anyone could do!  Read on for the details…. and more photos!

A few favorite details were:
- Printable “Mystery Valentine Message” Decoder and Envelope Pocket.  (The kids can decode the secret message by matching up the mustache style with the letters!)  Fold and insert into the printable mystery message envelope.  Include a pencil with a printable flag for an extra bonus!
- Chocolate bar wrappers that say “sweets for your candy “stache”"
- “Do you fancy my moo-stache?” valentines cards (Funny!)
- “Keep the gum out of your mustache” Card with a space to include a pack of gum
- Bag toppers that say “You “must” enjoy some now, and “stache” some for later”…. fill with any yummy treat!

Read on for more cuteness!

One of my favorite printable from the printable collection is the Mystery Valentine’s Day Message and Decoder (above).  We include a little cute printable envelope template (shown above) that you can print and use to carry the fun mystery message.  The kids can decode the message with their printable flag embellished pencil (pencils found at Target for $1!).  They can match up the mustache style with the letter to decode the message.  I have a feeling my boys’ friends will love this! (Also comes in the pink color way!)

How fun are these ring pops that we encased in the little clear container from Nashville Wraps?  We added a little 3/4″ party logo from the printable collection and some twine (from The Twinery) to make it all cute.  “You are one of a kind”… anyone would love to receive that valentine!

Above, we displayed some dressed up Sweethearts boxes with printed chevron red/white paper and added a printable 2″ party logo from the collection.  I love dressing up the most simple treats like this!  We also showed our printable bag toppers and our kisses labels (3/4″ party logos).

Our cupcakes were placed in cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture and we added a chocolate heart lollipop into the center of the cupcake with a printable party flag. (Cupcake + Chocolate lollipop = Super sweet treat!)  We also displayed red and white macarons on the top tier and added a little mustache printable silhouette on top to tie it all together.

Black gable boxes from Nashville Wraps were embellished with Red/white chevron printed paper and we added the “Thanks for being sweet” favor hangtag.  This would be perfect for classroom parties, Valentine’s day parties at home or just a treat for a friend or neighbor.

I love the chocolate bar wrappers – They say “Sweets for your candy “stache”.  We tried to incorporate fun sayings using parts or the whole word “mustache”…. It was quite the challenge!  We also include the mini chocolate bar wrappers in the pink and blue colorways, as shown.

A fun Valentine idea is the “Do you fancy my “moo” stache” printable card with the little mustache silhouette on a stick.  The kids would probably have a ball playing with their mustaches! (and get a kick out of the card, too!)

These “Wet your Whiskers” printable drink wraps are so cute on the glass bottles.  We also added little mustache silhouettes on the straws for an added detail to tie the party together.

Another one of my favorites – “Keep the gum out of your mustache” cards with a place for a stick of gum or pack of gum.  Don’t you love the gum wraps?

Adria put this pillow together for her girls for Valentine’s Day (and she is going to share the DIY on the Ruff draft tomorrow!)

We saw the same mustache phrase all over Pinterest, and had some requests for it, so we included it… but we typically like to use our own cute phrases…. This one was just too cute to not try and do our own version, though!  “I really mustache you a question – will you be my valentine?”  Also, you could add the little clear container with some kisses that rock the 3/4″ party logo printable.

We loved using a shadow box frame as a vessel for red sixlets to set our favors on!

“You must enjoy some now and stache some for later”… bag toppers!

How fun is the little mustache bunting banner?

The mustache silhouettes were so easy to string together with white thread on the front of the table….

Also available – a “You melt my heart” folding printable bag topper! (Perfect to include S’mores ingredients) (Thanks to Vivian Kerr for the fabulous wording idea!)

Hopefully this year your kiddos will be excited about sending some fun and colorful Mustache Valentines!
We hope you enjoy!  Who knew mustaches could be so cute?!

Purchase the Printable Mr and Miss Mustache Collection, S’mores Bag Toppers and Gum Wrappers in the shop here.

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Vendor Sources & Credits:
Printable Mustache Collection: Anders Ruff
Styling and Photography: Anders Ruff

Twine: The Twinery
Cupcake Wrappers: Bella Cupcake Couture
Clear Containers, Gable Boxes and Cello Bags: Nashville Wraps
Striped Paper Straws and Glass Bottles: Shop My Little Love

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PS. See everything that is included in the Full Collection (Boy AND girl sets included) (only $12.50 in the shop!)

Our SWEET SHOPPE Valentine’s Day Collection!

If you haven’t already heard, I just had my first post as an official Guest Contributor to Hostess Blog!  (The site that ignited my passion for parties!)  I wrote up the details and shared photos of our SWEET SHOPPE Valentine’s Day Party that we styled with our new printable collection.  This party was all about confection perfection!

The eye candy follows… and the cute kids!  We had the most precious models.  Morgan’s son, Ari (of Made by Morgan) and his little friend, Bella, were the best!

 

We hope you enjoyed!  You can purchase here.

 

TABLE DECOR
With our fresh new printable collection being “sweet” themed, we immediately knew that we had to set up a mock parlor for the styled photo shoot.  I had been wanting to use a parlor awning for a long time.  Morgan (Made by Morgan) is our seamstress for many of of our shoots, and sewed up the perfect combo of pink stripes for the awning over the dessert table.

To give the table a parlor / boutique feel, we displayed all of our desserts on upside down hat boxes on top of red cake stands (remember these from our Christmas Cookie Exchange shoot?).  To make it even more appealing to the eyes, we lined the trim of each of the hat boxes with light pink rik rak to give the illusion of cupcake wrappers.

The focal point was the fabulous and whimsical over-sized cupcake cake (courtesy of Got What It Cakes), which is an exact replica of our graphics   The cupcake cake was placed on a tiered stack of the red hat boxes with the rik rak trim (which gave the illusion of a massive cake).  Parlor glassware (various sizes), and ice cream/waffle cones were used to hold sweets and kept with the sweet shoppe parlor feel.  We used floral Styrofoam inside the hat boxes as an anchor to stick the treats into.  The vessels were then filled with floral foam balls that are decorative and gave the feel of  a pool of sprinkles. Chocolate bars were wrapped in pink tissue (instead of being kept in their dark brown wrapper) and then adorned with our printable chocolate bar wrapper.  Our flat party labels adorned the fronts of the hat boxes with custom text to denote the sweet.  The front of the table rocked a “Sweet Love” banner in a scallop shape from the printable collection.

The children’s table was a vintage bistro table with heart backed parlor chairs that we refurbished (spray painted).  The parlor table was embellished with many printable graphics which included: printable coloring page placemats, cootie-catchers, soda pops with label and paper straw, cupcake sundaes with label and wooden spoon, and bowls of various chocolate (M&M’S, Hershey’s KISSES and mini candy bars).  The parlor table had a centerpiece of cupcakes and favors.  Mini cupcakes (Cupcrazed Cakery) were displayed along with the printable heart favor box in the center.

The children wrote out their valentines using the printables from the collection and colored their placemats.  They had a blast playing with the cootie catcher (a hit from last year’s “I Heart Valentine’s Day” collection).  An ice cream container favor box (Polka Dot Market) was dressed up with a tissue pom (Nashville Wraps), printable label and rik rak scallopy trim.  Again, we kept the major elements consistent throughout the entire party.

FASHION
Fashion was a must and Made by Morgan rocked our vision by creating an over sized tie and seersucker pans for her son, Ari, and an adorable dress with over sized bow for Bella.  Bella wore a bracelet from Maggie Kate.

DESSERTS
We wanted the desserts to still look like parlor treats while being seasonally appropriate.  What better way than to mock them up using other confections?!

Got What it Cakes made ice cream cake balls displayed in both ice cream cones and waffle bowls.  Cupcrazed Cakery created layered giant cupcake milkshakes in parlor glasses with fondant hearts and sprinkles. Chocolate heart shaped custom lollipops (Firefly Confections) with printable labels were stuck into red hat boxes along with cupcake pops in the shape of cupcakes from (Pop-a-razzi).  All of our treats were embellished with printable logos, labels and tags to dress them up and keep with the theme.

The cupcake cookies were custom designed to match our printable graphics perfectly (Firefly Confections). They were too pretty to just set on a plate so we displayed then sticking out of ice cream parlor glassware with a cotton candy or M&M base to keep them upright for the perfect viewing.

We created the illusion of double scoop mock ice cream cones by using cotton candy in waffle cones.  Fondant hearts finished off the top of the “ice cream” and ribbon with printable party logo on front of cone.

Regular candy bars were wrapped in pink tissue paper (Nashville Wraps), and then with our printable wrapper.  Rewrapping the chocolate bars in pink tissue helped keep the colors consistent instead of using the dark brown chocolate bar wrapper that comes standard.  The chocolate bars were lined up on table on either side of the cake (tip: we used meringue cookies behind each chocolate bar to prop them up for better angles)

On the bistro table, we layered M&M’S in a glass sundae bowl and topped it off with Hershey’s KISSES (labeled with circular labels at the bottom) and  Hershey’s mini chocolate bars (with printable candy bar wrappers).  Drink wraps were used to embellish vintage soda bottles (My Little Love) filled with red soda pop.  Red/white striped paper straws (My Little Love) were stuck into the red soda bottles and cupcake milkshakes with a printable flag embellishment and rik rak decor to hold the spoon beside the glass.

The children had a blast and were interested in every little detail of the party.  Our printable collection shown is available in our shop here.  The collection includes Valentine’s specific graphics as well as more general designs so that they could be used year round.  Stay tuned for the birthday “sweet shop” version of this sweet collection.

 

Credits and Sources:
– Production & Event Styling: Anders Ruff
– Printable Graphic Decor Collection: Anders Ruff
– Photography: Becca Bond Photography
– Handmade Dress, Pants & Tie: Made by Morgan
– Bracelet: Maggie Kate
– Ice Cream Containers: Polka Dot Market
– Glass Beverage Bottles: Shop Sweet Lulu
– Red & White Paper Straws: My Little Love
– Label Material for Printables: OnlineLabels.com
– Tissue Paper and Trims: Nashville Wraps
– Cake, Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops, Cruffles: Got What It Cakes
– Cupcake Sundaes & Mini Cupcakes: Cupcrazed Cakery
– Cupcake Cake Pops: Pop-a-razzi
– Sugar Cookies & Chocolate Heart Lollis: Firefly Confections
– Lollipops: Candy Warehouse

A Super Sweet Valentine’s Day Party!

Candy, cuteness, crafts and lots of  kisses from your kiddos – What’s not to love about Valentine’s Day? Nicole from Southern Styled Event Design whole-HEART-edly agrees! She recently threw a Valentine’s Day Ice Cream Party for her girls and their friends using our Sweet Valentine’s Day Printable Collection.  From the yummy candy necklaces to our  adorable Activity Placemats, this celebration was definitely super sweet!

Thanks so much for sharing the sweetness, Nicole!

Party Credits:

Photos: Southern Styled Event Design

Tissue Paper Garland & Stripper Paper Straws: Shop Sweet Lulu

 

New SWEET Valentine’s Day Photo Card

By popular demand, we introduce our SWEET Valentine’s Day customized printable photo card.  Perfect for sending to family, friends or classmates!

(Isn’t the photo on the card precious!? Recognize it?  It was from our “I Heart Valentine’s Day” photo shoot last year…)

PS. Our SWEET Valentine’s Day printable collection photo shoot this year is coming out SO SOON!  It is still on sale in the shop for $10… get it while its still on sale.  When we start posting photos of the styled party, it will go back to regular price.