FEATHER MOBILE DIY

You may have seen our Mommy + Toddler Valentine Party on Style Me Pretty Living earlier this month.  The guests made a feather mobile at our crafting station.  We wanted to take you through the steps here so you can have a fun DIY to do at home!

Photo: one eleven photography

PHOTO: ONE ELEVEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Here's what you'll need: five feathers, up to five colors of paint, paintbrush, string, natural jute cord, scissors, driftwood branches, paper (to paint feathers on, and then lay feathers out to dry on).

Paint the top third of the feather, on both sides.  Lay out to dry.  Repeat twice (three coats total).

Take a length of string and wrap one side of it twenty times around the bottom section of feather.  Knot it.  Take the other side of the string and wrap it around the center of the driftwood branch ten times.  Knot that end as well.  Repeat with the four other feathers -- two to the left and two to the right -- varying the string length on each.  Be sure to leave room at both ends of the driftwood branch.

Take a length of jute cord and wrap it a few times around the far left side of the driftwood.  Knot it.  Take the other side of the jute and measure it to a length you'd like to hang the finished mobile by.  Wrap the cord around the far right side of the branch a few times.  Knot it.  You're done! 

5 WAYS TO DIY LEFTOVER FLOWERS

Valentine's Day is the second biggest flower giving holiday of the year. So we all have a lot of flowers lying around after last weekend, right?  Instead of just throwing them away, here are some ideas for repurposing those blooms. 

Flower poppers! You see them all the time with confetti, so why not with flowers? Mila loved plucking all the hyacinth off the stems and stuffing the blossoms into the poppers. 

Pollen Floral Design and Lauren Wells Events take the party hat to a WHOLE new level with flowers. Photo by Cambria Grace Photography via 100 Layer Cake.

Isn't this giant floral typography wall art DIY by Paper & Stitch gorgeous?

This DIY hanging flower installation from Sugar & Cloth is pretty impressive.

And if you feel like wearing your flowers, these DIY spring flower crowns by blüm floral design could be fun. Photo by Brown Butter Photography via Green Wedding Shoes.

LOVERS' SUNDAE

Since ice cream is my favorite food (Sis and I are lobbying to make it an official Food Group), I figured I should come up with a special Valentine's dessert, using it in all its glory. The dark chocolate ice cream and raspberry sauce combination was inspired by an Italian dessert, called a Tartufo, that our dad loved when we were growing up. There's a little bit of wait time between steps but there are only a few ingredients. You can (and should) make all of the components ahead of time and throw it together when you and your Valentine are ready for a sweet treat!

Ingredients:

1 Pint Good Quality Chocolate Ice Cream

1 & 1/2 Bars Dark Chocolate, Medium-Finely Chopped

One 10 oz. Bag Frozen Raspberries (plus extra fresh raspberries, optional) 

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Arrowroot Powder, Tapioca Starch or Corn Starch

Pinch of Salt

Let ice cream sit out so that it softens JUST A LITTLE BIT. Scoop ice cream into approximately 2 & 1/2 inch-sized balls. You should have four evenly sized scoops from one pint. Place each scoop on a plate covered in parchment paper. Return to the freezer immediately and let them re-freeze until hard (this could be 2 hours or more; overnight is fine too).

Now make the raspberry sauce. Place frozen raspberries, lemon juice, water, starch or your choosing and salt in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it starts to simmer, lower heat. Cook and smash with a wooden spoon until fruit is completely broken down. Remove from heat and push through a mesh sieve or strainer. Once the sauce has cooled, store in an airtight jar or container and refrigerate until serving. Can be made up to three days ahead.

Hand chop chocolate into small pieces.

Remove Ice cream balls from the freezer. If you refroze them overnight, let them soften ever so slightly, for 1-2 minutes. Roll each ball in the chocolate pieces, pressing the pieces into the ice cream as you roll, until the entire ball is covered in chocolate. Once all of the balls are covered, place them back on the parchment paper plate and return to the freezer until it's time to serve.

When you are ready to serve, place the ice cream in a dish (you and your valentine can share a sweetheart bowl... or if you are like me, you might not want to share at all!) and pour the raspberry sauce on top. I like to add fresh raspberries to finish it off! 

TRY THESE 7 GRAPEFRUIT RECIPES

It's citrus season and February is National Grapefruit Month, so before we indulge in Valentine decadence (chocolate, donuts, ice cream, cookies, what?) we turn to the antioxidant-filled grapefruit to boost the immune system with fiber and vitamin C.  Inspired by this hybrid's Latin name, which translates to citrus of paradise, we've rounded up a day full of grapefruit-filled recipes that we consider heavenly.

Yummy breakfast with this Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth from The Kitchn.

Martha gets us every time.  Look at this stunning citrus platter.

Ready to dive right into this Grapefruit, Salmon and Avocado Salad.

Perfect mid-afternoon snack of Grapefruit Guacamole from No Recipes, olé!

Refreshing Grapefruit-and-Mint Mojito.

Seared Scallops with Shaved Fennel, Cucumber and Grapefruit.

And end the night with a delicious Homemade Pink Grapefruit Sorbet from Say Yes.