Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Banana Bread

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Thanks to a lot of recent large expenses and credit card bills (apparently I treated myself a little too much over the holidays), I’ve tried extra hard to curb my spending as of late. That means brewing my own cup of coffee at home as opposed to heading out to the café, repurposing home décor we already have to refresh spaces, and looking for other ways (read: free ways) to show loved ones that I care.

Happily, it turns out that you really don’t have to spend a ton of money to feel like you’re treating yourself and those around you. Reading that back to myself, I realize how trite it might sound, but I think its worth the reminder since we’re so saturated with advertising and messaging these days that make it seem like we have to spend big to “have it all.” If you ask me, that’s just not true!

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Take my homemade heart-shaped Valentine’s Day banana bread for example. This simple holiday gift took practically no time at all to make, used up pantry staples we already had, and yet still made my Valentine feel loved. I consider that a win, win, win—don’t you?

As I’m sure you guessed, the process is super easy and can be adapted based on practically any taste. Just bake up your loaf of choice (might I suggest this tasty banana bread recipe?), cut thick slices, and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to create custom Valentine-themed shapes.

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Come February 14, all you have to do is slip a few of those edible hearts into a glass container or wrap them up in parchment paper, and then add a little handwritten note or card to your Valentine’s lunch box to finish the gift. It’s the perfect little surprise to show your favorite person just how much you care, and you can rest easy knowing that you haven’t blown your budget.

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

While I wish I had the funds to spoil the heck out of my hubby with state of the art techie gadgets or fly fishing equipment, he and I both know that’s just not possible right now in our stage of life. But the good, great, excellent news is that small homemade gifts, like these little heart-shaped banana bread slices, go a long way in communicating how we feel.

How would you adapt this project to your own Valentine’s preferences? Maybe heart-shaped brownies? Hand-held PB&J sandwiches cut into hearts? The possibilities are endless, but I think, no matter what you do, the treat will bring a nice big smile to your better half’s face this holiday.

Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Banana Bread

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DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

Last week I shared a quick tutorial for a DIY wallpapered tray using one of my favorite patterns of wallpaper designed by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu & Georgia. You may remember that I promised an alternate method for reusing leftover wallpaper in your home, so I’m back with those DIY details today.

I’m going to keep this post kind of short and to the point, though, because John ended up coming home sick from work yesterday and I’m playing nurse (fingers crossed that the flu hasn’t infiltrated our home!), but the good news is that this project is super “short and to the point” to make, too, so there’s no need for a long-winded description anyway.

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

Start by laying your scrap of wallpaper face-down on a flat work surface. Place your wooden pot on its side toward the outer edge of the paper, and then grab your pen. Place the tip of your pen right at the bottom edge of the pot where it meets the wallpaper, then, while slowly rolling the pot across the paper, move your drawing tool with the pot to trace a line.

To trace the top line, repeat the steps by rolling your pot back the way it came without picking it up, with your pen now situated at the top of the pot. When finished tracing, cut the shape out of the wallpaper with scissors. Note that the traced shape will look really strange, like you see pictured above, but it’ll all work out and make sense when you lay the paper against your pot.

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

To adhere the wallpaper to the outside of your wooden pot, either follow the instructions that came with the full roll to activate the paste or, if your wallpaper isn’t pre-pasted, use double-sided tape to stick it to the pot’s surface. Like with the wallpapered tray I shared last week, you can push any air bubbles out using a credit card or other straightedge tool, and you can also perfect any uneven edges using a sharp razor blade.

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

If you wanted to go one step further you could paint the top rim of your pot to match the green wallpaper, or even cover the exposed wood with more wallpaper, but I personally like seeing the raw wood grain, so I left it alone.

I have the newly decorated pot sitting out on my desk now holding things like my glasses, extra pencils, and my headphones, but I love the idea of repurposing it for a plant down the road. Don’t you think it would look so striking with fresh greenery pouring out the top and down the sides? Now, I’m off to go check on John…Stay healthy, guys!

DIY Wood Pot With Green Marble Wallpaper

P.S. Although the link I used for the wallpaper is an affiliate link, this post is NOT sponsored in any way, shape, or form. Rest assured that I would never lead you astray, and that I’m just a genuine fan of this line of wallpaper!
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