DIY: Be My Funny Valentine

In my quest to create three unique valentines this year, I stumbled across another thing Brady loves right now: some valentine-themed jokes.  There is nothing funnier to him than a good knock-knock joke.  So, for Valentine No. 2, I decided to make some microphone bookmarks with a joke on the back so the kids could be little stand-up comedians. When they're done making their friends peel over with laughter, they'll have a fun bookmark, to boot!

You can download the files here: front, back-page-one and back-page-two (each back has different jokes).  Print the front first, then insert the printed page opposite of how it was originally and print the back.  You may want to do a few practice runs until you become familiar with how your printer handles the paper.  For my bookmarks, I used 80# cardstock, punched an 1/8" hole in the bottom of the microphone, and threaded some black embroidery floss through for the cord.  

Do you have any funny (and clean, please!) jokes for Valentine's day?  Please share in the comments!

See Valentine No. 1 and Valentine No. 3

DIY: Groundhog Day Cupcakes

"What holiday is next?" is a question I get asked quite a lot.  Brady's at the age where he's starting to understand holidays and the anticipation surrounding them.  And, of course, he's ready to party all the time.  So when he posed this question after New Year's I had to pause and think for a second...yep, Groundhog Day is next.  

Now, Groundhog Day doesn't carry very many traditions with it, beyond looking for good ole' Phil on the news.  But I thought that this year maybe we could do something a little more.  We've been reading The Big Snow at our house and on the last page the groundhog pokes his head out of the ground and sees his shadow.  Which gave me the idea to make Groundhog Day Cupcakes.

I designed the cupcake toppers and made them into a PDF for you to download and assemble.  Just print the groundhogs, cut them out and sandwich them together with a little glue and a toothpick in the middle.  And remember to save one of your groundhog paper trimmings.  You're going to need it if he sees his shadow this February 2nd...

If it happens to be cloudy on February 2nd and Phil doesn't see his shadow, you can always just slide the groundhog into a plain frosted cupcake.  They'll be just as adorable.  And such a great excuse to eat cupcakes.

What do you do to celebrate Groundhog Day?  Any predictions as to whether or not spring will come early this year?

"You're My Favorite" Game Night + Printable Invitations

For Friday's birthday party I wanted to do something that was really simple and casual.  But I still needed to have some type of theme; I feel that they help party plans come together more easily and cohesively.  I decided to have the invitations say, "since he's our favorite, we're throwing him a party" and go from there.  He loves to play games, so we did a game night.  The menu was a compilation of some his favorite foods: Philly cheesesteaks, root beer, artichoke dip and brownies.

A gathering of favorites equals a guaranteed good time.  Added bonus: it was low maintenance.  I love how easily and quickly game nights can be thrown together.  I put together this fill-in variation of our invitations for you to print out and use for your next get together.  Grab a couple of your favorite drinks, some finger foods and pass these out to your neighbors or friends.  Then let the good times begin!

Lily Jane Stationery Giveaway

Good news: Nicole is hosting a little giveaway on her blog.  Stop by to see how you can help other women and win a set of my pinwheel thank you cards!

{image by me}