Free Valentine's Day Printables

I've had Valentine's Day on the mind today.  I'm not quite sure why (my husband and I don't do much for the holiday), but whatever the reason,  I decided to create some printable graphics/designs for you all to use for Valentine's crafts, cards or whatever else you can think of to use these fun graphics for in your life. 

I hope you like them.  The first one is one of my favorites.  My husband and I just watched the movie "Julie and Julia" and I cannot get this quote out of my head.

The next two would be great to attach to a gift or for school treats.

The following five graphics are all similar, but I've changed the "us +" number in each one so it is customized to the number of kids you have in your family.

So just right-click and save any of these fun graphics to your computer.  I would love to see how some of you end up using these.  You all are so talented, so I know you will do some creative things!

Living Locurto - Creative Ideas & Free Downloads

Have you heard of this website - Living Locurto?  I only recently discovered this fabulous site!  Amy Locurto started this website and it has free printables, menu plans, recipes, fun party ideas and crafts.  I can't believe I am only now just discovering this wonderful resource - Amy, where have you been all my life?

As far as free printables, she has everything from cute valentines, invitations, different fonts, printable cards, and the list goes on.  And these aren't just any printables - they are incredibly stylish and modern. 

Here are a few of the free printables that I adore:

 

 

My favorite part of this site is the weekly meal plans.  Amy has super-delicous weekly menu ideas, she links to the recipe for each one, and then gives you a printable grocery list to shop for your meals.  I really appreciate all the time and effort she puts in to creating these different menus.  And the meal plans are so delish - I'm really looking forward to trying her avocado enchiladas - YUM! 

Here are a few samples of weekly menu planning from Living Locurto:
Week 1
• Chicken with Olives, Raisins and Spinach Rice
• Margherita Pizza
• Slow Cooker: Beef Stroganoff
• Grilled Ham and Cheese with Pears
• Real Simple Lasagna

Week 2
• Avocado Enchiladas
• Salina-Style Spaghettini with Cherry Tomatoes
• Turkey Burgers with Horseradish & Cheddar Cheese
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Here is a sample of one of Amy's free weekly meal planning sheets so you can just fill in your meals and ingredients needed for each one:

Here are some free printable, customizable calling cards from Living Locurto - they are just beautiful!

I can't say enough about this great site.  Head over to Living Locurto and poke around, you will find lots of great ideas and inspiration!


Cottage Mama's Note:  Amy Locurto also has a wonderful list of resources for different cooking websites, decorating, arts & crafts, photography, and simple living.

Templates!

I was browsing the internet looking for my next crafting inspiration - I have a couple of Savannah's friends birthdays coming up and I haven't quite nailed down what I want to make for them yet.  So I thought I would check out what Martha has going on (I haven't caught her show much lately).  By now you know I really admire her, yes she may be a bit stuffy for some, but I don't mind, to each his own.  Well, while on the Martha Stewart site I came across some wonderful clip-art and templates that she has available for free!!  Yes, that's right free!  All you have to do is download them.

Martha had some awesome organization templates and great nursery clip-art as well.  I have included the links to some of the templates that I think might really help you get through the holidays.  

1) Recipe Cards: Great to have on hand when your guests ask you for the recipe for that AMAZINGLY delicious dish you served.  If you are going to a pot-luck and know that you are bringing a dish where the recipe is highly requested - go ahead and have some recipe cards with you on-hand.

http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/pdf2/keepsake_recipe_cards.pdf

2) Jam Labels:  Tis the season for giving gifts.  Maybe you are going to try to do a handmade holiday this year (I know I'm going to make that my goal this year)!  Why not whip up some large batches of jam with custom labels for all of your friends?  Handmade gifts are a great way to show your friends how much you love and care for them.  

http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/pdf1/0603_jamlabels.pdf

3) Luggage Tags:  I'm sure many of you will be traveling this year.  I thought these luggage tags were super cute and stylish.  Print them up and place them in a clear luggage tag holder.  It's also a great way to tell your black suitcase apart from all the rest.

http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/pdf1/0605_luggagetags.pdf 

4) Book Labels:  This holiday season you may get requests from family and friends to borrow cookbooks, crafting books, sewing books, ect........put a label on them so they won't get lost in the shuffle.  These labels from artist/fabric designer, Laura Gunn are really great!  Laura is also the sister-in-law of one of my favorite fabric designers, Heather Bailey.

http://lauragunn.typepad.com/booktagprintout.pdf 

Get some really nice card stock and run any or all of these templates through your printer.  I think some of these could turn out to be real keepers.  You're thinking, card stock through my printer?  Yes, don't worry, you'll be surprised how thick of paper your printer can handle.

Have a great Weekend!