Still Time for Your Valentine!

I know it's last minute, and you probably have everything all ready for your Valentine's Day celebration... But just in case you're running behind, here is a recipe, a craft, and a great thrifted find too!

I made a batch of Lori's famous caramels. She shared her mom's recipe a few years back, and now it's a tradition for a few of us to get together at Christmas to make them. I decided that once a year just isn't often enough to enjoy these!

Caramels

2 C. Brown sugar
1 C. Karo syrup
2 Cubes Butter
1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter; add milk slowly. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Using candy thermometer, bring to softball stage, (or just barely past for a firmer caramel). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour quickly into a buttered 9x13 pan. Cool. Cut into small pieces and wrap with waxed paper, twisting each end to secure. (I cut the waxed paper into  4-inch squares. Shape the caramels as needed with your fingers.)

Homemade Stamps
Even with all the tags and cards I made last weekend, I didn't have Valentine tags. So I carved a little heart stamp from an eraser using an xacto knife and a linoleum block carving tool.

The stamp is made from 1/2 a white eraser. First, trace around your eraser to get the size, and then draw your design on white paper. 

Keep it simple, and remember, if you write a word, you'll need to make sure it's reversed on the eraser. (After I drew mine, I went over it with Sharpie- the black is the part that I carved away.) Rub the whole design with pencil lead. Place paper pattern on your eraser, and trace over the lines from the back. Now your design is ready to carve. It's easy to carve, but make sure to supervise kids and be careful!!

Attach the stamped image to red cardstock. Use double sided thick mounting tape to attach the image to the larger tag. (Mine is a scrap of white textured cardstock with the corners trimmed like a traditional tag.The red circle is made using a small circle punch, another one of my favorites! After attaching it to the white tag, I used a regular paper punch to make the hole through both. Add string to tie to the cellophane package, and tie with ribbon.)

And I love my thrifted plate from Value Village!

Make it a Wonderful Day!!