DECORATE and TREAT for VALENTINE'S

Here are a couple of simple projects to help you celebrate the month of love. You will need a six-inch tall squared vase (or any clear vase), a spool of wide valentine ribbon, a bag of decorative stones, a bag of felt heart stickers and a bag of puffy fabric heart stickers. Simply glue the ends of a length of ribbon together so that it can be slid on and off of the vase. Attach a white felt heart sticker to the ribbon on the front of the vase to make the red heart sticker stand out against the red ribbon. Use the white decorative stones to anchor an inexpensive bouquet of flowers. This would make a nice gift for your mom or a pretty adornment for your own home.

The next project utilizes one of our favourite items, the hurricane vase. We like this vase because you can dress it up in so many different ways. Here a white candle rests on heart-shaped acrylic stones. You can decorate the vase as with the previous project or simply attach a single red heart to the glass. We always like to use things that can be easily removed from vases so that they can be re-decorated according to the season or your whim.

Valentine gifts don't need to be expensive to look nice or be appreciated. These heart-shaped tins measure 6" across. We filled one with four dollars worth of foil covered chocolate hearts that originally came in bags and a box with four larger chocolates. Or fill a tin with homemade goodies, to make an extra special surprise. A length of fabric ribbon, held in place with tape on the back of the tin, completes your gift. Then simply add a gift tag and you're done. Two yards of valentine ribbon costs a dollar. A large package of tissue paper is only a dollar.

Some of the chocolate we bought came in fabric sacks with drawstrings. Make a valentine vase out of an ordinary juice glass by slipping it into the fabric bag. It's as easy as that. These juice glasses cost a dollar for a package of three.