The Valentine Hunt

"Woah," you say, "Valentine's day is MORE than a month a way. What's the rush?!" Now I'm usually not one to jump ahead whole seasons to get to holidays I like. In fact Valentine's day isn't really one of my favs! But I like the idea of sending cute goodies to close friends and family, like those valentine exchanges that everyone always did in elementary school. And there is also the obligatory boyfriend/girlfriend gift! THOSE are the ones that are stressful, and really people? Don't stress so much! You don't need a holiday to show your love! Simple gestures are nice and appreciated all year long.

Now this is NOT a post about the materialism of holidays! It's about the craft supplies of course! I've had my eye on a few valentine themed swaps that I'd like to join, but I rarely buy pink or holiday themed items. So the past few days I have been on a bit of a mission to find valentine themed supplies!. The goal is to not spend a whole lot on these holiday items because honestly it's only once a year! Shopping a few days AFTER the holiday is when you will get the best prices, but unfortunately you have to hold on to it for a year before you can use it. Of course silly me. I run to the stores before checking my stash because I love the thrill of buying them! This is what I found tonight:

Some of my valentine themed stash

I'm thankful for all those extra lace bits now!

It turns out I have quite a few things that are use-able for valentine themed things! Alot of my favorite items are from swaps! I have gotten quite a bit of lace as extras (it is on my wishlist after all! I love finding reasons to use it). I also got a few doilies at one point that I have been wondering what I would do with, but mayhaps they will find a home in a craft? They may be vintage. All of the paper here I have bought, most of it came from those scrapbook aisle books that always seem to be on sale. *a weakness* Which is a great thing because pink, red, and purple aren't colors I gravitate towards, but if a company can find a way to get me to buy it, then good for them! I also have a few flower bits. The ones shown here I bought from micheal's and I now they come in quite a few colors. I know I have some with stems somewhere that I got online! I also have felt and plenty of embroidery floss in the appropriate colors. I know I have more things buried away in my college paper boxes, so I have options. So go check your stash before you make excuses to go buy more supplies!

The wal-mart I went to was surprisingly unhelpful! They had some ribbon roses that may have worked, but I remembered having similar(ish) things at home so I saved my money. They have a good selection of ribbons, but I think their prices are pretty close to that of jo-anns and micheals (and we know there's always coupons!)

Ever helpful clipboard and heart embellishments!

How could I resist cuteness and bright colors...

...and that's what she said jokes?!

The dollar store was a little more successful! I found some foam hearts that are super glittery. I've noticed that they tend to have these table scatter packs for every season! I bought some last month that were snowflakes, and I saw they also had some St. Patrick's day clovers. I also picked up some of those cheesy kid valentines because some of them are really cute and others I feel like someone will be giggling making suggestive jokes. And lastly I got a mini clipboard for working on ATC's and rolos. I'll post more about what rolos are real soon ;)

I was really hoping to get some of those white lacy hearts for making valentine's but alas no luck yet! Good thing I have over a month! ...but who wants to wait a month when you can shop tomorrow?!

Anyone have secret places they like to buy their holiday craft supplies? Or do you make your own?