Anti-Valentine's Day: Crafts, Games, Recipes!

So far this month, I've been posting lots of crafts and recipes to celebrate Valentine's Day. Today though, I wanted to celebrate the anti-Valentine's Day sentiment. I know someone who is planning a weekend party for all of her single friends and I was so taken with the idea of a fun Valentine's party without the pressure of bringing a date or being in a relationship, that I wanted to come up with my own contributions for such a soiree.

Below are my three contributions:

- Heart "Beet" Cookies for the hopeless romantic/health nut.

- The Ouch Heart Puzzle Inspired by some sad graffiti I saw on my last day in New Zealand, and turned into a "healing game"

- An "Ex" Voodoo doll. Made from two T-shirt sleeves, this is a quick craft for someone needing to work through the pain, and move on to the fun! (It's healthier than binge drinking or eating, right?)

Let's start with the puzzle. Make up a few of these before the party so that guests can assemble them and take them home. You will need:

Laminated MDF Board

Protective Eye Wear

Pencil

Sketchbook Paper

Scroll Saw

Begin by drawing out your puzzle pattern onto sketchbook paper. When you are happy with the design, transfer the drawing (backwards!!) on the back side of the fiberboard. 

Put on your protective eye wear, and cut out your puzzle as carefully as possible. After all of the letters are cut out, flip over the puzzle to see how it looks from the front.

Perfect!

Next up! Heart "Beet" Cookies.

I found this recipe online, while looking for a yummy treat to make with the beets from my garden.
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup pureed beets 
1 T canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Combine all dry ingredients and stir. Make a well in the center and add beets, vanilla, and oil. Mix to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 min at 350. Makes 8-12 cookies

My cookies look a little bit more like energy bars than cookies. I'm fairly certain I was on the phone while pureeing my beets, and probably left them a little chunkier than I should have. Either way, my husband cannot get enough of them. P.S. They are Vegan- which means you can eat the cookie dough out of the bowl while they bake. That makes me happy.
Finally, we move on to the "Ex" Voodoo Doll.
Tell your pals to bring an old T-shirt (theirs, or their Ex's). You will provide the:
Sewing Machine
Thread
Stuffing
Scissors
Fabric Markers
Pins

Start by cutting off the sleeves of the T-Shirt. In the bottom center of one sleeve, draw a circle. This will be the head of your doll, so make sure the circle has an opening at the base of it. Stitch around your drawing, and then cut out the scrap.

Next up, turn the circle you just sewed inside out. Draw on a face, and then fill the head with stuffing.

Next, stitch the remaining sleeve piece (like this) to create two arms. Remember, this doesn't have to be perfect! (Your Ex certainly wasn't!)

With the second T-shirt sleeve, draw a skinny "V-Shape" as the space between the legs. Stitch around the legs, turn the piece inside out, and stuff with fabric.

Finally, attach the three pieces. I started by fitting the head piece into the arms, and the arms into the leg piece, and stitching an X over the heart area. This X helps connect the pieces, and makes for a nice bulls eye for the pins later... Then, quickly sew the legs in place. If you don't over-stuff your doll, you should be able to sew him up with the sewing machine pretty quickly. Stab in the pins as needed.

The Anti-Valentine's Day party is almost ready for guests! Finish off the look with some fresh flowers, a few select movies and books, and maybe pull out the ol' cocktail shaker... just in case.

Music to set the mood:

Movies to put on in the background:

Books to have around:

Whether you decide to host your own Anti-Valentine's Day event, or spend time with the one you love, I hope you enjoyed these ideas, and hope you have a lovely weekend! I will see you next week!