I’ve always thought coasters to be a good gift for a few reasons.

1. They are useful. Drink rings = bad.
2. They are small. This means you can carry them in your purse to the party.
3. They are noncommittal. You can own 5 sets and swap them out depending on your mood.
4. They are a fun DIY. Enough said. Read on.

I always pick up birch wood slices when I’m at a craft store, wondering how I can use them. Well, here you go. Amazing coasters. Each one is a little work of art that sings underneath your wine glass.

These beautiful gems (above) are created with carbon paper (tracing paper works to) to transfer the cool design to the wood. From Design*Sponge.

Perfect conversation coasters just in time for Valentine’s Day from Kat Design on Etsy.

Nothing is simpler than these dipped-style coasters from And Your Bird Can Sing. Pick one color or four to make this very modern set of wooden coasters.

The possibilities are endless with these bold and clean word coasters. Find the how-to at Happy Serendipity.

How easy would these be? Just paint 4 dots on a round wood slice and call it a day. Found via This Next.

Craft note: With any painted or stamped wood coaster, you’ll need to finish them off with a waterproof sealant. What’s worse than drink rings? Runny painted coasters. Nightmare.

I know today’s topic is awfully specific, but honesty, I’m amazed how one little pen can make things look so fancy, delicate, and expensive. Check out what you can do with a gold sharpie pen! {UPDATE: After starting to embark upon my own gold-sharpie mug project, I learned that you need to use the Oil Based Paint Sharpies…not the regular markers! Now carry on…}

Draw your design and then bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Endless possibiities here! I may just have to head over to Fishs Eddy this weekend to experiment. Via My Home Lookbook.

I’ve seen the vintage-teacup-turned-candle quite a bit, but adding a little gold bling with words or edging can make all the difference. Here’s a perfect example of how the gold sharpie just kicks it up on the elegance scale. By Hey Gorgeous Events.

These gorgeous walls were stencilled with a gold sharpie. One word. Wow. By Rethink Design via Bazaar of Serendipity.

Embellish white ceramic drawer pulls so easily with a gold sharpie. Via Creature Comforts.

A ruler, white paper, and a gold sharpie = lovely wrapping paper. Via Paper Crave.

Yes, this is my second baked goods post in a row; I’m not sure how to interpret that. This post could have gone on for pages, but I reigned it in to 10 of the sweetest confections to make on February 14th. In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite Valentines cookie treats!

{1} Conversation heart cookies had to make the list, but what took these beauties from Martha Stewart over the top were the sewn pouches.

{2} I love that these dot cookies from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle are not red, white, and pink.

{3} Twice the love with these double-decker heart cookies from Bake at 350.

{4} I love the classic cookie and milk combo for sure, but the arrow straw? A genius confection and presentation by Cookies and Cups. (PS…if you want to try this, you can get these precious farmstand milk bottles at Shop Sweet Lulu.)

{5} You don’t need a special pan to make these heart-shaped whoopie pies by Annie’s Eats. Just trace a heart template onto wax paper and use a pastry bag pipe the dough within the pencil lines. So smart!

{6} This Hayley person is one talented chick! I love her color choices and the tone-on-tone “I Love You” cookies. Very chic. By Hayley Cakes and Cookies.

{7} Lovely cookie-lollipop combo by Martha Stewart.

{8} Love this stack of heart cookies by Patti Paige Baked Ideas.

{9} Need Valentine cookies for your manly man? These woodland ones from Whipped Bake Shop on Etsy are yours with the click of your mouse.

{10} Hugs and kisses or edible tic-tac-toe? These x and o cookies from Woman’s Day can go either way.

Eat your heart out, lovebirds (sorry, I just had to say it)!

My birthday is a week from today (no gifts please) and all I want this year is to bake a cake with my son Oliver. He loves to “help” in the kitchen and he’s recently been obsessed with the Birthday Cake episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (if you have a toddler and don’t know this PBS show, you must check it out). And then, of course, there’s the consuming of the cake.

Here’s a little wishful thinking…

Oh, if only a 2-year-old had the dexterity for a needlepoint cake! (If only I had that dexterity!)

Basically I wouldn’t be able to let the kid touch this gorgeous confection. By Kara’s Party Ideas.

This is closer to what I’m going to get…and what I’ll be totally thrilled with. We’ll see if Oliver has inherited his father’s color-palette-assembly talents. From Sprinkle Bakes.

Is every craft blogger in the Northeast blogging about snow crafts today? It’s so dang cold outside that it’s all I can think about!

My favorite part of this snowman craft is the plastic drink bottle cloche. So clever! You can find instructions at Crafts n Coffee.

Check out these adorable polar bears over at Parents.com. You can watch a how-to video here.

These flakes are cut from poster board, so they should be sturdy enough to last for a while. Definitely a project for an adult because of all the cutting, but how cool would they be floating in the playroom? Craft by Dana Made It.

The one thing that turns me off from making my own snowglobes is the baby oil element. I always make a mess, and the smell is not my fave. I love the simplicity and elegance of these liquid-less snowglobes by Sweet Something Design.