April 2, 2016 by Krista

30 Minute DIY Musical Gift Box

WELCOME!!

Hey, I’m glad you’re here today! I’ve got a fun project for you and I can’t wait to share it! Have you ever wished there was a little more personal, fun way to gift a gift card? Well, what if I told you you can turn a musical card into a gift box that plays music when you open it? And it’s really pretty simple to do. Ready to give a gift card that won’t soon be forgotten? Let’s go!

Do you like to give gift cards or cash for gifting occasions? Let’s face it, everyone likes to get a gift card or cash. No one opens a birthday card and thinks “oh, I hope there’s NOT money inside! That would be terrible!”

But gift cards and cash have a bad reputation of being thoughtless gifts. Wait, is there such a thing? It’s far from thoughtless, but there’s no denying that a gift card or cash can be less personal.

If you want to up your gift card or cash giving game and put that personal touch right back into your gift, I’ll show you how. You’ll need a musical greeting card for the best results, but you can definitely cut out the musical part and just use a regular card too.

Do you have someone in your life that is particularly hard to buy gifts for? Maybe more than one someone? I have two. My husband and my dad.

These are the guys that if they want something, they go out and get it. If they can’t afford it, I sure can’t either. Truly, the best gift for them is a gift card that they can use when the whim strikes.

But, gift cards can feel impersonal. No one wants their gift recipient to feel like their gift says, “Here’s something I picked up on my way here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” So, I worked to find a better way to give those hard-to-gift-to people in my life what they want and let them know that the gift really is from my heart.

DIY MUSICAL EXPLOSION BOX

Materials Needed to Create your own DIY Musical Explosion Box:

– Two 12″ x 12″ pieces of scrap book paper – card stock will make a sturdier box, I used card stock for the bottom and regular paper for the top.
– Musical card
– Ruler
– Pencil
– Pen cap or something with a blunt edge you can use to score your paper – it’ll make the folding easier
– Glue stick – a hot glue gun and glue sticks will work even better.
– Clear tape
– Scissors
– Craft knife – like an X-acto

Directions to Create your own DIY Musical Explosion Box:

Want a sneak peek at the whole project, check out how easy it is to make your own Musical Gift Box!

1. Take the first piece of your 12″ x 12″ paper (the card stock piece, if you’re using only one piece of card stock) and measure 3 inches in on all four sides with the ruler. You’ll want the outside of your box to be face down on the table. Mark three inches and then use the ruler to draw straight lines to form a grid-like pattern. This means the bottom of your box will be 6″ x 6″ and the sides will be 3 inches tall.

2. Use the pen cap or whatever blunt edge object you are using to score the paper on the lines you just drew. Fold on your score lines. Curl the corners into the box. Don’t cut or tape them though. These will help push your box open when you take the lid off and make the music play. Put the bottom of the box aside.

3. Take your musical card and unseal the inside of the card to reveal the music speaker and electronic board. Cut the plastic switch from where it is attached to the front of the card. Cut the front flap off of the card.

4. Cut the speaker and electronic board out of the song card. Be careful not to cut the wires. If you need to move the speaker closer to the electronic board, you can just pop it off the card back and then tape if back down. As long as you don’t damage the wires, it should still work.

5. Tape the little plastic piece you cut from the front of the card to the side of your card stock box with the clear tape. Use the craft knife to cut the tape along the edges of plastic piece. You’ll have to play with the placement of the speaker and electronic board to get it right. You want the plastic switch to interrupt the contact on the board when the box is closed, but to open the contact when the box pops open. Check out the step-by-step video for more direction on that.

6. Set the bottom of the box aside and take your last piece of 12″ x 12″ paper and measure and mark 2 and 7/8 inches in on each side. Create a grid-like pattern on the page with your measurements. It’s just like you did on the first piece, minus an eighth of an inch. This will help your lid fit on your bottom box piece better.

7. Score and fold on the measurements. This time fold the corners out and use the glue stick or a small dot of hot glue to secure the triangular flaps. Folding them out will keep anything from getting caught on the inside when you’re trying to get everything inside the box. Do this will all four sides.

8. Use the inside and front of the song card to decorate the top and inside of your box. You can use another piece of 6″ x 6″ scrapbook paper to cover the speaker and electronic board or use the inside of the card to cover it. Just make sure you don’t tape or glue anything over the plastic piece that needs to move when the box opens so the music will play.

9. Find a fun way to attach your gift card so it isn’t sliding around loose inside the box. You can make a little spring for it to bounce on, or stick it on one of the flaps. Or use the gift card as your switch that makes the music play when it’s removed. Check out the video for more info on that.

10. Fold up the bottom of the box and stick a finger in each of the curled corners to hold it in place and slide the lid on top. Wrap it up and give it to your unsuspecting ~~victim~~, er, recipient.

11. Bask in your awesomeness and know you’ll be giving the perfect gift!

The art of card giving is NOT dead! We live in this time of instant gratification. With all the digital technology, we don’t often have to wait long to send and receive communication with friends and family, even when we are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. But snail mail is still going strong. Send a song card to create a memorable moment.

My kids (and myself!) love to get birthday cards in the mail. It’s a great way to let the special people in your life know that you were thinking about them, that you love them. A song card can help you express yourself with music. And, sometimes, music can speak louder than words.

Let’s do this project together!

Gather your materials and then watch this video for step-by-step directions
on creating your own DIY Musical Explosion Gift Box!

February 3, 2016 by Krista

How to Create Your Own “Between the Sheets” Bedroom Game

Hey! I’m so glad you’re here! Are you looking for a steamy at-home date night? Who isn’t, amiright?

Well, you’re in the right place, because this date night is all about hot and steamy. It’s perfect for anniversary celebrations, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Hey, romance ain’t dead, even if the money tree is bare.

I had planned to do this Between the Sheets Bedroom Game date night on Christmas Eve, but that didn’t work out. And I had a terrible time getting my hands on a gift for Mr. Napping this past Christmas – three different gifts fell though – and I ended up giving him our Between the Sheets Bedroom Game.

We played one night shortly after he got it and it was a magical night, indeed. You can check out how I set up our date at the link above. Today, I’m going to walk you through making your own Between the Sheets DIY Bedroom Game.

Disclaimer: If hot and steamy is not what you’re looking for, you might want to skip this post ’cause we’re about to fog up the windows…

BETWEEN THE SHEETS
DIY BEDROOM GAME

Materials you need to create your own Between the Sheets Bedroom Game:

Fitted Sheet – it should fit your bed and be a light color
Fabric Markers – these are the kind I used
Plastic drop cloth – a precaution in protecting your mattress
Something you can use as a template – I traced a dinner plate and a saucer on pieces of cardstock, cut them out and used the cardstock templates as my pattern to create spaces on my game board.

Directions for creating your own Between the Sheets Bedroom Game

1. Lay out the plastic drop cloth on your undressed bed. This will protect your mattress from any bleed through from the markers. I didn’t have any issues with that, but I figured I’d take a better safe than sorry approach. If you don’t lay down the drop cloth, and the markers bleed through onto your mattress, I’m definitely gonna say I told you so.
2. Pull the fitted sheet, over the drop cloth, onto your bed.
3. Decide what to use as a template for your game board spaces. I just traced one of our dinner plates and a saucer onto pieces of paper. You can get fancy if you want, but I just went with simple circles.

4. Use the fabric markers to trace the template on to the sheet, creating a path from the top of the sheet to the bottom. I had four rows of spaces on my board. I made a little trail of dots from one space to the next so we didn’t get lost.

5. Now comes the fun, and hard, part: filling in the spaces. This is where you can personalize it to your relationship. Get as risque and steamy as you are comfortable with. Shortly after we got married, Mr. Napping and I discovered that both our love languages are physical touch. So, I focused on that in our game board. If you don’t know which love language you and your mate speak, I highly suggest you find out. It has helped so much in our relationship to know how to make the other feel loved and appreciated. It also helps that we are both the same, but we just got lucky there!

The best part of the Between the Sheets Bedroom Game

6. This was what really made the night! I included bonus spaces in our Between the Sheets Bedroom Game. They were the large circles and each was labeled “BONUS BOX”. If one of us landed on those spaces, we got to choose a box; in which I had little mini-games for us to play. You can get some ideas for these if you click that yellow button below. I had a box for every space, but we were allowed to choose any box we wanted. That was fun. Seriously, don’t skip this part.

** I had a reader send in a suggestion with an alteration they made to their game. She says:

“I also included a “finish” bonus. Something fun for him and something fun for me, depending on who ‘won’. Obviously this had to be tailored to us personally, but I added extra fancy wrapping to this one for the big finale.”

I love this idea! What a fun way to celebrate your win, especially if you’re both competitive. Thanks for the suggestion, Jessi! **

7. Then I wrote out the rules. I didn’t want to have to make up rules as we were playing, because the focus was supposed to be on the two of us during game play. Having the rules already written out made it so we could focus on us, not how to play the game.

The rules included:

set time limits for each activity
who was the giver and who was the receiver
described game play and what happened when one of us landed on the BONUS BOX spaces.

Our rules were:
1. Players roll a dice and move along the board in turn.
2. Players have 2 minutes on each space they land on until the next player gets a turn to roll. Everything must STOP at the end of 2 mins.
3. If you land on a bonus box you get to open a bonus box! Follow the directions inside the bonus box to complete the task.
4. The winner is the first player to land on the finish space. Both players are then obliged to ensure their opponent finishes in a satisfactory manner.

What I would do differently next time I create a Between the Sheets Bedroom Game

That’s all there is to making the game. It’s pretty easy and, truly, the difficult part is coming up with things to write in all the spaces. You could leave some blank if you wanted, but I decided I wanted lots of intimate opportunites. Follow the directions on the fabric marker packaging to set the ink. I waited 48 hours and then washed and dried our sheet, per the directions on my fabric markers.

Having played it once, I can say now, I wish I would I have put in a few more spaces that weren’t so physically involved with more sensitive areas of the body. It was awesome and I loved it, but it wasn’t something I could have enjoyed again the next day. We ended up on “Twin Time” far more often than I expected and the girls were a bit tender the next day… Maybe consider a few “skip a turn” spaces to give yourselves a little break and make the other spaces more enticing! Despite that though, I absolutely can’t wait to play again. In all honesty… the sheet is still on our bed… Oo-la-la!

Don’t forget to download your Bonus Box ideas! Hit that button below for the download page!

January 26, 2016 by Krista

Valentine Prescription for Love Printable Labels

Valentine’s Day is coming up quick! Have you started thinking about it yet? Mr. Napping and I will be celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss a week before V-Day. I wanted something simple and fun that could kick off our anniversary week. So, I came up with these fun prescription for love printable labels. It’s a simple little project and a cute little gift, but only takes a few minutes to put together. So, warm up your printer and get ready for Dr. Love to spice up your love life!

PRESCRIPTION FOR LOVE
PRINTABLE LABELS

Materials:
– Printable Prescription for Love Bottle Labels (or you can use the extra spicy versions)
– Clean Medicine Bottles
– Glue Stick
– Scissors
– Washi Tape
– Candy that will fit through the neck of your bottle

Directions:
– Print out the Prescription for Love labels and cut them apart.

– Clean off your medicine bottles, if you’re reusing them. I used an empty infant pain reliever bottle, an empty allergy medication bottle and an old prescription bottle. I had to soak the labels off in hot water and scrub the sticky off. This is the hardest part.
– When the prescription bottles are clean and dry, glue the label to the bottle. Put the glue on the back of the label, on the end that doesn’t have any text on it. Stick the label on the bottle and wrap the label around the bottle. It will overlap a bit, but that’s okay!

– Glue the end of the label down with the glue stick.

– If your lid has a label on it, you can use washi tape to cover it up. I just put a couple strips on the top and bottom of the lid and then one down the middle to cover the edges of the tape.
– Fill up the bottle with your candy. You’ll want something small enough to get in… and back out… of the bottle without too much trouble. Round candies or long and skinny candies seemed to work best.

There are two sets of Prescription for Love labels for your printing pleasure. One is more lovey dovey and one is a little more spicy. There are also two sizes of labels. One that is two inches tall and one that is three inches tall. Those seemed to be the most common sizes of bottles when I was looking though my medicine bottles.

Please note: These labels are not intended to be used with children – I don’t encourage anything that associates medication and candy for children. So, please don’t use them with children! Share all the love-inducing candy you can with your sweet special someone though. Valentine’s Day is all about sweet right?!

January 22, 2016 by Krista

5 Seam Pajama Pants – No Pattern Needed!

Hey there! I’m so glad you’re here. If you’re on the look out for a quick and easy sewing project then don’t go anywhere, because you have found it! These 5 Seam Pajama Pants are the perfect project for beginners and advanced sewists alike. They are simple and relatively quick – the more you do, the faster you’ll get.

Are these 5 Seam Pajama Pants exactly what you’re looking for?

The answer to that is abso-freaking-lutely if you can say yes to any of these:

Are you a beginner? These pajama pants are PERFECT for beginners. There’s only 5 seams and two pieces of fabric. The steps are simple and repetitive. The fit is relaxed, so seams don’t have to be perfect. You probably won’t even notice any imperfections. Ideal for beginners!
Do you hate patterns? These pajama pants require NO PATTERN! You use pants you already have. You don’t have to worry about cutting out the right size pattern or using one pattern to make multiple sizes. Or, my favorite, keeping track of the pattern pieces.
Are you short on creative time? These 5 seam pajama pants are a fast project! The first couple of times might take a couple hours – which really isn’t very long in sewing terms. The more you make, the faster you’ll get. Before you know it, you’ll go from measuring your fabric to wearing your pants in an hour!
Do you need multiple sizes? These pajama pants are versatile. They are easy to make in any size and are great for both genders. Simple and comfy for the whole family.

These are one of the first things I ever learned to sew and I still make these at least once a year. I make Christmas Eve pants for my family every year (that’s six pairs!) and THIS is the method I use. These pants are easy, quick and so incredibly comfy.

These 5 seam pajama pants really are the perfect project for beginners and a great quick project for the more advanced sewists. And you really don’t need a pattern!

5 SEAM PAJAMA PANTS – NO PATTERN REQUIRED

5 Seam Pajama Pants Materials:

– Sewing machine (I have the 15+ year old version of this sewing machine. I’ve had it since I was 16 and it’s still going strong.)
– Needle (and extras – there’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a project, breaking a needle and not having any spares!)
– Empty bobbins
– Fabric (See Tips and Tricks below)
– Coordinating thread
– Fabric marking pens or Tailor’s Chalk (see Tips and Tricks below)
– Iron and ironing board
– Straight pins
– Fabric Scissors (I’ve had a pair of these for nearly 10 years and they are still amazingly sharp. Love these things!)
– Another pair of pants that currently fit well (see Tips and Tricks below)
– Elastic or Ribbon/Fabric (see Tips and Tricks below)
– Safety Pin

Tips and Tricks for Successful 5 Seam Pajama Pants

FABRIC

The fabric types that work best to make these pants are Cotton Apparel Fabric and Fleece. Flannel Fabrics are another great option for cold weather months, although you may consider adding approximately an inch extra to all sides to make up for the limited stretch of this kind of fabric.
If you have a finished inseam of 25 inches or less, you can use a yard of fabric. Otherwise, a yard and a half should be enough. Two yards will be plenty, even if you have a really long inseam or like a high waist.
My favorite way to buy fabric is online because then I don’t have to drag my three unruly boys to the fabric store. It never ends well. But, it can be hard to buy fabric you can’t touch. I’ve done a lot of shopping around and my very favorite place to get fabric online is from Fabric.com. The quality is always great, the selection is wide and plentiful, the customer service has been great every time I’ve needed something and prices are competitive and shipping is quick.

FABRIC MARKING PENS

I actually prefer plain old chalk to do my fabric marking with. You can find it in the art section of most retail stores. Chalk washes out easily, offers the option of making small marks or large ones and can be simply rubbed away if you make a mistake and need to redo your marks. Tailor’s Chalk is my next preferred method. Same idea, slightly more expensive.

WHICH PANTS SHOULD I USE?

These will, in essence, be your pattern. You will want to choose a pair that fits well and is comfortable. Another pair of lounge or pajama pants are great. I make these 5 seam pants every year for Christmas for my whole family. I use a current pair of athletic-style pants that fits well or are slightly big and add approximately two inches around the entire pair of pants for seam allowance and a bit of growing room. Except the length; I add about two inches to the length so my kids can wear them longer before they become flood pants or capri pants.
Always err on the side of too large. You can always trim them down, but it’s really hard to put material back once it’s been cut.

ELASTIC OR DRAWSTRING

Which style you chose is up to personal preference. I prefer elastic and I like 3/4 inch wide. It’s wide enough to not roll, but not so wide it’s cumbersome or uncomfortable.
If you opt for a drawstring, you will need a ribbon or piece of fabric (sewn into a strip with right sides together and then turned right sides out) that is the same length as the circumference of your pants, plus 8-10 inches.

5 Seam Pajama Pants Directions

* All seam allowances are 3/4 of an inch, unless otherwise stated.

PREPARING AND CUTTING YOUR FABRIC

– Wash and dry your fabric to prevent any shrinkage after you make your pants. Don’t skip this part or your fit may be altered and less amazing.
– Fold the fabric in half, wrong sides together. Fold your pair of pants in half, as if you’re going to fold them up. Straighten all the seams and pull the crotch area until it lays flat. You don’t want any weird bubbles or your pants will fit weird across your hips.

– Lay the pants on top of your fabric near one edge. The straight edge (the outside part of the leg) should be facing the middle of the fabric, the crotch pointing toward the edge.
– Use the chalk, or whatever marking tool you’re using, to draw a line 1-2 inches away from the edge of the pants. The further out you go, the looser your pants will fit around your body. The elastic you will insert later will hold them up, so go for comfort.

This isn’t rocket science and the cut of these pants don’t require precision, so you don’t need to spend too much time getting specific measurements. Trace around the crotch, inseam, bottom of the leg and the waistband. You can trace the outside of the leg if you want, but it isn’t necessary. If you do, you’ll be able to use it as a reference line in the next step.

– Flip the pants on the straight edge so the crotch is now pointing toward the other edge of the fabric. If you did trace the outside edge of the pants you can line it back up. If you didn’t, just approximate the placement. You can move the pants over an inch or two if you’re worried. It will just make your pajama pants slightly baggier, although you probably won’t even notice. Trace the crotch, inseam, bottom of the leg and the waistband. Connect the lines on the bottom of the leg and the top of the waistband. You can set the extra pair of pants aside, you won’t need them again.

– Make sure your fabric is laying flat – it should still be folded in half, right sides out – and pin just inside the lines you drew all the way around the pajama pants. Cut on the lines. You should end up with two identical pieces with the pattern facing you.

SEAM #1: THE INSEAM

– Separate the pieces and match up the front of the crotch to the back on each piece, right sides together this time. Match up the bottoms of the leg too. Pin and then sew the inseam. Repeat on the other piece of fabric. Iron your seams.

SEAM #2 & 3: THE HEM

– Hem the bottom of each leg. You don’t have to do this now, but I find it easier to do it before you sew the legs together, especially on little pairs of pajama pants. Iron your hems.

SEAM #4: THE CENTER SEAM

– Turn one of the legs right side out and stick it inside the other leg. Match the two inseams together and pin. Then match up the front and back of the waistbands. Pin and sew the center seam, or the crotch seam. I always do a double (or quadruple!) stitch over the crotch, where the seams all meet. No one likes to pop a hole in the crotch of their pants!

– Pull the pant legs apart and iron your seams. Hey, they are starting to look like pants, right?!

SEAM #5: THE WAIST BAND

– This is the last part: the waistband. First, you’ll need to make a casing for your elastic. At the waistband, fold down about 1/2 inch of fabric all the way around. Iron to hold the fold. Fold down again just enough to hold your elastic. I like to use 3/4 inch elastic, so I fold down about 7/8 inch to an inch. Pin the fold down.

– Start at the back of the pants and about 1/2 inch off the center seam and sew your casing around the waist band. When you get back to the back of the pants, stop about 1/2 inch before you reach the center seam. There should be a gap where you can thread the elastic into the casing.

– Cut your elastic to size. If you have a fabric measuring tape handy, you can measure the hips of your intended wearer. If not, just stretch the elastic around their waist. You’ll want approximately 2 inches less in elastic length than the circumference of your wearer’s hips.

– Fasten the safety pin to one end of the elastic. Thread the safety pin and the elastic into the casing you just sewed. Thread it all the way around the waistband. Don’t let the other end of the elastic disappear inside the casing while you’re working the other end through the pants. You can pin an additional safety pin to the other end or pin the end of the elastic to the pants to help you keep track of it.

– When you get the elastic through the casing, check to make sure you didn’t get it twisted inside the casing anywhere. If you did, untwist it. Pull out both ends of the elastic and stitch them together. It doesn’t need to be pretty, but it does need to be secure. Once the ends are sewn together, stretch the waistband of the pants and that should pull your elastic inside the casing entirely. Help it out if it’s getting stuck and just tuck it in with your fingers.

– This is completely optional, but I highly recommend it, especially on pants for kids. Cut a length of ribbon about an inch and a half long. Fold it in half and stick the ends inside the gap in the casing where you just pushed the elastic through. This will create a little tag so that it’s easier to tell the front from the back of you new pajama pants. If you don’t want the tag, you can always just check the waistband hem around the center seam and if there is double stitching, it’s the back.
– Sew the casing gap shut.
– Iron your pants.

– Wear those babies all the time. Ok, not ALL the time, but they’re so comfy you’ll want to wear them all the time.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Practice makes perfect and these 5-seam pajama pants are no exception. The more you make, the quicker you’ll get. This past year, I made four sets in about four hours. It’s easier and quicker to make a single pair at a time because you aren’t changing anything (like thread colors or stitch length). I never leave myself that much time and always end up working on several pairs at once. I’ve gotten fast enough I can zip out a single pair in about 45 minutes to an hour, so it doesn’t take much more time to do a bunch either.

I love these 5 seam pajama pants. My kids love them. Mr. Napping prefers sweats and, since he’s so particular about his sleep apparel, it’s easier (and WAAY cheaper!) to buy a pair of sweats than 2 yards of fabric. The guy is 6’3″ and it takes a lot of fabric to cover his long legs.

When he runs out of clean clothes, he still wears my last ultra failed attempt to make him some pants from a different pattern. It makes me laugh and makes me feel loved all at the same time. Only someone who really loves me would wear them!! And it reminds me why I stick to these 5 seam pajama pants!

My favorite thing about these pajama pants is how easy it is to adjust them to make them fit lots of different sizes. I make me a new pair every year too because they are quick and comfy. I don’t get to sew as often as I wish I did and even more rarely do I get to make something for myself. These are the perfect project. They are perfect for grabbing all the snuggles I can get and playing cars on the floor.

Leave any questions in the comments and I will answer them as quickly as I can. Who are you going to make your first pair of 5 seam pajama pants for?

January 21, 2016 by Krista

Between the Sheets Game: At Home Date Night Idea

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KYALittleTouch #CollectiveBias

This is my love story. Please read on to see how K-Y® TOUCH® enhances our relationship and click here for a $2 off one K-Y® product coupon.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Do you have plans already? Our anniversary is almost a week before Valentine’s Day, so I go into romance overload mode once the new year starts. It’s a lot of fun for me… and Mr. Napping doesn’t usually mind it too much either. Wink, wink.

Since our anniversary is so close to Valentine’s Day we usually go out for our anniversary – when it’s easier to get reservations and isn’t so crowded – and celebrate Valentine’s Day at home. I love me a good at-home date. It’s low-key, comfortable, and usually costs a lot less than going out. I feel like those are the dates I really get to enjoy my husband and his company. We’re approaching eight years together and, while our bedroom time is still hot and steamy, sometimes it’s fun to spice things up a little. If you’re thinking about an evening at home, I’ve got a fun date idea for you. And be sure to grab the K-Y® TOUCH® at Walmart in the health and beauty section using this $2 off one K-Y® product coupon!

BETWEEN THE SHEETS GAME
AT HOME DATE NIGHT IDEA

Recently, things just did not work out with gifts for my husband. In a pitch, I shared the Between the Sheets game I made. This still got him pretty excited…

We finally got to do our date and it was fantastic. Our evening started with a snack – because the way to my husband’s heart really is through his stomach. He was mildly curious when he came into our room and found the bed made (not a habit I developed, unfortunately), but was promptly distracted by the offering of food and sparkling juice. We talked for a little while, mostly about what I was up to. Mr. Napping doesn’t love surprises; too bad for him, because I do. When he was done with the crackers, we peeled the comforter off and I had his complete attention.

We read the rules and started to play. I had everything set up beforehand. A playlist with romantic songs ready to inspire and set the mood, a fun wardrobe change (or two), and our K-Y® TOUCH® pleasure gel. We love this for giving couples’ massages! We love the warming feature that can be sensual and can help relax tired muscles so you can really focus on all the other amazing pleasures and touches during intimate time. And you don’t have to stop to switch gears. Get in the mood and just go for it. You’ll both be glad you used K-Y® TOUCH®. Check out the full tutorial and make your own Between the Sheets game!

The idea of the game is to spend time together enjoying each other without rushing straight to the finish line. I mentioned we’ll be celebrating eight married years in just a couple weeks and sometimes we get so busy trying to squeeze in our time together between diaper changes, middle of the night wakings, and all our other responsibilities that we don’t get to really enjoy just being together. It’s no secret that men and women don’t typically reach that intimacy finish line at the same time and it’s an age-old question on how both parties can find a happy finish. We were both completely happy and satisfied at the end if this date. Completely. (P.S. That was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in … a very long time. Ahhh-mazing.)

Before this date, Mr. Napping and I were in need of some time together. Over the holidays, life had gotten crazy and our together time had dwindled. This was perfect. It was a great night full of laughter and fun. And we were able to make that connection again! We were dating again! The kids faded away, the mortgage, the bills, the deadlines, the responsibilities… just kinda disappeared. It was just us. It was amazing. The tall, dark, and handsome 23-year-old I fell for nine years ago is still around. Our whole house is happier and runs more smoothly when Mr. Napping and I have that connection and intimacy between the two of us. So, really, we do date night for the kids… wink, wink.

So, if you’re ready to get your romance on this Valentine’s Day, get to planning your own Between the Sheets game night. I’ll have more detailed directions on making your own game next week, so if you want a little more guidance you can come check that out. I grabbed our amazing K-Y® TOUCH® at Walmart. Click here for the $2 off one K-Y® product coupon! So, grab that coupon and start scheming the best Valentine’s date… what will you do?

This Valentine’s Day, K-Y® is inspiring couples to connect more deeply via the power of touch by using new K-Y® TOUCH®, a new touch activated gel crème for massage and intimacy that gently warms and intensifies sensation with every touch. The warm sensation builds with every caress and encourages couples to slow down and explore more of each other for a more profound intimate connection. Pick up K-Y® TOUCH® at a Walmart near you!

Also, click both the images below to receive a total savings of $6 off any one K-Y® product and see K-Y.com for more information on the new K-Y® TOUCH® and intimacy tips that can help you deepen your couples’ connection.

I did a post on the K-Y® LOVE pleasure gels back in September… it’s good stuff, friends! So make sure you take advantage of these discounts and spice up your Valentine’s Day!

See the full tutorial on making your own Between the Sheets game HERE.