February 11, 2016 by Krista

Truth or Dare: Couple’s Edition

We don’t do big Valentine’s Day outing plans, because our anniversary is 6 days before, but we still like to do a little something. We like to spend time together and that’s usually the gift we try to give each other. We’ve also been together for (almost) 8 years. While things are still amazing, we like to spice things up from time to time. Something along the lines of intimacy we actually make time for, not a quick encounter we squeezed between homework and dinner preparations or as we’re both tired and crawling zombie-like into bed. Truth or Dare: Couple’s Edition is the little game I came up with for us to play this Valentine’s Day.

TRUTH OR DARE: COUPLE’S EDITION

The preparation on this is incredibly simple. You just have to print and cut. Seriously, that’s all there is to it.

Materials:
– Truth or Dare Download Cards (Disclaimer: You’ll have to click through the link to see the cards. Given the intimate nature of some of them, I haven’t included a photo of them in this post. If you want to check them out, just click the link.)
– Paper Cutter or Scissors

Directions:
– Download the game cards and save the file to your computer.

– Print the Truth or Dare Cards. The link above is to the trial pack of cards. You’ll get 16 cards to try out the game with. If you like it, you can get the full game from my Etsy shop. Not all the cards you see in the photos are included in the free download.

You’ll want to print the cards double sided; and, if you can print them on card stock, that’ll be even better. My printer has a two-side print setting, which eliminates the guess work of re-orienting the paper in the tray to print the back side. If you have that feature, use it! It’ll be so much easier for you!

If you don’t want to print the cards at home, you can have them printed locally almost anywhere you can make copies – I’m thinking office supply and copy stores. After you download the file to your computer you can upload it to whatever site you decide to get it printed from.

– Cut the cards apart with a paper cutter or scissors.

You are now ready to play!

PLAYING TRUTH OR DARE: COUPLE’S EDITION

If you’ve never played Truth or Dare before, here’s the rules. One player draws a card and asks the other player “truth or dare?” The other player chooses if they would like to answer a question in total honesty or perform a dare. The first player reads which ever option the second player chose. The second player then answers the question or performs the dare. Then players switch roles and the second player draws a card and asks “truth or dare?” and play repeats as many times as you want.

Some helpful tips for a game you’ll both enjoy:
– This is something you’re gonna want to set aside some time for. It could be some good organized foreplay.
– Stop whenever you want… to finish other things. The idea is to spend some one-on-one with your sweetie.
– The only change to the original rules I would make would be to encourage you to look through the cards and make sure you’re both comfortable with everything. In the original rules, truths are usually embarrassing and dares are usually embarrassing and/or dangerous. The bedroom is not the place to try to embarrass your partner. Make sure you both feel comfortable with the game or it won’t be enjoyable!

WANT MORE TRUTH OR DARE: COUPLE’S EDITION?

If you want more dares and more questions, I have an expanded version of the game in my Etsy shop. There is a blank template included so you can write in your own questions and dares to make the game totally your own. There’s even a box you can put together to store your game in. So, if you’re looking for a quick and super easy gift idea, check out my TRUTH OR DARE: COUPLE’S EDITION in my Etsy shop.

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 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.

February 6, 2014 by Krista

Year of Dates – 12 date nights in one romantic gift

Looking for a gift for your sweetheart? One that will keep on giving long after the wrapping paper is discarded? Maybe a gift that both of you can enjoy? If that sounds awesome, then this Year of Dates kit is just what you’re looking for.

But, this isn’t just another Year of Dates gift idea.

Lots of other Year of Dates posts have the date ideas, the plan, and that’s it. I knew that wasn’t going to work for my husband and I. Not with our busy schedules, our houseful of kids, our jobs, church responsibilities and the never-ending list of to-dos and projects. We need something that will make date night easier, not something that would require more work later on.

A YEAR OF DATES GIFT THAT ACTUALLY SIMPLIFIES DATE NIGHT

Date night kits are great. But they can be expensive, and DIY kits can be a lot of work. I needed something that was inexpensive – we’re on a (tight) budget here – and something that wouldn’t need a lot of planning when it came date time. Here’s what I came up with for our kit:

one date for each month of the year.
various levels of preparation to choose from, depending on how much time was available.
totally pre-planned and (mostly) paid for to help us stay within our budget.

I have seen kits that easily cost a couple hundred dollars to put together. I had about a quarter of that to use and had to get creative to accomplish the pre-paid part. So, here’s how I pulled this together.

A YEAR OF DATES – 12 PRE-PLANNED, PRE-PAID DATE NIGHTS IN ONE ROMANTIC GIFT

MAKING A YEAR OF DATES GIFT: THE BASICS

I used 9″x12″ Mailing Envelopes to hold each date’s information and extras. There were two that were stuffed pretty full, but the other 10 were mostly flat.
I introduced my husband to the kit with a little note, explaining what was in the kit and how to use it. It was just a quick handwritten note.
Each date has an information page taped on the front of the envelop, detailing some of the things that would be nice to know, without giving away the date. I’ll go into more detail on that in a few minutes.
I just tied the envelopes together with baker’s twine and put them in a cardboard box. Then I wrapped it in wrapping paper. Simple, budget-friendly, effective.
There is also an information sheet inside each envelop detailing the date and how to carry it out. Again, more detail on that momentarily.

HOW TO MAKE A YEAR OF DATES GIFT: THE DATES

These are the dates I included in our kit. Adjust what fits your life, schedules, location and family.

For me, budget was one of the most important factors in my kit, so I aimed for dates that were budget-conscious. Figuring out ways to pay for as much as possible up front helped me keep that in my plans.

I found the best way to save money on date night without sacrificing too much were to have dates at home, after the kids were in bed. At home dates help us take time for each other while helping us feel like we don’t need to spend money on a babysitter and the date.

It also helped make our dates out a little more special.

AT HOME DATES

Game Night. We enjoy board and card games, so this envelop had the info sheet inviting him to choose a game or two from our game cabinet. I also included our Truth or Dare: Couple’s Edition game.

In the envelop: Truth or Dare: Couple’s Edition
Movie Night In. We have a pretty sweet little theater set-up right at home with a projector and drop-down screen. Because of this, we enjoy movies at home probably more than we do ones in the theater. We can wear pajamas, pause for bathroom or refreshment breaks and there’s no annoying teenagers behind you talking the whole time or a seven year old kicking the back of your chair.

In the envelop: I made up fake movie tickets and included those. Include a couple favorite candies to sweeten the deal.
Game Night. We have a Wii console we enjoy. This makes for a fun night together, a little good-natured competition. And it’s more interactive than watching a movie. Sometimes, we go all out with a Just Dance competition and sometimes we keep it to a MarioKart tournament.

In the envelop: just the info page inside the envelop for this totally free date.
Fondue Night. This could be a whole fondue dinner with cheese fondue and bread for appetizers followed by an oil fondue to cook meat in and concluding with a dessert fondue. We enjoy dessert fondue with chocolate, fruits and marshmallows.
In the envelop: I included $10 for ingredients.
Nerf Gun War. We invested in four of the basic models about a year ago and they are a blast, I think it cost us about $25 for all four.
In the envelop: a new pack of darts, to help replenish the ones we’ve lost over the last year.
Spa Night. This envelop included some massage oils, a couple candles, bath salts and sugar scrub, some bubble bath, a small bag of large river rocks (for a hot stone massage) and a scalp massager. I made the oils, scrub, salts and candles – from recipes found on pinterest; the bubble bath was some we had from the kids.

In the envelop: massage oils, candles, bath salts, sugar scrub, bubble bath, river rocks, scalp massager.
Romantic Night. I wrote “For your eyes only!” on the seal, hoping that would be clue enough to my husband that he shouldn’t open that one while our parents were sitting there, watching us open gifts and maybe that his interest would be piqued enough to do this date.
In the envelop: A new little lacy something, a small bottle of bubble bath, some lotion, some intimacy items and candles and chocolates. A Between the Sheets game would be perfect to include in this date.

OUT OF THE HOUSE DATES

Mini Golf. We scored a coupon for a free game from a hole-in-one a while back. Like two or three YEARS ago. But, there was no expiration date on it. I put in that coupon and a $5 bill to cover the cost of the other player. See if you have any BOGO coupons or punch cards that you can use to keep costs low.

In the envelop: free mini golf coupon, $5 cash

Movie Night Out. We don’t go to the movie theater often. It’s a treat for us and this was a splurge date. This date will hopefully cost less than $10 out of pocket, when we combine it with the gift card and cash.

In the envelop: I was able to use some credit card reward points we had and got a $25 gift card for Fandango. I included another $5 for extra treats.

Dinner Out. This was another splurge. I used some more of our credit card rewards to get a $25 gift card to Outback Steakhouse. I also included $15 in cash as well. The gift card and extra cash covered both our meals and half the tip. We also like to get gift card packs at Costco for a discount. They make great gifts for others and we save a little money too.

In the envelop: $25 restaurant gift card, $15 in cash

Shooting. We enjoy some good target practice and are lucky enough to live about a block and a half from some BLM land. We can get a sitter and go out for a couple hours for the cost of ammo and gas in the ATV’s.
In the envelop: just the info page inside the envelop for this totally free date.
Sonic Slushie Date. We are regulars at the drive-in chain, especially during the hot summers in the desert. I included a $15 gift card in this envelop, but it actually only cost me $11. You can reload Sonic gift cards; and, we still had a few dollars on one that we’d previously been gifted, so I just added my $11 to what was already on the card and called it good. We could get dinner for the whole family or several trips for slushies out of the $15.
In the envelop: $15 Sonic gift card

MAKING A YEAR OF DATES GIFT: THE DETAILS

Information Cover Page
I taped this page to each envelop and used a highlighter to indicate the appropriate option for that date.Things I included were:
– Whether the date was at home or out of the house, so we can decide if we want a night out or a night in.
– If we needed specific weather for the date – mini golfing in February… uh, no.
– Whether it was something we could do with our boys or if we need to get a sitter. Sometimes, a sitter just isn’t available. We are lucky enough to live close to grandma (and free babysitting), but it isn’t always available.
– How much more money the date was estimated to cost out of pocket. We can choose a date that fits our budget and enjoy it without worrying that we will be breaking the bank.
– If there is prior preparation that needs to be done and how long it will take to do. For example, Fondue Night may require a little grocery shopping before hand.
– How long the date will last. If we have all day, a long date is no big deal. But, if we only have an hour or two, we don’t have to worry so much about cutting our date short. It’s already planned to help us keep our schedule.
– And a spot for other info. For the most part, I left this blank.

You can print this page if you want to use it in creating your own kit. Right click the image and open in a new tab or window. Right click the large image and “save as” to your computer. You can then print it. It is formatted to 8×10″.

The Detail Sheet
This sheet is included in each envelop; it introduces and explains each date. It’s just a quick write up, but gives all the details necessary for the date to happen.

You can find other date ideas to include in your kit in yesterday’s post. Check it out for more ideas.

Make your Year of Dates gift even easier to put together. You can grab the printables, including the detail pages, I used for my gift from my Etsy Shop. They are available as an instant download, so you can get started with your project right away.