Happy Valentine's Day!

May your day be filled with love and chocolate.

My favorite holiday is finally here! While I was on my arts and crafts kick, I decided to make small Valentine's treats for some of my friends instead of buying generic candy. And since we are all "trying to eat healthy for spring break," I knew it had to be something simple and not too crazy. I decided to go back to the basics of just plain chocolate...which I melted and drizzled into wooden spoons.

I love this "recipe" because it can be adapted for every holiday. All you need are spoons, bakers chocolate and sprinkles. Melt the chocolate as directed on the packaging (it is very easy to burn), pour it into the spoons, tap the spoons on the counter to spread the chocolate evenly, lightly place the sprinkles on the chocolate, and let cool. Simple as that!

Valentine's Week: Homemade Love Notes

Don't get me wrong, I love a good Hallmark card every now and then, but there is always something special about a homemade card. Not only is it one of a kind, but it comes from the heart.

This year I chose to make my Valentine's Day notes instead of buying them. I always love a good craft project and it gave me something fun to do this weekend. I ordered black and white prints of my favorite photos, bought every piece of Valentine's scrapbook paper at the craft store, and set about making personalized love notes.

PS... For those of you stuck in snow storms, this might be a spoiler, but at least you know you have a card coming your way!

Supplies included: scrapbook paper (reds, pinks and patterns), neutral cards and envelopes, tags (which I punched an extra hole in), hemp, a hole puncher, a paint pen and photo tape.

Happy almost Valentine's Day!

My Valentine's {Etsy} Wish List

As my favorite holiday inches closer and closer, I cannot help but be overly excited to celebrate.  No one quite understands why I love Valentine's Day so much, except my mother, who feels the same way about the holiday as I do.  Maybe it's because as a child our house would turn into a love shack on February 1 (complete with heart rugs, wreaths, lights, and garland...everywhere), or maybe it's because there were constantly baked goods and Valentine's candies in my house... who knows.  All I know is that as a 22-year-old with my own apartment, I am starting to build my own Valentine's collection (and luckily, my mother still shares hers).

Being an Etsy shop owner, I am on Etsy every day, without fail.  The creative people of the world are throwing these amazing things in front of me, pressuring me to buy all of their beautiful homemade goodies.  I may or may not have succumbed to the pressure and purchased a few items, but the rest are on my Valentine's Day Wish List.

Here are the Etsy items I am drooling over right now...