Valentine's Day Pins |

I have a 'Gal-entines' get together coming up (basically a movie night with 'Gals' in celebration of what we love about each other) so I wanted to peruse Pinterest for some cute ideas to see what I could make/ bring to the party. (pictures of what I make to come).

If you are in need of some last minuet Valentines Day inspiration for a craft, card, treat or decor take a look at my hand selected pins HERE.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Valentines 2011 |

We had a wonderful Valentines day weekend. We stayed at the Mornington Rose Bed and Breakfast in Stratford ON.

A weekend full of great food, lovely surroundings, roses and chocolate covered strawberries! A great first Valentines as husband and wife!

2 years ago today since we got engaged and 6 months today of marriage!

Dessert Ben made me for Valentines:

Roses, chocolates and chocolate covered strawberries at the B&B:

Valentine Fruit Arrangement |

My Husband LOVES Fruit and has a new found love for DARK chocolate.

Because of this I looked into ordering him an edible arrangement for Valentines, but they were very pricey, so I thought I would attempt to make my own.

It worked our well and was fairly simple. On top of that he LOVED it and it was a great Valentine's Day gift!

Here is how I made mine:

Food Items that you will need --> 1 Pineapple, 1 Cantaloupe, 1 pack of seedless grapes, Straberries, Leaf Lettuce and a pack of chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate).


Supplies you will need --> Flower pot, Floral Foam, Wooden Skewers, Flower Shape Cookie Cutter and a Melon Baller.

Steps:

1. Slice pineapple as seen in photo (into 6-7 slices)

2. Use cookies cutter to make shapes.

3. Cut cantaloupe in half, clean out the seeds, and use the melon baller to create mellon balls.

4. Place pineapple and mellon shapes on skewers and arrange them evenly in the pot.

5. Slice the tops of the strawberries and stick them on the wooden skewers. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass measuring cup (easy to dunk in) and then dip the strawberries in the chocolate. Place them on a wax paper lined tray in the fridge for 10mins to firm up.

6. Place 5-6 grapes on each skewer (make as many as you think you will need for the size of your pot.

7. Fill in the edge of the pot with leaf lettuce to cover the floral foam before placing your strawberries in the pot.

8. Place your strawberries in the arrangement and then fill in around all of the fruit with leaf lettuce to hide the floral foam and the skewers.

9. Be sure to keep the arrangement in the fridge until serving - and be sure to make these the same day you wish to serve them.


Ben with his fruit arrangement - it was SO yummy!

Tasting the chocolate covered strawberries!

These fruit arrangements also make great centrepieces for the table and are yummy treats to pick at throughout the evening.
Consider having a fruit dip and even a chocolate fondue pot to go with the arrangement. This way you can leave the arrangements out on the table longer as if they don't have chocolate on them directly they won't melt.

Personalized Valentine's Day Greetings |

It is easy to personalize your homemade Valentines cards by using vintage valentines that have special meaning for the person you are giving the greeting to.

Simply search in google for 'vintage valentines' cards for inspiration OR search for specific themed valentines cards that fit the personality of the person you are making the card for.

The simply print out the vintage valentine and make a greeting out of it using card stalk, ribbon, stickers, glitter or whatever you have in your craft draw.

Here are a few of my personalized finds to inspire you:

For my Husband who LOVES Steak:

For my Mom who works as a Special Constable:


For my Dad who loves Sci Fi:



For my friend who has a new found love of Crocheting:


For my Grandma who Loves to Sew:

For my friend who is a hair dresser:

For my In-Laws who are farmers that grow corn:


For my friend who I always have tea with:



For my Brother who loves fishing and drumming:


For a photographer friend of mine:
& for a friend who is never without her cellphone:

It is that easy to send really cute, vintage and homemade Valentines that are personalized to your friends and family!

Love is in the Air |

Valentines is on it's way!

This year I am going to be making a 'fruit bouquet' for my husband.

He is a very healthy eater and LOVES fruit and he also loves Dark Chocolate!

So I going to put together a bouquet using pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes and chocolate covered strawberries.

It will look something like this (hopefully) but I wont be using the green mellow - mine will mostly be pineapple flowers, grapes and strawberries.

Stay tuned for a description of how I made mine and for photos of how mine turned out!

I also hope to make valentine cards for friends and family this year using Vintage Valentines!

Here are a few 'Food' Valentines! Just looking at them puts me in the mood for Valentines Day and crafting!