Happy Valentine's Day!

It can be hard to put love into words. So to wish all of you a happy Valentine's Day, we decided to let more eloquent people do the work for us. Without further ado, please enjoy five beautiful thoughts on the most beautiful part of being human: love.

We hope you have a very happy Valentine's Day!

Child's Play: Valentine's Day Edition

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday for kids. It's made for sugar and silly crafts. Today I'm sharing three of my favorite kid-friendly Valentine's Day activities. While these are easy enough for a two-year old, I think older kids would enjoy them too (and the end results might be a little prettier).

Hope you have as much fun doing these with your Valentines as I did with Max.

Giant Rice Krispie Kiss
Every Valentine's Day, my mom used to give my brother, sister, and me a giant rice krispie treat disguised as a Hershey's Kiss. I loved this tradition as a kid and decided to start it with Max. Making rice krispie treats and then shoving them into a funnel is the perfect kitchen activity for a two year old.

You'll need:
A batch of rice krispie treats (my ooey gooey recipe below)
A small funnel
Margarine or butter
Foil
Paper and pen

Grease the funnel and your hands with butter or margarine. Pack the treats into the funnel.

Turn them out onto parchment paper.

Wrap in foil and add a little paper tag.

Rice Krispie Treats
1/4 cup butter
1 16 oz bag big marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups Rice Krispies

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir fairly constantly until they melt. Add the vanilla and stir. Mix in the Rice Krispies. (These will be more gooey and marshmallow-y than typical Rice Krispie treats...just the way I like them.)

Heart Attack
Growing up, my mom had a fun idea for letting people know we were thinking of them. We'd cut out tons of paper hearts and "heart attack" their door. I decided to repurpose this idea as a toddler-friendly way to decorate our front door for Valentine's Day. I had tons of die cut hearts left over from some other project, but you could make it even more crafty and cut out your own. Just make sure to use paint-friendly tape.



You'll need:
Paper hearts
Tape
A door (obviously)

Tape hearts all over the door. 

 Done! (That's my kind of craft.)

Potato Stamp Valentine
Like his mom, my toddler is not a crafter (see below for proof). For him to do a project, it needs to be simple with big mess potential--which in this case, he fully achieved.

The idea is to create stamps out of a potato for old-fashioned, homemade Valentines. At our house, this quickly devolved into a finger-painting extravaganza, leaving my kitchen table looking more like a crime scene than a Pinterest-worthy tableau of budding artistry.

However, the card I made turned out pretty cute, giving me hope that this craft could be really cute in the hands of a more crafty mother-son duo.

You'll need:
A potato
1 or 2 bottles of water-based acrylic paint in red or pink
Cardstock

Cut the potato in half. Carve a heart.

Stamp away!

Decide finger painting is way more fun.

Looking for more Valentine's Day ideas? Check out our sequined wreath and embroidered felt hearts.

Recipe: Molten Chocolate Cakes

Molten chocolate cake with whipped cream...

While a dessert menu is always tempting, I usually prefer ending my night with a treat at home because 1) I usually stuff myself at dinner and need a little time before stuffing myself with dessert, 2) it's hard to pay $8 for a slice of cake, and 3) I really like eating sweets curled up on the couch in PJs rather than at the table in my date jeans.

These warm, gooey, ridiculously easy molten chocolate cakes are perfect for Valentine's Day. The recipe is foolproof...no special skill in the baking department required (thank goodness). You can whip them up in less than 10 minutes, or make ahead and keep in the fridge until you're ready to transport yourself to chocolate heaven. While I love my chocolate dark, feel free to vary the cacao content to your heart's content. The only requirement is that you eat your cake with lots of whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream.

....and with ice cream. Can't go wrong.

Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes
You can half or double this recipe depending on how many people you are serving. If you half it, use one egg and one egg yolk.

Make the batter and pour into muffin tins up to one day in advance. Store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. Increase the cooking time by a 1-2 minutes. Keep any leftover cakes in the fridge; they taste like a giant truffle when they're cold.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup flour
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted*

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 6 cups of a standard muffin pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition and scraping down the bowl frequently. Add the salt and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix until combined.

Pour the batter into the muffin cups. The cups should be nearly full. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The center of the cakes should be jiggly and look moist. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

To remove from the pan, run a butter knife around the edges of the cake and gently lift out. Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

*I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. The bag is 10 oz and I just eyeball it to measure 8 oz. To melt the chocolate, put the chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each time.

Get the printable recipe.

Valentine's Day Gift Guides

Love is in the air! With less than two weeks to go until Valentine's Day, we've pulled together a few fun gift ideas for your girl, your guy, or something to give to each other as a couple. Most of the items on our list are less than $50 so you can still splurge by spoiling your valentine with some flowers or chocolates too. (Wink, wink!)

1. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Black Cherry - The perfect color for Valentine's Day, this non-sticky gloss creates just enough shine and color for the perfect pout.
2. Kate Spade "Make Me Blush" Bangle - We love the pretty pink of this simple bracelet. The secret message on the inside makes it even better.
3. J Crew Crystal Foliage Earrings - These unique earrings are fun and flirty, a perfect gift.
4. Blue Capri Iridescent Candle in Volcano - Yes, these candles were on our holiday gift guide as well, but they seriously smell that good. And the beautiful glass with bronze top make it just as lovely to look at.
5. Personalized Locket - There's still time to purchase a personalized gift on Etsy and this adorable locket is the perfect choice. So many possibilities, all hidden in a delicate floral case. This tops my personal list!
6. Jo Malone Eau de Parfum in Nectarine Blossom and Honey - Jo Malone fragrances are unique in how crisp and earthy their scents are. This one is sweet and earthy smelling; a safe bet for any girl.
7. Elle Macpherson Ribboned Lingerie Set - What's Valentine's without a little lingerie? This super feminine set looks like it was made specifically for this day of love.

1. Tie Bar Silk Bow Tie - These super affordable ties are a great way to have you guy try a trend like bowties to make sure he can really pull it off.
2. Hex Solo iPhone Wallet Case - My husband just bought one of these for himself and claims it's "life-changing." Perfect for any guy that's always on the go.
3. Nixon Sentry Watch - Love the look of this sleek, masculine watch.
4. John Varvatos Star Hipster Chukka Boot - These are my husband's favorite shoes. They're comfortable, stylish and don't even have real laces to be tied.
5. Taylor of Old Bond Street Cologne - Going into Hollister with my sisters growing up ruined me for cologne. I can't stand an overwhelming fragrance that's overly musky. This scent is just enough to make your guy smell fresh and manly without being completely overpowering.

1. Personalized Keychains - Back in the day I collected keychains like it was nobody's business. In fact, my key ring got so heavy that it would fall out of my ignition while driving. Now, I can't find cute keychains anywhere. I love how simple and meaningful these personalized ones are.
2. Indoor S'More Maker - This S'More maker uses an actual flame with sterno fuel so it's like having a mini campfire in your living room. Makes for a pretty cozy and romantic date at home!
3. Theo Aphrodisiac Chocolate Bar - Some of our favorite Chocolatiers have created a yummy bar specifically for those in love.
4. Marquee Initial Letters - These vintage-looking letters are the perfect way to add some personal flair around the house.
5. What I Love About You - You may need to buy two of these! The book is filled with easy prompts and checklists that make you think about why you love the one you're with and makes a super meaningful gift when given filled in.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Countdown

Anticipation might be the best feeling in the world, which is why countdowns are so much fun. For Valentine's Day, I wanted to do something to help us feel the love at our house and add more meaning to the year's most mercurial holiday (really lovely or horribly lonely).

We'll use the embroidered felt hearts I made last week to create a Valentine's Day countdown tree. Starting February 1st, we'll add a heart to the "tree" (some curly willow branches in a large vase) each day and, even more importantly, also select a small act of kindness to complete that day.

Here are 14 ideas simple enough for even your littlest ones. You can download the printable here.


14 Small Acts of Kindness

1. Hug someone
2. Secret pixie a friend (i.e. drop off a treat, ring the doorbell, run)
3. Do a favor for someone
4. Kiss someone
5. Give a compliment
6. Learn to say "I love you" in a different language
7. Tell someone you love them
8. Name 3 things you like about yourself
9. Write or draw a thank you note
10. Smile at everyone you see today
11. Call someone you love far away
12. Say thank you to 3 people
13. Blow kisses to someone
14. Hold someone's hand

I hope these help add a little more love to your February (which for me is in a perpetual race with January for the Worst Month of the Year award). If not, at least enjoy a few timely distractions:

The most beautiful box of chocolate
Venice, Paris, Dubrovnik! The 20 best cities for romance
A (virtual) walk through the world's most glorious rose gardens
True love: 4 inspiring tales of marriage
Bling! The world's most famous jewels
The lost art of writing love letters
The secrets of happy couples, infograph-style
Go out: the most amazing dinner dates ever
Stay in: 50 greatest romantic movies

Valentine's DIY: Embroidered Felt Hearts

Embroidered felt has such a sentimental, vintage vibe, which makes these sweet little hearts perfect for Valentine's Day. As I've said before, I'm not much of a crafter and even less of a seamstress, so if I can make these, you definitely can.

My mom, who is something of a felt genius, learned to embroider from her grandma and kindly agreed to help me on my first-ever sewing project. I chose a monochromatic pink color scheme for mine, but you could obviously switch out the thread and felt for whatever color combination you like (cream and gold would be really cute). We got these done in just a few hours and for less than $5.

Valentine's Sequin Wreath

We have about a month until Valentine's day. This is great news for people like me who are already going through holiday withdrawal. As soon as I take down my Christmas decorations, I'm itching to find cute decorations to put up around my newly empty-looking home. And since I always love a little bling, I decided to make this cute and sparkly heart wreath to hang up this year. It honestly takes less than ten minutes to make and is so easy, a child could do it! 

What you'll need:

• Heart shaped wreath form
• 3 yards of two inch red sequin elastic
• Silver flat headed pins
• Pen or screwdriver

My craft store only had 2 2/3 yards left of the sequin elastic so I stretched mine out a little more but having some extra buffer will be helpful.

Mark the spot on the back of your wreath form where you'll hang the finished product. Push in and move around a little until you have a hole that goes about a half inch deep.

Use two pins to tack the start of your elastic directly above the hole you've created.

Let the elastic hook onto the bottom of the heart's pinch. Pull to the left of the hole you've created. You can use push pins as you work to secure the elastic where you'd like it to sit.

Continue wrapping the elastic around the form, slightly overlapping each time. You can increase/decrease your pull on the elastic to be sure no white shows through the sequins.

Wrap the elastic around right down the middle of the heart's point. I put a pin right at the top of the point to hold the elastic in place.

Keep wrapping until you get back to the top. Pin to finish right at the bottom of the hole. I like to keep an open spot so it's easy to find the hole fro hanging purposes.

Do another check along the entire shape to make sure the wraps are even and that there aren't any bare spots.

When done correctly, the sequins should start overlapping to look pretty seamless.

Then it's ready to be hung! I love the look right over an antique window or frame. You can also use command hooks to hang on a door or wall. Happy crafting!