valentine's breakfast for two :: pretty in pink

After winning the Pottery Barn Mystery Box Challenge last month, I was given another opportunity to do some more styling work with Pottery Barn products. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I decided to do a romantic Valentine's breakfast for two. All the items from Pottery Barn happened to be pink, so I ran with that scheme and created a "pretty in pink" display. 

For starters, let me share with you the specific samples that arrived on my doorstep...

Items #1, 2, and 3: The Homescent Collection - Heirloom Rose 

(Botanical Pillar Candle, Candle Pot, and the Potpourri respectively)

Item #4: Nesting Heart Bowls

Item #5: Bird Cage Lovebirds Salt & Pepper Shakers

Okay, now do you want to create a table for your sweetheart on the 14th? Beyond the products provided, everything else I already had. I hope this little set-up inspires you to be creative with things you have around your house. I walked from room-to-room and found a few props - a shower curtain, my daughter's hair bows, a very old cake topper (more on this later) and scraps of vintage paper. Use your imagination! Also, don't stress about the food; it doesn't need to be extravagant. Since it's completely acceptable to carb-load on a holiday (oh, that's right, that's just my own justification) I included a large chocolate muffin and brown sugar cream of wheat and strawberries. Some form of chocolate and strawberries are a must to any Valentine's spread, right?! To drink, I made a sparkling cranberry juice.

On a personal note, I found more inspiration from a few items I have from my grandparents' wedding day. I love this photo of their young faces as they started their life together. Maybe even more cherished though is their cake topper. Yes, that is their original cake topper from 1947! How romantic, right!? (Now, is there anyone who wants to try a bite of the piped frosting leftover on the bottom?)  

{Disclosure: All design and styling by A. Party Style, LLC :: Products provided by Pottery Barn}

happy v-day

Much love to all you wonderful readers!  I love you all!  Your comments and emails are what keep me blogging.  Each one sweeter than the last - Thank you!

Okay, now check out this candy sculpture by Nathan Sawaya called "Sweet Heart".  I can't decide if I like it or not???  Kinda gross, kinda interesting.  

(image source)

And, of course, a special Happy V-Day message to my honey!  I love you, Jeromy!  

valentine heart tart

Our neighbor, Valerie, who is very talented in the kitchen by the way, just brought these adorable little valentine heart tarts over for my girls.  Get it... heart tarts like pop tarts!!  Aren't they cute!?  So cute that I just want to eat them - oh wait, they're not for me.  In case you can't read the tag (it is a quick iPhone photo after all), they are raspberry cream cheese heart tarts.  She gave them to the girls a day early so they could have them for breakfast tomorrow - how thoughtful is that!?   I had to share in case any one needed a last minute Valentine's idea.  Watch the full tutorial here.  Valerie packaged them up so nicely with little tags and gingham ribbon.  So "sweet" - Thanks Val, the girls can't wait until morning!

valentine cupcakes

Whew.... what a week! There is a reason for my complete lack of posts lately. My husband fell on the ice and broke a finger. Doesn't seem that bad, right!? Well, one thing lead to another and it ended up being a multiple day fiasco. In the x-rays taken at the hospital, they found a cyst in his bone and sent him to an orthopedic oncologist. I figured everything would be fine, but that doesn't mean I wasn't a little scared when I heard the word oncologist. This "cyst" actually ended up being cartilage growing inside his bone, which made it weak, hence the break. So now he has to have a bone graph surgery to fix it. Not a big deal (apparently it's a quick out-patient surgery), but by the time this is all said and done, he will be in some sort of cast for the better part of two months. Poor guy! And to make matters worse, the day after he was in the ER for the break, he ended up back there for a severe allergic reaction to the painkillers they put him on. Yet again, scary! He is now the carrier of an epi pen and has to wear a medical bracelet. So, like I said, whew... what a week!

So, let's turn this week around and talk about something fun! I was asked to bake something for my daughter's school Valentine's dance and here's what I came up with. A twist on the classic chocolate covered strawberry. How about a strawberry covered chocolate cupcake!? (I am a baker after all!) It's a chocolate cupcake with strawberry icing with a cut heart-shaped strawberry detail. Easy-peasy!

Okay, I have to go box up these "lovely" cupcakes for delivery. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)

valentine :: for the boys

Valentine's Day and little boys - not quite a perfect match.  Until now!  This product just cracks me up!  I recently received another submission from Spaceships and Laser Beams (remember their earlier snow party).  Spaceships and Laser Beams is a collective design team for all things boy party.  Their latest design is hilarious!

The "Girls Have Cooties" cupcake wrapper.  

From afar, it just looks like an ordinary turquoise with red heart wrapper, but look closer and you'll see it's actually germs and cooties.  What little guy wouldn't love this!?  Available here for only $3!  Such a cute, funny way to change up V-day!

iValentine

I love all my Mac products (wish I would have converted years ago!) and apparently others do too!  Look at all these adorable "iValentine" gifts and cards.   

This one is so appropriate for those of us constantly connected.  This is the card I should get for the hubby this year!

  Source

This valentine looks so easy to do and still so cute!  

Source

This next one is a show stopper!  What a great valentines gift right!?  It was listed on Etsy, unfortunately, it looks like they are all sold out.  (Or it was from last year - can't really tell, but none the less, not available.) Total bummer, but I still wanted to share in case it inspired any of you to make one.  (And then send it to me! :) )

Source

And finally, check this out!  Want to hand out some of your own iValentine gifts?  The always amazing Amy from Living Locurto has this free printable on her website for all to use and share! I'm sure older kids would especially enjoy handing these out to their friends.  She even designed the back of the box - see the cute "heart" with the infamous bite taken out.  So generous and so adorable!