Be Mine Valentine...

I'm a sucker for Valentine's Day. It's a sweet little holiday to look forward to in the dead of Winter and one more excuse to drink champagne and wear RED!

 (thistimetomorrow-krystal.blogspot.com)

Or maybe just a shiny heart affixed to your favorite shirt from Bando.

Valentine's Day is a perfect opportunity to write a love letter to your sweetheart whether on paper...

Or in an art medium...

The first time I saw this from SUGARBOO DESIGNS, I couldn't really afford it so I took matters into my own hands, grabbed a sharpie and in my best penmanship, wrote it on lover boy's closet wall, signed and dated it. Same effect really. With that frame of mind, you could come up with dozens of ideas, as simple as with lipstick on his/her mirror or get fancy and paint it on an old piece of wood or vintage piece of paper. Maybe copy the message over a faded black and white photo of the two of you in photoshop - if you're savvy like that.

This next one, also from SUGARBOO, which is based right around the corner from us in charming Roswell, Georgia, is really quite sweet...

If you are a whiz with fonts and graphics, how bout printing out something sweet like this in a simple black or white frame for the love of your life? Against a matte background where you've handwritten "the love of my life" in fancy script, over and over again like the vintage love letter photo above...

(pinterest.com)

So many ideas await outside the Hallmark aisle.

If given the chance, its especially fun to relive making those sweet Valentine boxes for school and helping your children address and check off the names on their list. Year's past, I've felt like a slacker Mom, never prepared and waiting until the last minute to rush out for the flimsy store bought versions. This year I vowed to get my act together!

Thanks to ARMOMMY, Jack and Sophia both agreed they would love to pass these out to their friends and helping them glue the eyes and sign their names will be a great opportunity to spend more quality time with them. You can download these or other special designs HERE for just $3.99 (scroll all the way to the bottom).

Last year may have been the year of store-bought Valentine's but it was also the year I discovered ARMOMMY's sweet treat bags. I was excited to order the vellum paper bags and customized stickers for Sophia's little girly friends in the neighborhood and couldn't resist ordering some for my girlfriends too.

I filled mine with peanut butter chocolate covered pretzel chips from the grocery store (which haven't been back since, along with the dark chocolate covered ones...come on! Those were great). I wrapped each bag with my "go-to" twine, that is always around.

We filled Sophia Sunshine's candy bags with M and M's (the pink and red version) and wrapped in red ric rac ribbon. It was a beautiful sunny day last year when we delivered them and she had a blast running from house to house, which made me feel super duper, so it was all good in the hood.

This year ARMOMMY has many more designs to pick from and my new personal favorite...

!!!!!!!


I volunteered to help with my son's Valentine party at school this year. I've been searching on line for a fun craft that will dry quick. Any ideas??? So far I've come up with this book mark from Martha Stewart. Not terribly exciting. Its been a challenge finding one that both boys and girls will enjoy.

Maybe have them make these hand Valentine's instead? As a parent, I would enjoy that. Years later we can compare sizes just as they are walking out the door to college and I'm a hot mess crying on the floor. Or maybe I'll be excited? I think Mom and Dad were excited to see their last baby GONE. ;-)

Instead of ordering the super sweet treat bags this year, I thought I might change it up and try my hand with these chocolate covered rice crispy treat pops. They look delicious! You can find them HERE.

Or maybe a new spin on an old classic cookie from bettycrocker.com...

I'm always trying to be "that girl" with at least one or two tasteful decorations around special holidays. Last year it was the sequined eggs and moss bunnies at Easter. This year I'm thinking these chalkboard hearts on a string, from World Market, are pretty sweet. 

Or if I'm feeling really ambitious, I could try my hand at this hugs and kisses wreath? 

Realistically, I'll prob just attempt to make garland out of these heart doilies I picked up at the grocery story this week and string them across the fireplace mantle.  Throw some red tapers in my candlesticks and call it a LOVE DAY y'all! I did pick up some vintage Valentine's Day cards this past summer to get crafty with but I cannot remember where I put them...maybe they'll show up next year.

I'd love to share with you what I'm making lover boy for Valentine's Day but he's a big fan of the blog and I don't want to spoil the surprise. If all goes according to plan, you'll definitely hear about it. 

Now go and get your love on! 

Peace, 

Jennifer 

xo

The Pacific Northwest files, part two...

Hello my sweet friends,

Slowly but surely I am coming out of the dark and stormy haze that came my way this month.  The privilege to write this blog for you is a big part of what lifts me up. Immediately the Dave Matthews song comes to mind, "pick me up love...from the bottom... up to the top love... everyday..."

I thought I'd continue where we left off on the trip I took back in December and share the pics from the Seattle leg of our travels. It was such a treat to finally visit this beautiful (!!!!) city I've read about my entire life. Vancouver, you're next!

A gorgeous shot taken from the train ride from Portland to Seattle. HIGHLY recommend the train and if I were serious about branding and marketing, I'd find a way to bring train travel back to its glory days in this country. Make it pretty, romantic, mysterious, sexy. I will say the decorum of the train we rode in had a great retro vibe which made it feel especially hip.

The first and lasting impression of Seattle I took with me - how so very SWEET AND GRACIOUS everyone was. Made friends everywhere we went.

Other lasting impressions:  the beauty of this part of the country, the incredible food ( its everywhere!) and the emphasis on the "craft" cocktail. The "speak easy" kinds of places that haven't quite made their way to the middle yet (I googled craft cocktail, speak easy, prohibition and one place popped up in the W downtown Atlanta). It's a total throwback vibe. All the bartenders wear suspenders and/or bow ties and take great pride and care in mixing the perfect cocktail for you. Just before presenting you with it, they slip a straw in to taste, making sure its just right. "I feel like I'm drinking a flower" shouted my friend Jilly. It was like watching and tasting art.

I dig this pic Jill took of Lara. I have a feeling her little girl Molly "Munch" is going to enjoy having this when she is older and can appreciate Mom traveling and living life. We love the Munch...

The interior of the Portland train station. Beautiful architecture.

Whenever I think about or see a train station, I can't help but think of the gorgeous train station that once was, in the City of Detroit. It lays in ruins now but was designed by the same individuals that built Grand Central Station. I'm holding out hope that one day it will be returned to its former glory.

You can see the striking resemblance to Grand Central. 

The owner of the Michigan Central Depot is the same billionaire that owns the Ambassador Bridge and who was recently put behind bars for not following a court order. I once wrote him a letter urging him to preserve and somehow resurrect the structure but no response. Deaf ears perhaps. 

(Via google images)

You know by now my love of creative window displays...esp those with a great message.

A green glass collection that rivals Marthas.

An excellent gallery wall display via WATSON KENNEDY. An amazing store where all these pics were taken. The place was stocked full of whimsy and "be happy" vibes. Thank you sweet ladies for allowing me to take pics. Nothing chaps my a@@ more when I walk into a store and there is a big sign that reads, "absolutely no photography!" Not even a please? How soon we forget one of the first lessons in life...sharing.

Took this one for the kiddos. Lava lamps and monster babies were on their list this past Christmas.

More whimsical window display via the experts, Anthropologie

Very cool. Very creative. Very Vuitton. 

Twinkle. 

Speaking of beautiful messages, walked out of the restaurant and right into this...some sweet soul wrote for others to read. Random acts of kindness are contagious. I texted it to lover boy and am quite certain many others had the same idea. 

The famous Pike Place Market. 

Throw the fish!!!

This picture doesn't even come close to doing these guys justice. They were like the size of petite filets, every single one. I couldn't help but think HOW LUCKY ARE YOU ALL THAT LIVE HERE!? No wonder everyone is so nice. You can walk down here anytime you want and pick up a fabulous meal for dinner time.

Biggest crab legs I have ever laid eyes on (again the pic just doesn't do it justice). They were as long as my arm! I leaned over to the person next to me and said, I don't know about you but I'd be downright scared to come up on that crab in the ocean. 

Heirloom heaven

It's like a beautiful Monet...

A crusty old scale. Would look great hanging over a kitchen counter doing double duty as a fruit bowl. 

The mushrooms made the trek back to Atlanta at that price.  

Along with some heirlooms and the amazing cheese they sell here. Made for a nice wine and cheese tray on the plane ride home. Had to take a pic of the logo. Love it. They just opened their second location in NYC. You can order the mac and cheese on line! 

The more color in your diet, the better, they say. 

Look at that beautiful Romanesco, a popular ingredient in these parts. Its so pretty it could stand alone as its own centerpiece. A few of these piled inside a wooden bowl would be gorgeous on a table. 

For the love of orange! Beep, beep. 

Standing under a gorgeous display of "snow fall" inside Anthropologie...

Mason jar snow globes. Maybe the kids and I will try to make one of these next year.

I love everything about this picture. I thought the floors were sweet with that hint of blue stone, the weathered beaten patina of the bench (would also make beautiful floors!) and the shaggy pillow. Can you say sucker for texture?

Some chevron sparkle. These reminded me of all the beautiful ornaments my Mother-in-law Jan gave us over the years. We miss her sparkle. Whatever life Grandma Jan was dishing out, we were eating it! xo

This was the coolest store and for the life of me I cannot remember the name. It was based out of London and had over 6,000 (!!!) vintage sewing machines in the Seattle store alone.

The floors in here were gorgeous as well. Look at all those vintage spools!

DIY necklace inspiration. I was digging the tones of the pink stones and thought to myself, ut oh, maybe mauve's making a comeback? 

LOVED this Marc by Marc Jacobs skirt while shopping at Nordstrom's flagship store. Sadly it did not make the trip back. Boo! 

The color and shine of this top made me think of gorgeous FULL drapes and the blue fur, some fun, funky accent pillows. Design inspiration is everywhere.

And this just rocked. With some high nude platform pumps. Yeow!

Saying goodbye to the beautiful Northwest corner of this great country...cheers!

This post is dedicated to my friend Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration, information and guiding light in the blogging world. I love my gig, many thanks to you!  xo