Valentine Gift Guide 2016

Valentine's day is in about 2 weeks, not to add any pressure or worry to you. Just a friendly reminder that you need to get cracking on planning something sweet and special for  your loved ones.

For me, Valentine's day isn't just for our partners, but for everyone we love, our family and friends too. I like to send a little special something to everyone who has a place in my heart and let them know I am thinking about them.

I have been already planning on some sweet treats I am going to be baking and fun crafts I am going to be making in the upcoming week to give to friends and loved ones.

Many people think Valentine's Day is just a made up day and excuse for consumerism, and hey there might be a chance that this long-time tradition has been going on for so long because of that, but any day we celebrate love is a good day to me. As some of you might already know, I usually celebrate Valentine's day about a week before. I have gone out on Valentine's Day before and I always feel rushed and the crowds kill me every time. So after 14 years together we just like to spend a night in, order out, make homemade popcorn, watch a movie, and indulge in chocolate, that's the perfect night for me.

As I am planning little surprise Valentine gifts and boxes to send to loved ones, I made a small list of some gift ideas, some classic options like chocolates and some with a unique twist like the adorable Moschino teddy bear perfume. It's two gifts in one, really. Its a cute bear and a perfume once you rip his head off.

‘Moschino Toy’ Eau de Toilette - Fashion Designer and Creative Director Jeremy Scott created this unique eau de toilette as a nod to his and house founder Franco Moschino's unabashed love of teddy bears. Who knew? And the scent is unisex, so ladies, you can also give this bear to your guys.

Candy Hearts Banner - Make Valentine's Day a little party with this cute banner that you can hang in your office, or you can make one yourself to decorate the table with sweet treats. I think a lovely idea is to surprise your loved one with decorations, like heart shaped balloons.

Heart and Arrow Stud Earrings -  Jewelry is a traditional gift to give on Valentine's day. This cute set of stud earrings from Kate Spade New York is a cute heart and arrow. Mix and match stud earrings is the new cool thing to do, so I hear, I haven't personally tried it, but if I am, I would do it with these.

bkr Glass Water Bottle - bkr releases a limited edition glass water bottles every season. And this is an adorable one. I drink over 65 ounces of water a day, it's a constant goal of mine. I make tiny games in my mind on how much water I need to drink before lunch time. Drinking water is imperative, and something I bet you need to do much more of. Did you know that once you feel thirsty, that means you are already dehydrated? This bottle is BPA-free, phthalate-free and holds a whopping 32 fl. oz, that means you only need to drink two bottles of these a day.

Printable Valentine's Day Fortune Cookies - This is my absolutely favorite and it's free. There are four pre-written fortunes range from romantic to racy, while the other four are left blank so you can write your own little fortune for your loved one.

To assemble the cookie, simply print the cookie shapes and fortune strips, read the included directions for folding and filling, and add a dab of glue to finish.

Order Chinese food, and replace their fortune cookies with these. There might be room for a little gift in there too.

What I Love About You by My Book - Sweet and personal, this small hardcover book spells out exactly what you love about a special someone. Complete each page's fill-in-the-blank responses and simple prompts with racy disclosures or heartfelt sentiments, and you have the perfect personalized keepsake. I would also tuck in some photos.

Stella McCartney Lips iPhone 6 Case -  This iPhone case is just plain fun to give to a friend or sister on Valentine's day with a bunch of chocolate lips.

Godiva - So I have a confession to make. Dang it. I love chocolate. Who doesn't? I eat chocolate everynight, please don't tell my Taekwondo Master. And I have a special little place in my heart for Godiva chocolates. There are just so many yummy truffles that they make. This little box comes with 15 heart-shaped chocolates and truffles.

Christmas

I got a late start decorating the house for Christmas, and though I usually have the house decorated right after Day of the Dead, this year I ran behind big time, it may have been the warm weather leading up to the holidays( we had like 70 degree weather on Christmas day) or the fact I was finishing up a film project that was taking up all of my free time for months, finished a Taekwondo competition, and started horseback riding. So the holidays crept up on me and though it is out of the norm for me, I was behind decorating for the holidays and shopping for the holidays.

While the weather was warm and sunny, I made hot cocoa with marshmallows in these adorable vintage inspired reindeer mugs from Pottery Barn, to get me in the holiday spirit.

I was gifted this beautiful red cardinal from my mom who knows how much I love this little bird and now it sits on top of my bird and woodland inspired tree, which is filled with little red cardinals.

I found these cute gray deer ornaments at Target and had to grab a few. I missed out on the huge gray deers they had which would have been perfect for the fireplace mantle. Which reminds me, have you gone to Target lately? Because all Christmas decorations are like 80% off. I've been eyeing a silver advent calendar for month, and they had the gold one available for only $10, I had to grab it, but I haven't made my mind up about it yet because most of my decor at home is nickle or silver finish. 

I also received a little vintage elf from Japan from Yanni, who knew I found it adorable when I first spotted it in a local vintage shop. It looks like an original Elf on the Shelf, but this one is definitely cuter.

I spent the holidays and New Years with my family. It was so wonderful to spend uninterrupted time with them. I definitely over indulged in sweet treats, and I received some thoughtful and meaningful gifts that I will treasure for the rest of my life. The holidays are meant for a time to spend with family and/or friends. And when I look back at the holidays it is not the gift giving that I remember, the memories I hold and cherish is the time I spend with my family, the laughs we share, the smiles I see on their faces. These are the moments I treasure the most and everything else is just an icing on the cake. I hope you all have a lovely holiday and I want to wish you a very Happy New Year!