I wish everyone a day filled with love. If you are looking for something to bake for your loved ones, you could get inspired by desserts from Martha Stewart.

+ Making your own heart ice cream sandwich is not complicated. Simply bake chocolate cookies in the heart shape. And spread a thick layer of your favorite ice cream. Find here her Chocolate-Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich recipe.

+ If you have more time, nobody will be able to resist your chocolate eclair hearts.

You might also like these posts

You will find on Sweet Paul the recipe to bake 30 Valentine lollipops that will please anyone. I love the look of the candy heart center. I know that I want one. I like how he styled them in small glasses.

+ Valentine Lollipops by Sweet Paul – photo by Frances Janisch

You might also like these posts

If you are not ready or if you already gave her the Tiffany blue box, here is another signature blue box that will please her this Valentine. I like the drawings on the artisanal chocolates. It is common these days to see design like the chocolates made by Christopher Elbow. The MarieBelle chocolates gain points for being more cheerful and adorable.

You can buy it online from MarieBelle Chocolates or find at a retailer near you that carry the collection. I spotted this gift idea on Parcel Post, the blog of Urbanic Paper, a boutique in Venice, California. I wish to leave a message to my dear husband. I saw on the store listing that it may be available at Indigo.

A must-go in SoHo

I noted on my agenda a visit to the Cacao Bar and Tea Salon that is inside their retail space in SoHo. Their line of hot chocolate seems awesome and many rave about it. Another idea is to sit down for a nice cacao at their Parisian style salon. It is on the pricey side but indulgences are in order on Valentine’s Day.

+ MarieBelle Chocolates

You might also like these posts

A cute alternative to the chocolate box for Valentine’s Day or a wedding are these Love Letters cookies by Elini’s.  The box of cookies comes in three formats: small (4 hearts, 4 letters), medium and large. The large box contains 16 hearts, 12 letters and 4 envelopes. If you

+ Love Letters Cookies start at $45 for 8 cookies up to $105 for 32 cookies

You might also like these posts

I love the Valentine’s Day gift box designed by Blue Cupcake. Her owl cupcakes look so adorable. The dozen cupcakes comes with a lady own, a mister cupcake plus cupcakes decorated with a group of flowers or a heart. The 12 cupcakes come a gift box with a personalized card. This is all yours for $40.

Pick-up is available from their bakery in Van Nuys. Since you already know that I am a huge fan of Bleu Cupcake, seeing those made me wish that I was living in the Los Angeles area.

+ photo: Blue Cupcake

You might also like these posts

Pure linen table linens are my favorite. Their simple elegance never go out of style. A set of napkins with a table linen makes a gift that will be appreciated for years to come. Think about it for a birthday, a housewarming party, a wedding or even as a Valentine’s Day gift.

For the napkins, you could opt for her Manner Napkins set which reminds everyone of 6 table manners. And there is a limited edition for Valentine with loving words. Those are made by Missy, a mother of five who sells on Etsy. She named her etsy shop after her the name of her fifth child, Betsy Grace. She also make matching tea towels.

SOURCING:
+ Linen Table Runner Personalized With Your Initial $24 USD
+ Manners Napkins Set of 6 in Linen Willow Color $36 for 6

You might also like these posts

Bring the cottage feel to your dinner table with a winter centerpiece.  I imagine this look for a romantic dinner this Valentine if you plan a weekend near ski cottage.

To reproduce this look, cut all the branches the same height. Then, plant the cut branches on floral foam bricks for fresh flowers.  You can place the floral foam inside aluminum pans, if your decorative container is not waterproof. The every day aluminum pans work well since you can adjust them to fit inside your container. Plus, they are easy to cut if you need to reduce their height. Do you worry about the inside look since the branches will hide any imperfections.

Make sure to use a tall votive candle holder for safety. I captured these at the Interior Design Show this weekend. Sadly, I can not recall at which booth.

You might also like these posts

Look at this adorable cake by LA-based Julie Desmeules of Blue Cupcake. She made this Snoopy Valentine cake for a friend of a friend. It is lovely!

Penguin Cupcakes

It is incredible how time flies. Not long along, it was less than 2 months ago that I was talking about the Holidays season. If you remove the red Christmas ornaments, her Holidays penguin cupcakes would fit into any winter celebrations.

Julie also made surfer penguins for the New Year and the cute vintage penguins in luau for a birthday party.

CREDITS:
+ images by Blue Cupcakes

You might also like these posts

My husband knows that I prefer receiving my favorite flowers instead of the cliché roses for Valentine’s Day. It is not for nothing that the new logo of At Home with Kim Vallee showcases a tulip. By the way, I aim to publish the revamped blog by the end of March 2009.

About the Bouquet

Tulips in orange tones please me even more. Harmonizing the orange tulips with the red tulips, a red anthurium and a second waxy flower stem stay within the Valentine theme. Other choices would have been to mix red or orange amaryllis with the tulips.

We both love cats. Sadly, my bouquet fascinated the kitten too much. It felt once already. Besides spilling water no harm was done.

You might also like these posts

I wish you all the love in this day. I wanted all week to show the free bag template from Twig & Thistle. Kathleen suggests baking a batch of brownies. Cut them with a heart cookie cutter.

Customize your packaging with her adorable DIY Sweetheart Brownie Valentine. This is something you can easily do this afternoon. Otherwise, keep in mind the small details like the scallop top for an upcoming party favors.

Greeting Cards

Lucky Hello! produces the cutest letterpress greeting cards. Many bloggers spotlighted the I’m Nuts for You card over the last two weeks. I think it is so cute. The bubble greeting card would be of circumstance if it was not of the Happy Birthday mention.

I wish you a day filled with love for this Valentine’s Day.

SOURCING:
+ Nuts For You by Hello Lucky! $4.50 USD
+ Bubble Bath by Hello Lucky! $4.50 USD

You might also like these posts

+ Appetizer: Make it easy and prepare canapés. Champagne and foie gras canapés are a classic. If you wish to indulge, you can opt for a caviar style tasting with Champagne or cold vodka. Instead of the real thing, serve an assortment of salmon roe, whitefish roe plus domestic sturgeon that you can find at your local fine food shop. Dean & Deluca has a gift set with other of Pearl caviar spoons.

+ Entree: The Mediterranean Shaved Veal with Lemon Potato Puree and Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Compote by Anthony Sedlak is a great main course. I would serve the salad after the main dish. You can watch the episode online on FoodTV.ca; look for Season 4 of The Main.

+ Dessert: Serve with coffee or tea these adorable small chocolate cakes in wine cork shape. The bouchon mold is sold at William-Sonoma. Instead of the confectioners’ sugar, you can sprinkle fleur de sel and a dash of fruity olive oil.

If you do not have time to get the bouchon mold, you can simulate the effect with a pop over pan. Even a mini muffin mold with a waxed paper wrapping to eliminate the muffin cap will create a nice effect. See my muffin presentation to learn how to do it.

SOURCING:
+ Glass Caviar Server $35 USD
+ Buckwheat Blini $15 USD
+ Dean & Deluca American Roe Sampler gift set $150 USD
+ image of Mediterranean Shaved Veal with Lemon Potato Puree and Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Compote taken from The Main
+ Bouchon Mold and Bouchon Mix mold $29.95 USD, mix+mold $42
+ Chicago Metallic Gourmetware Nonstick 6-Cup Popover Pan $17.99 USD

You might also like these posts

Valentine’s Day is an ideal time to relax with your lover. Some people opt for a getaway trip; others book a table at a nice restaurant.

Another way is to prepare a good meal together. This year, we are lucky that Valentine’s Day falls a Saturday, which give you time to cook a little during the day.

Creating a mood with candles and flowers

For an ideal evening, design your table with groupings of two. For diversity, use an even number of candles. Mixing two pairs of glass candleholders adds elegance. Another romantic option is a 4-arm or 6-arm candelabrum. You do not have to go traditional. The Umbra Chorus Candelabra designed by Karim Rashid would be as charming.

Flowers are important on Valentine’s Day. Order or do it yourself two centerpieces.

Learn how to do this spiral red Amaryllis bouquet from the Holland Flower Council. Add a modern twist by using a red acrylic cube as a vase.

If you are looking for more affordable, go for the Pushing Daisies centerpiece that I shown earlier. Even the orange and roses centerpieces that I saw at the IDS09 can be your inspiration.

For dinner, prepare a meal that delicious but that will not keep you all night in the kitchen. Why not cook the main dish and the first course together? Make in advance a playlist filled with romantic or lounge style music so you do not have to take care of the music all night.

SOURCING:
+ Juliette Candleholders $19.95 – $29.95 USD
+ Anya Candleholders $24.95 – $34.95 USD
+ Umbra Chorus Candelabra $145 CAD
+ spiral red Amaryllis bouquet from the Holland Flower Council

You might also like these posts