In my search for the perfect Valentine’s Day party cocktails, I came across these lovelies on the Grey Goose site…

Clockwise from top left, we’ve got:

• A Passionate Affair mixes Grey Goose L’Orange with cranberry, passion fruit and lime juice
• La Vie En Rose combines Grey Goose with vintage port, rose champagne and a raspberry foam (how amazing would this be with a decadent chocolate raspberry tart?)
• Fireside Martini Cocktail has maraschino and pomegranate liquers, triple sec, vermouth and bitters
• Carlyle Cocktail is another L’Orange drink with Campari, amaretto and orange juice

For something a little less on-theme (but still decadently romantic) I’m loving these two, from left to right:

• Evening Nectar is a blend of L’Orange and orange brandy with honey, citrus juices and star anise
• La Poire Onctueuse mixes Grey Goose La Poire (pear-flavored vodka) with chocolate and hazelnut liquers, cream and a grated nut garnish.

I can’t get over the gorgeous photography – each drink looks so perfectly delicious.

I’m starting my Valentine’s Day projects off with an easy and versatile DIY: lace-wrapped votive candles.

DIY steps for these lacy candle holders are everywhere out there (and totally easy anyway) so I won’t bore you with a ton of details – but I did want to give you a few good shots of how pretty and romantic they look when all lit up.

All you need to do is measure your lace, cut to size, wrap around your votive and secure. I used double-sided scrapbooking tape, but hot glue works well too. As for the lace, this is a perfect project to use up any leftover pieces you may have from other projects. I like to buy fabric and lace remnants on Etsy – it’s affordable and eco-friendly. Lace- and tissue-style paper would work perfectly, too.

Of course, I couldn’t stop with clear glass and white lace. (Okay, now they might be looking a lot like Christmas – maybe a little too much red and white!)

Even if you do nothing else that’s “new” for your Valentine’s Day table, these will make an adorable little statement all by themselves. I think they’ll fit in perfectly with my decor plan!

I’m in the midst of planning for Valentine’s Day dinner with my husband – our first one in our first home. The goal is a romantic dinner for two on our patio… with just a few decorative touches that I can make, gather from around the house, or buy cheaply at local stores.

{Bud vase from The Knot, tea towels from Country Living, ‘happy in love’ letters from Parcel, paper-wrapped votives from Martha Stewart, calligraphed valentine from Neither Snow via Design*Sponge, Amore print from LINEA CARTA, chocolate soufflé cakes from Cooking Light on MyRecipes, table setting from Real Simple}

The intensity of red next to the tealish-turquoise blue really speaks to me, and I think it’s sweet (and maybe french-inspired?) without being too girly. I’ve got a few projects up my sleeve to go with this color palette – I’ll be showing them to you next week! What are your plans for the holiday?

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it seems fitting to take a look at some older “love” postage stamps. Using vintage postage on wedding invitations has been a trend for some time now, and I adore the look – I just wish they were easier to find! Here are some sources.

Love with Roses and Puppy Love

Love in Flowers, Pin Heart with Doves

Candy Hearts, Abstract Multi-color Love, Pop Art Love

Hope you enjoyed our week of Super Bowl party inspiration! In case you missed it:

• What’s your party style – Football Geek or Miami Chic?
• We’re serving an upscale menu based on game day favorites & a bit of Miami flair
• Saints and Colts Cocktail Flags are a fun and easy project for the big game
• And don’t miss our Football Whoopie Pies!

One last little detail for you – remember those penalty flags on our Miami Chic inspiration board?

We wrapped ours up with a whistle and lanyard for a cute favor-and-napkin combo… a fun way to put out your napkins on game day. Add a little thank you tag and you’re set.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Okay, here’s the treat I promised earlier in our Super Bowl Party Menu post.

Ohh, yes – Football Whoopie Pies. How can you resist!?

I really wanted to incorporate pumpkin – it’s a great fall/winter flavor that goes perfectly with my idea of football season – so I used this recipe from Bon Appétit with just a few changes: To get a darker brown color (more similar to a football) I substituted dark brown sugar instead of the golden, and sifted about ¼ cup of cocoa into the dry ingredients.

The key here is finding a mini egg shaped pan. Apparently Wilton used to make them, but now they’re discontinued. I found mine on ebay (like this one here) and there is a larger and pricier version at Bakedeco.com. You might be able to find them at your local craft or baking supply store.

Make the batter according to the recipe (and my changes) then scoop them into your well-greased pan – nearly full, with tops as smooth as you can get ‘em. 18 minutes at 350 was perfect for me, so you might want to start checking them around 16 – 18 minutes – they’re done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean.

To fill and decorate them, cut each cake in half and gently brush off any large crumbs. Put a big dollop of crème on the bottom half (enough to scare you a little bit) then put the top on and gently push down. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect – you can clean around the edge with a butter knife and make it pretty.

Use a pasty bag with a small round tip to pipe on the laces. I’m not the world’s greatest cake decorator, so I used a toothpick to fix my lines. Feel free to do the same, and don’t worry if they’re not perfect. No one will notice as they stuff it in their mouth and grab another one. Yum!

They are soft and moist, with the perfect subtle pumpkin flavor. Not too sweet, not too spicy – just right. And could they be any cuter?

Hope you enjoy!