Weekly Love Letter for Friday, February 13th

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“Years ago, a Japanese chocolatier found out about Valentine’s Day.  Apparently his English wasn’t great (or maybe it was, come to think of it, and he was just really clever), however, because he misinterpreted how it works.  Valentine’s Day in Japan is a day when women give chocolate to the men in their lives.  A big box for your boyfriend, a medium-sized box for your boss (because he’s almost certainly male in Japan) and friends, and smaller boxes for other male coworkers.  People spend a fortune on these gifts.  Sound unfair? Well, just wait a month.  White Day is a made-up Japanese retail holiday on March 14th when the men have to give something BACK to any of the women who gave them chocolates.  But this gift has to be worth more than what the women gave you.  Way to milk an extra holiday out of our wallets, Japan.”

*This chestnut fettuccine! Not only does the recipe sound amazing, but the illustrated pasta maker is adorable.

*Who wants to make this vanilla caramel latte cake for me?

*Hannah at The Homesteady made a spectacular DIY cupcake box.

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“You know what costs a lot of money? LAWNMOWERS. Especially when you have a patch of grass and not a football field. And, look, I know what I’m good at. When we signed the lease for our new place I told my boyfriend that contrary to my love of container gardens, I’m not signing on for lawn care. My solution? A gardener! (Spoiler: I didn’t get one.)

We spent several hours going over our choices this weekend at various home stores. Which is tough when, well, you’d really rather spend $300 on steak dinners and glitter. By the end of the day I asked about Craigslist, an option that he’d claimed wasn’t really cheaper. Except I logged on and found about 4 options in a 10 mile radius under $100.

Happy Valentine’s Day, S.  I got you a $25 lawnmower on Craigslist.”

* Mapiful creates your own personally designed maps! 

* 10 Things You Should Know Before Getting Into a Relationship with Someone Who Loves Food.

* I went to the BEST party last weekend, a Galentine’s Day Soiree hosted by Annie!    Check out her adorable recap post here (There’s a giveaway!  Also- yes, it really WAS that gorgeous.) and stalk all the Instagram captures using the #galentinesdaysoiree hastag.  (Psst, Alyssa & Carla sponsored some goodies for the event!  A glimpse here and available in the shop here!)

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One year ago: A raspberry and chocolate beer cocktail.  Perfect if you are unfortunate enough to have a significant other who doesn’t love champagne.  Not that we know anything about that 🙁 

 

 

Style Motivation included our “I Love You More Than…” Valentine in their 20 Lovely Last-Minute DIY Valentines roundup.

Savvy Sassy Moms included our Blueberry Exfoliating Mask in their roundup of DIY Face Masks to Pamper Your Skin.

Hosting or attending a Galentine’s Day party?  Our DIY wine ombre cork trivet is a great project to do with your girlfriends.  Here are 5 fun activities for a memorable day.