We ♥ Sweet Lulu

The first time we stumbled upon this next shop we literally felt like kids in a candy store! Sweet Lulu, founded by Jessie Senese, is pure party bliss!  Filled with products to compliment any occasion, you could not possibly visit her shop and leave empty handed! From striped and polka dot straws to cupcake liners in all colors and patterns to beautiful cake stands to display your sweetest sweets, Sweet Lulu has it all! Jessie just happens to be as sweet as they come too and is offering one lucky reader a 25.00 gift certificate! Just leave us a comment on what your favorite item in her shop is... if you can choose just one! We will pick a winner at random and announce them on our blog Monday! Be sure to leave your email address with your comment!

Cake or Cupcakes for Valentine's Night !?!

This year, I’m making red velvet cakes-in-a-jar with vanilla frosting and lots of sprinkles.  Since Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday, I can send them to school with my kids for a sweet treat in their lunch boxes.

Was the best Valentine's Day gift you ever got homemade or store bought!?!
 Definitely homemade.  I have saved every Valentines card my kids have ever made me.  

Favorite Valentine's Day color combination?
 No question: Pink and gold!

What language do you think LOVE sounds most beautiful in!?! 
 je t’aime.  It’s the only French I know! 

Favorite Valentine's Day DIY!?!

 I have a collection of vintage children’s valentines that I love to play with – the artwork is so sweet and charming! This year, I’d like to make this!

Favorite romantic movie?
 Love Actually

Favorite chocolate?
 dark chocolate pixies from Fannie May

Favorite flowers?
Pink peonies

Anything special your hoping to get this Valentine's Day?
My husband just surprised me with a pink sapphire and diamond ring – so I think I’m all set this year!

Favorite Valentine's related pin on pinterest?
 I am madly in love with our Love is Sweetinspiration shoot! 

Thank you SO much Jessie!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
xoxo ♥

We ♥ Kate Landers

Being one of the sweetest people we know, we thought Valentine’s Day would be the perfect time to feature our next guest. She is kind of like the fairy godmother of the party world, she is our dear friend Kate Landers! Adding a touch of magic to pretty much everything she creates, Kate is an extraordinary party stylist and designer. No detail goes untouched, as she designs timeless children’s parties that can be enjoyed and appreciated for years and years to come. Kate’s graceful and sweet spirit is apparent is most everything she does and we are thrilled to have her here today!

{All parties created ans styled by Kate Landers} 

Mermaid Party 

New Year's Eve 

Wizard of Oz 

Sip and See 

Nutcracker 

Noah's First Birthday 

Noah's Baby Dedication

Cake or Cupcakes for Valentine's Night !?!

My goal is to make my husband Ryan a bundt cake with pink frosting! If that fails, we will walk over to Whole Foods to grab desserts to go. We will likely split a fresh fruit tart, chocolate chip cannoli and eclair.

Was the best Valentine's Day gift you ever got homemade or store bought!?!

Well anything from Ryan or Noah, of course! One of those gift that stands out was a dried maple leaf with a Shakespearean quote handwritten on it. I love Shakespeare!

Favorite Valentine's Day color combination? 

Light pink and cerise...though I love the new trendy combos like blush and gold or emerald and soft pink!

What language do you think LOVE sounds most beautiful in!?!
I should probably know more languages to answer this question! Hearing "love" from my husband, especially when he said it for the first time when we were dating, seemed like the most beautiful thing to me!

Favorite Valentine's Day DIY!?! 

Handmade Valentine's, of course! Love using handmade paper and using metallic pens to hand write notes on.

Favorite romantic movie?

The Notebook. Swoon. {and this has NOTHING to do with it--but soon after we had Noah, we watched The Notebook for the 100th time one evening, realizing that dreamy Ryan Gosling was named Noah in the movie!}

Favorite chocolate?
I love fine chocolate truffles from a boutique on Newbury Street in Boston, oversized chocolate-dipped strawberries...and having grown up in California, I have a soft spot for Sees Candies...their pink coconut bon bons are a major favorite!

Favorite flowers?
Peonies.

Anything special your hoping to get this Valentine's Day?
A "Mommy" valentine from Noah (since it is still so new to me!). I think I am more excited to give Ryan his gift this year, and to give Noah his little treats!

Favorite Valentine's related pin on pinterest?

This is tough! Cannot think of just one. Anything on my pinterest board for Valentine's day!

Thank you SO much Kate!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
xoxo ♥

We ♥ Studio DIY

Please welcome another one of our new friends, Kelly of Studio DIY! Kelly’s blog had us at hello! It’s the kind of blog you want to devote an entire pinterest page to. Every day Kelly features festive, fun and unique DIYs. Studio DIY is colorful and playful, it just screams ‘celebrate’! Its such an exciting place to visit every day! If you want to blast your day with confetti and sunshine check out Studio DIY!

{All photos and projects via Studio DIY} 

conversation hear pinatas

food picks

costumes 

embroidered hats

honeycomb party invites

gold heart pinata

balloon surprise

Cake or Cupcakes for Valentine's Night !?!

Cake. The bigger the better, and the icing-to-cake ratio is far superior!

Was the best Valentine's Day gift you ever got homemade or store bought!?!

Every year my mom sends me a big ol’ box of Valentine goodies and craft supplies (Do you see where I get it from!?) and I always look forward to seeing what little surprises she’s tucked in there! 

Favorite Valentine's Day color combination?
Gold, gold and more gold. This year I’ve been pairing it with hot pink or mint and peach! I can’t stick to just one!

What language do you think LOVE sounds most beautiful in!?!
So should I go out on a limb here and say... French? Cliché as it as, we all know it’s true!

Favorite Valentine's Day DIY!?!
For a Valentine’s Day shoot this year I made a giant (Giant!) gold mylar heart piñata, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever made! I’m working on convincing my boyfriend, Jeff, to let us hang it permanently in our house and I’m happy to report I’ve made significant progress. 

Favorite romantic movie?

The Holiday! I could watch that movie all day, every day and can quote the entire thing to prove it!

Favorite chocolate?
I’m going to go with anything covered in chocolate. Trader Joe’s has quite the selection. Chocolate covered s’mores? Well, I don’t mind if I do.

Favorite flowers?
.Without a doubt, peonies. I fully intend to plan my wedding some day around when they’re in season. I love them that much.
Anything special your hoping to get this Valentine's Day?
Jeff and I (surprisingly) keep Valentine’s Day pretty low key, though I did put in a few hints for one of these fringey heart kites! Yes, I’m totally serious. I’m actually a five year old stuck in a twenty-something’s body!

Favorite Valentine's related pin on pinterest?

I’m loving these date night valentine arrows from my girl Ashley at Sugar & Cloth! It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Thank you SO much Kelly!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
xoxo ♥

We ♥ Sweetapolita

We are sure you are all familiar with our next friend, who just happens to be somewhat of a confectionery genius! It’s our sweet friend, Rosie of Sweetapolita! Truly an extraordinary artist, Rosie is a talented baker, decorator and photographer! Sweetapolita is such a charming blog with a nostalgic twist! A wife and momma, Rosie’s blog always feels like a celebration and is full of tons of sweet memories for her little 'cakelets'!

{All photos and sweets via Sweetapolita}

boxed chocolate mini cakes 

pastel meringue nests

artist palette cookies 

lavender and lemon cloud cupcakes 

love letter cookies

little cakelet

black velvet cupcakes with cherry cream cheese frosting

Cake or Cupcakes for Valentine's Night Dessert!?!
I'd have to say without a doubt, cake. I love  cupcakes but there's something about Valentine's Day that makes sharing a cake a must-especially a dark, gooey chocolate one!

Was the best Valentine's Day gift you ever got homemade or store bought!?! 

I'm a sucker for my 5-year-old's homemade heart shaped Valentine's. She adorns them with glitter, stickers, doodles, and of course, the word "Mom" in pink sparkly letters.

Favorite Valentine's Day color combination?
Pastel pink and red!

What language do you think LOVE sounds most beautiful in!?!
French for certain. Who does not get tingly when they hear the word "amour?"

Favorite Valentine's Day DIY!?!
I adore these Cupid Arrow  Cupcake and Treat Bag Toppers from Creature of Comforts. They're beyond cute and super simple to make! 

Favorite romantic movie?

Amélie

Favorite chocolate?

While I have to admit that the chocolates I was lucky enough to try at La Maison du Chocolat in Paris many years ago were the best I’ve ever had, I’m really not a chocolate snob most days of the week – any premium chocolate infused with mint has a good chance at stealing my heart. 

Favorite flowers?
Pink peonies.

Anything special your hoping to get this Valentine's Day?

I was lucky enough to receive an early Valentine’s Day gift from my husband – a pastel pink watch that I’ve been wanting for quite some time (I think a watch is one of the most romantic gifts you can get!), but I will say that a quiet night alone with him (and cake for two) would make me so happy. 

Favorite Valentine's related pin on pinterest?

I feel in love with this Valentine's Day Booth-my little cakelets are 3 and 5, and they would give anything to do this (if only we weren't buried in snow this time of year).

Thank you SO much Rosie!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
xoxo ♥

We ♥ Sugar and Cloth

A while back we did a series called Inspirational Women's Week. We featured women who really inspired us as we were starting our business. {You can read about it here, here, here, here, here and here}.
We thought it would be fun to revisit that idea for Valentine's Day week in a series called "We ♥". We have
teamed up with some great friends {new and old} to celebrate what they do best! We even had them answer some fun questions to get us in the Valentine's Day spirit!

Today we are celebrating one of our new friends, Ashley Rose of Sugar and Cloth! Ashley is an amazing designer and creator of all things beautiful! She oozes creativity and is super passionate about what she does! Sugar and Cloth is like an explosion of happiness, we are always so excited to see what Ashley has in store for her readers! We love Sugar and Cloth's beautifully designed blog, inspired DIYs, amazing finds and super sweet treats! Sugar and Cloth adds a lot of sparkle to our day and we know Ashley's blog will a some to yours too!

{all photos and project credits Sugar and Cloth, click on links to see full DIYs}
xo gift wrap
love letter scroll
glittering cookies 
heart shaped donuts 
ice cream cupcakes 
fancy frill balloons

We asked Ashley some ♥ day themed questions...do you can get to know the person behind Sugar and Cloth a little bit better!

Cake or Cupcakes for Valentine's Night Dessert!?! 
    Cupcakes, always!

Favorite Valentine's Day color combination? 
   Mint green, red and hot pink!

What language do you think LOVE sounds most beautiful in!?! 
   Hmm, maybe French? I'm German and its definitely not German, haha!

Favorite Valentine's Day DIY!?! 
  So far this heart balloon surprise is my favorite Valentine this year!

Favorite romantic movie? 
  Either The Holiday or The Notebook

Favorite chocolate? 
   Andes mint chocolates!

Favorite flowers? 
   Peonies, no doubt!

Anything special your hoping to get this Valentine's Day? 
   I'm secretly hoping we get our new house, to be honest, ha!

Favorite Valentine's related pin on pinterest?
   This one, but I've been in love with this one for so long that I'd be more than happy to make it a Valentine!

Thank you SO much Ashley!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
xoxo ♥