Because Red's birthday is on Valentines' Day, we limit our Valentine's celebration to the morning (I like to make the rest of the day his day).  To make our special breakfast just a little more special, I made these Valentine's mugs with mugs we already owned.  This is quite possibly the easiest and cheapest DIY I've done yet.  All you need is a porcelain marker and a couple white mugs.  I then baked them in the oven at 300 for 30 minutes so that they would be dishwasher safe.  Using words from a favorite poem, our homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows will be all the sweeter this year. 

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It's taken me a while to do a Valentine's Day post because I have so many mixed feelings about the holiday.  On one hand, I love an excuse to celebrate the special people in my life.  But on the other, I dislike the cheesy part of the holiday.  It often feels like for every holiday/special occasion, our culture becomes especially materialistic.  Valentine's Day is no exception.  I love the idea of celebrating Valentines Day creatively.....making it less about money spent and more about the person/people celebrating it with.  We have a very light Valentine's Day celebration over here because it also happens to be Red's birthday...coincidentally one of my favorite days of the year.

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And of course, some Vaentine's Day macaroons:

After browsing through Rue's February issue (finally), what caught my eye the most was this stunning home near San Francisco.  It's the perfect blend of old and new.   Read more about this dreamy space here. 

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Just some snapshots from my life ....I recently discovered Afterglow (I know, I know....I'm so slow with these things) and I'm a little obsessed. 

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A recent trip to Ottawa, this city is so underrated in my opinion....