Valentine's Day through my iPhone

Valentine's Day started a day earlier for me. I got a box of macaroons and a Valentine's card for my big and she gave me chocolate-covered strawberries and the cutest vintagey card. That definitely got me through the night of studying for my midterm (yes, on Valentine's day). I got a single rose (for some reason, I don't like bouquets) and ate at Venus for lunch. Their sandwiches are amazing and the place was decked out in cutesy Valentine decorations - a really nice ambiance for a date. I totally ruined his plan of taking me to the botanical gardens since I visited during summer with my best friend. Oops! We killed some time on College Ave and Crossroads Trading Company. We finally watched The Vow, a movie I've been waiting for since senior year. Spoiler alert: the ending sucks, for lack of better words. Dinner was amazing - wow. We ate at Trattoria La Siciliana, which only served a "Menu di San Valentino." We got all the assortments of appetizers and main courses (pictures above!) and shared the tiramisu. He said he ordered tiramisu "in honor of my pledge name." Though dinner was on the pricier side, it was so worth it, and it was fun just hanging out with him for a whole day - something we haven't done in awhile. I love Valentine's day.

Happy Valentine's day to everyone!

happy Valentine's day to you!

happy Valentine's day!

this day always reminds me how lucky I am.

may we continue to create more memories

and spend each day pursuing not only one another's hearts,

but His heart.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2


<3

DIY card with pop-up heart

Valentine's Day usually passes by with a simple gram or text to my friends, but this year I wanted to make something for my closest friends to really show them how much I appreciate them. With the card, you can include a baggy with candy by stringing the card into the ribbon that holds the bag together. I'm posting so close to Valentine's Day because I didn't want them to see their cards prior to receiving. Anyway, here is the finished product and the how-to on making the card:

Materials needed: red and pink gift tissue paper, index cards (4x6), scissors, glue, writing utensils, and post-its

Step 1: Fold the index card in half. Then, using the index card as a prototype, cut the tissue paper in the same size and shape. Now, the tissue paper acts as a cover!

Step 2: Cut hearts from the red tissue paper. The size is really up to you, but keep in mind, it will be popping out from your index card so don't make it too big or too small!

Step 3: Write on the inside of your index card before you decorate. Get creative with your Valentine's cards...I chose to come up with the top 3 reasons why I love my friends.

Step 4: Fold post-its (preferably, thin bookmark post-its) into little steps. On the top, glue the heart. Now, you have a pop-up heart on your Valentine's card. If you'd like a little something more on your card, add a little tag. I used a regular index card and cut out a rectangular (again, size depends on your preference). Then, cut out a small triangle on both or one side. After writing the name, glue the tag onto the front of the card.

Because I'm also mailing a card to my best friend, I made envelopes (courtesy to Oh Happy Day). With each envelope, I put "confetti" to make it festive. Free printables are found on her site and can be used with any occasion. It adds a little style to your snail mail!

Materials needed: ruler, hole puncher, yarn, and envelope printables {Oh Happy Day}

Step 1: Get colored paper (I used post-its of white, pink, and blue color for convenience) and hole-punch as many "confetti" circles as you'd like. An alternative for this step would be buying actual confetti from your local convenience store. Then, drop all into your envelopes!

Step 2: If you're using regular envelopes, simply hole-punch on the top center and use the yarn (shown above) to tie a bow. To tie a perfect bow, check out Late Afternoon's tutorial. Although she applies it to clothing, the same concept works for this! After you tie the bow, you're done and ready to mail out your lovely cards. (Again, if you'd like to include a little tag,

Love is in the air

...a couple days early!

Livingwater celebrated Valentine's Day with amazing food and company.

I learned to waltz and cha-cha with my ballroom dancer

What a great way to start off the weekend!

{the freshmen girls + photobombers in the back}