I love Valentine’s Day…it’s a day devoted to celebrating candy, pink, hearts, glitter…basically all of my favorite things.  This year I had a few girlfriends over to enjoy wine, cheese and crafts, and even though we said No Boys Allowed wed, we had some (very adorable) party crashers

Food & Drink:  

Cheese boards & Wine pairings: 

Lauren Conrad’s party planning Bible “Celebrate” gives perfect suggestions for building the ultimate charchuterie. She says to have a mix of hard and soft cheese, salty meats, crackers and bread, fruit for softer cheeses, and palate cleansers such as almonds or raisins.  I decided to do 5 different pairings, but encouraged people to mix and match as desired!  When I shopped for wine, I tried to pick out the most Valentinesy sounding names, and made sure to get 2 of each in case my alcoholic friends drank a bottle themselves.

Chardonnay, Brie, Proscuitto, Grapes & Fig Spread

Sauvignon Blanc, Bleu, Peppered Salami, Almonds

Pinot Grigio, Goat Cheese, Peaches

Merlot, Gouda, Jamon, Olives

Cabernet Sauvignon, Fontina, Serrano, Capers

Also at the end of the night, Aimee and I made fondue…because…well, that’s what we do.  We eat.

Dessert Buffet:

Cupcakes, cannoli chips & dip, brownies chocolate fondue, and of course, every girls favorite, Krispy Kreme donuts 🍩

Love Drunk Punch:

 One part pink lemonade to one part orange juice to one part 7 up (I also made a batch with cherry 7 up).  Guests can build their own cocktail with vodka or champagne, or enjoy a non alcoholic version with a lightly flavored spritzer.

Crafts:

Heart Art Painting–  I bought a 10 pack of mini canvases ($4) and a few mini easels ($3), put out some paint and brushes, and voila…your own custom painting!

Candle Making– Craig got me a kit for Christmas, so I’ve been adding dye and scents to my collection.  I melted the wax for my guests in a double boiler, then let them go crazy with scent combinations and colors.  At the end, I tied a tag with their name and scent and popped it in the goody bag.

Stud Muffins—  At the beginning of the party, we whipped up a batch of chocolate chip muffins (and Lindsay had brought some delicious brownie cupcakes).  People designed a “stud muffin” valentine and then filled a little tin with the muffins and other desserts.  Jen even took a whole gallon freezer bag full of Krispy Kreme’s.  I doubt any of the muffins got home, but it’s the thought that counts. 

Favors:

Loofah (cause I don’t want no scrub)

Chapstick (cause we stick together)

Extra Gum (cause we’re all so extra)

Heart Wine Stopper (cause we drink a lot)

Baby Onesies:  My Cricut is truly amazing and makes it easy as pie to make onesies. I got a pack of 5 onesies at Target for $6, and just designed a decal using Cricut iron-on.  Both babies got “Future Ladies Man” while Jameson wore “My Mommy is my Valentine” and Jack showed off his fat thighs 

Decor:

Informative Table Scape:  I made a craft paper tablecloth that was perfect for writing the wine/cheese suggestions on (although Jen didn’t notice I did this until about 3 hours into the party).  It freed me from explaining what everything on the table was, and let guests know which elements went best together.

Photo Booth:

Aimee got me these awesome balloons for my birthday, and obviously I’m going to use them for every holiday from here on out.  I put out props and my instead and let everyone take pictures as wanted! We were quite busy crafting, but the babies just needed their pictures taken…