cupcakes, burgers, and britten

On Valentine's Day, me and my roommate Eva planned some festive cupcake making in our flat's kitchen, which about a week prior, I had taped up a few hearts and some bunting.  Since our group is divided into two flats, it was lovely to have the others over to spread some holiday cheer.  Cute crafting aside, bringing people together is definitely my favorite thing about the holidays.  Second favorite?  Themed outfits. This one was made special with my new heart cardigan and heart pin from my grandparents who know me so well.

The red velvet cupcakes were deliciously cute with homemade cream cheese frosting, chopped chocolate, and strawberry hearts, and made particularly festive with cupcake holders I found at Topshop (Topshop is slowly but surely taking all of my money).  

That night the group had tickets to the opera.  Naturally, Ted and I decided to get burgers beforehand as a little hearts day date at Five Guys in Leicester Square.  It was my idea.  Burgers and opera--we are so classy.  I was so happy to be somewhere familiar, eating one of my favorite foods with one of my favorite people.

Despite being sick all Valentine's weekend, Ted and I managed to make the best of it with a lowkey visit to Oxford (more about that later).  

hearts day

I redisovered Polyvore tonight (So this is what not having homework is like!) and made a set for the first time in two years.  Then it automatically posted here.  But that's okay, because my blog is in need of Valentine's Day festivities anyway.

Happy February!  Remember to be sparkly and alarmingly enamored with chocolates, romantic movies, and cute cards. 

i love you, you love me

On Valentine's Day, I found a beautifully done menu in my mailbox. I mean, look at those fonts!  There is no greater love than one that appreciates a good typeface.  That night, Ted made us a delicious home-cooked meal.  Really, he's incredible.  I don't usually like to brag, but come on. This guy is the best.  Unfortunately he had to leave that night to catch a flight to the east coast for a family gathering.  That's okay though, because I was sick (my nose matched my red dress!) and ready to go back to sleep after such a heavenly meal.

This Friday, we dressed up (my dress is from my awesome grandparents who knew how much I loved it when I saw it months ago) and wrapped up our festivities with a date night.  We went to Bamboo Sushi (pricey, but really top notch) for dinner and dessert next door at Salt & Straw where we got our favorite, Pear & Blue Cheese, and also tried Oregon Kiss. We are obsessed.  If I had one of these in Phoenix, I would go broke during the scorching summer months.  

After dinner and dessert, we went to the Keller for Swan Lake.  I found us cheap tickets on Groupon and we were looking forward to trying something new.  I've only been to The Nutcracker, and Ted's never been to the ballet at all, so it was a great first experience!

It was such a lovely night.  ♥

from me for you

For my parents & Kendal.

For my self-proclaimed pear-shaped, pear-loving roommate.

For my Ted.

These are a little too late to be any holiday inspiration, but I thought I'd post them anyways.  The patterned paper was from a pack I found at Paper Source. Each page was double sided, which I loved.  It served well at the valentine-making party!  This is practically a sin to type in this day and age, but I absolutely LOVE paper.

Hope everyone's hearts day was wonderful.  I will post more about mine probably next weekend, since Ted was gone this weekend and we still have a little more celebrating to do!

XOXO
Kaylie

hearts day sweets & crafts

This past Saturday night my roommate and I had a Valentine's Day get together with some friends.  It was a great turnout, and I was surprised how easy it was to get people to make valentines with me!  I really should just follow my mom's footsteps and become a kindergarten teacher, because it made me so happy to get my guy friends to make Valentines for their moms...

The benefit of using heart-shaped measuring cups.

I made brownies (with the heart-shaped tins I got last year from my grandparents) and Claire made chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of the Baked book I got Ted our first Christmas together.

YAY!!!!

iheart crafting

In love with this dish cloth that I stole from home!  Gotta show my AZ pride.

Some lovely lotion my grandparents gave me a while ago, an altoid tin shadow box of my two homes (whose birthdays are on Valentine's day!) made by Erin, and...

...the seasonal gourd!  This lil' guy is the cutest.  He is a magical gourd of all seasons.  The heart is because he loves me and Claire.

This little AZ shrine has been up all year, but it seems appropriate given Arizona's Valentine's Day Birthday.

Adorable banner made by my friend's mom.  We're pretty much kindred spirits.

That's it FOR NOW.  Who knows what else will crop up.  ;)

eat here: la petite provence

This past Sunday morning Ted and I finally succeeded in getting up early enough to drive somewhere for breakfast.  We were definitely rewarded.  We went to Southeast Portland to La Petite Provence.  I loved the vibe, and the food was très délicieux.  The standout dish was definitely the flavorful and savory Salmon Hash--the perfect companion to the croissant and sweet berry french toast.  We will definitely be picking up a Valentine's Day pastry in the near future.

I love our little outings.  We have tried to cut back on them this school year because we're broke college students, but that makes the times we do go out even more special.  I'm so lucky to have found an adorable foodie boyfriend to share a nice meal with once in a while.  Excited for our Valentine's Day date already!

hearts day happiness

It's cold and gloomy, and I had a canceled class, so what better way to brighten up a groggy Wednesday afternoon than with a dip into the sparkly business of Valentine's Day?  I've already made a few things to hang up in the room, including a banner (OBVIOUSLY). The great thing about hearts day crafting is that you can basically cut out dozens of hearts in all sizes and throw them everywhere and it's golden.  I will post pictures of the room once it's attacked by hearts.  In the meantime, listen to this Valentine's Day 8tracks.  It's pretty perfect, and I'm not even half way through it.

Looking forward to more lovey-dovey-ness, glitter glue, rom coms, and festive treats.  xoxo

arizona/oregon love

On Valentine's Day, it wasn't only the day of love--it was also the birthday of my two homes.  Yes, Arizona and Oregon share the same birthday on one of my favorite days of the year!  I love that.  Arizona celebrated a monumental one--100 years!  If I were home I would have thrown a killer Valentine's/AZ party.  Shucks.

But that's okay because I came home to a giant sun and cacti on my wall courtesy of Ted!  It goes mighty well (oh god, did I just use that--I've been watching too many westerns) with my glitter-glued AZ postcards and felt desert heart.  Yay!

Ted also impressed me with this card he made all by himself!  Almost makes up for the time spent in Banana Republic waiting for him to sort out a cardigan dilemma.  Almost.   

For dinner we went to Piazza Italia, which was just as delicious as the first time we went for our Christmas date.  We had bruschetta, heart-shaped lobster ravioli, lasagna, hazelnut gelato, and a fancy desert coffee drink.  SO MANY YUMS.  

Yep, it's love.

Guest Blogger: Making a Valentine's Mess with Faith&Fashion

Currently, I'm living in Colorado attending a Christian University to earn my youth ministry degree. While living on campus, my apartment is right next door to an all guys building. With Valentine's day present, I thought it would be a swell idea to bake treats for all the guys. Thankfully, every store near my home has a great appreciation for the day of love and finding cute cake mix was easy to find. With a goal in mind, I knew I had big baking job in front of me. Thankfully, my tiny kitchen was up for the challenge. Once the cupcakes were done I added two layers of sprinkles and pink frosting to give it the little Valentine's touch. After making over forty cupcakes, I decided to top it off by making Valentines for each room. Using paper doillies as the background made the job quick and simple. It's the small gesture that can make the big impact on Valentine's Day.

For more by Melanie check her out at Faith&Fashion.

Guest Post: 2/14

Howdy! I'm Kate.  How did I get Kaylie's password?  How do I know Kaylie?  How do I know that the owner of this blog's name isn't Word Brian Doodles II?  This is all really unimportant information that you need to stop asking.  It's a guest post.  Come on.  One thing that does matter is that I thought of Kaylie when I get dressed every morning.

Today was my first day nannying, and Ellison and his private school-mates didn't have to wear their uniforms, but instead, were asked to rock an Arizona-themed outfit. If Ellison wore skirts, dresses, and lacy socks, my heart would have sunk a lil, but he doesn't, so he dressed up like a prospector.

On the surface, Valentine's Day is hearts and flowers day.  So, when I go to Buffalo and I buy that long black sundress with the 90's rose print on it, and I go outside, and it's sunny and windy, and Spring is kickin' in, I'm pretty in love.

 

Wear some Rose Salve. He/she will think he's crunchin' on real flowers. Candy! Miranda July is my Valentine. Always be on the lookout for a man with aVCR (courtesy of Kaylie), donut and cupcake scented stickers to seal your cards, embroider something lovely, roses roses roses, jewelzzz, and play him/her a lil tune bout love n stuff on the har-money-cah.

Sometimes, when you get to be my age, you have too many options for Valentines' Day and not enough boyfriends.

Now, let's get sappy in dis club.  I don't wonder what love is too often.  I love my closest friends and my closest family members.  I love my two best friends very much.  And I love someone a lot.  As far as love goes, I think I'm experiencing it more than I ever have, but I'm also my oldest, and now I'm older, and now I'm older.  What I have learned about love is that it is your own personal feeling. Nobody else invents it. It's a word we use, but I think that's one of the only things my love for one person has in common with your love for another person.

First,

 

And it's pretty great.

Second, to me, love is

 

in a nutshell.

But sometimes it hurts.

 

But the burns heal, and you get over it because you have to.

And another love, and even better love creates a completely

different fire, a fire of ~*~passion~*~ Am I right, laydeez?

Okay, this was cheesy, so here's a playlist! Add some Dr. Dog and Mayer Hawthorne, and you're golden for a sunshiney Valentine's Day...even if it's raining!

 

VALENTINE'S DAY WIZARD /////// XOXOXO TONIGHT ;)