Valentine's Treats: A DIY Bag Full of Love

Valentine's Day is just around the corner... The selection of cute gifts for the mini ones is done and now, it is time to take care of the sweet stuff. Chocolates, candies, lollipops, cookies, all of those so tempting and exciting for children but, such a problem for us, the parents. Dealing with a sugar rush is not fun or arguing about how many chocolates they can have at once, is not a conversation we want to have on Valentine's... It's all about love and friendship, and we want to make it a smooth, enjoyable occasion. When it comes to the sweets for Valentine's, I remind my girls that it is quality vs. quantity what really matters.

Things clear then, I don't fill up a bag with chocolate kisses or get them a big heart full of red gummy bears. I prefer to look for something special, take a trip to the local bakery or the handmade chocolate store, which always have fresh, organic cookies and chocolates, maybe a little more expensive, but definitely worthy.
 

Looking for a graphic way to put these thoughts together, I checked one of my favorite blogs Twig and Thistle and found this beautiful DIY Valentine's Treats Bag, a simple, easy idea with such a nice look. Right at the blog, you may download the file for free and print your own paper bags, fill them up with a couple of nice treats and that's it... You're done!!

What's in my bag?? Two things that I'm sure my girls will love to devour, Chocolate Valentine's Fortune Cookies from Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC and Rose Vanilla Marshmallows from Whimsy and Spice, a Brooklyn confectionary that provides very creative goodies online or if you are in NYC, you may check their list of retailers.

Valentine's Treats Bags available here.

Chocolate Valentine's Fortune Cookies available here.

Rose Vanilla Marshmallows available here.

Big Valentine's Hearts for the Littlest One

Celebrating baby's first Valentine's Day? ...That's kind of a tough one!! ... There is so much to look around, but you probably want to get the "one" special thing that your little bundle of joy could appreciate and keep for a long time... why not, forever? Something that you can tell a story about, some time, years from now.

Well, it is either "make it" or "buy it" and if you are enlisted in the army of those who are not so crafty, or are too busy to put anything together other than your baby's formula and the diaper bag, then start clicking on...
Here are some favorite things from around the web. Cute stuff, made by hand using organic fabrics, hypoallergenic materials and even helping a good cause like the Children's Heart Foundation. In other words, little things that scream LOVE.

Top Left :: Queen of Hearts Modern Doll from Petit Collage.
Top Right :: Boo Boo Heart from Janie XY.
Bottom Left :: Personalized Heart Teether from Little Sapling Toys.
Bottom Right :: Red & Pink Valentine's Day Gnomes from Riley Construction.

B. Children's Wear: It Speaks Love

Helloooo!! I guess we are still on time to wish everyone a happy February, happy Groundhog Day, happy Super Bowl and happy pre-Valentine's preparations. The internet is packed with red and pink temptations everywhere... Cupids, chocolates, strawberries, even bottles of pink champagne are popping on my screen trying to "hook my heart", daring to buy my love.
Hey!! I am not such an easy chick, but there are so many cute, gorgeous crafty things for little ones that I'm really finding it very difficult to resist. Case in place, this collection of onesies, tees, cardigans and hoodies from B Children's Wear.
Talking about getting my heart hooked... Isn't that gray cardigan beautiful? Totally trendy with its gray background and just the right amount of red and black. Quite the outfit for his upcoming Valentine's Party at pre-K ...Want your boy to talk love? Check the "I Heart You" tee. It speaks for itself... and my favorite in this collection, the "Flower Bud Heart" onesie, a delicate bouquet of red and deep pink felt flowers on a light pink onesie. Good for first time Valentine's and perfect for the rest of spring.
B. Children's Wear is all designed in Seattle, using soft cotton tees and recycled felt appliques sewn onto the shirts... Lovely!!

B. Children's Wear available here

Ami Dolls: Would you be my Valentine?

Valentine's Day is one of those celebrations that my husband and I love to share with our girls. On that day, the little ones come up with an abundance of drawings, handmade cards and little treats that really make our hearts go Awww!! Over the years, we (the adults) have given up the fancy dinner for two and switched to a family date, a day to say "I love you" as many times as we can, a 24-hour period to hug and kiss without restrictions.
Looking at our collection of paper hearts and handmade cards, they all seem so creative and cute, but when I get into the girls' stack of Valentine's gifts from us, the feeling is totally opposite. A boring repetition of white bears and pink puppies holding red hearts is all they have. No wonder why these stuffed animals are buried in a toy box....zero love!!
Definitely, I must do better this year and these gorgeous, little creatures from Ami Dolls are giving me a Valentine's inspiration... "Ami" means "friend" in French and that is what these dolls are all about... Friendly characters, each one with its own story, carefully handmade with love in Portland, Oregon and very well designed. The collection is small, but so unique I doubt you would not fall in love with one of them.

Ami Dolls available here

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice... Every Day!

Back in December, my sister-in-law asked me for my Christmas wish list. I sent her an e-mail saying that ridiculously, I didn't have any. I have always felt weird about wish lists. What if I'm wishing for things out of the budget? ...Why should I ask for anything? ...Aren't gifts supossed to be a surprise?

Anyway, I thought about it one more time and got to the conclusion that aside from the "no surprise" factor, wish lists are great. Gift givers are already confirming that they want to give you a present when they ask for your wish list. They also want to make sure they spend their money on something you will really like.

I included in my list a couple of things that even though I had wanted them for a while, I had never bought and most likely, never would. You know, those things that are not a necessity, maybe a little pricey and always tossed in the list for "some other time"... Oranges came to my mind. Yessss, oranges, a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice every morning, forever. Something that I really love and was not having, because of the amount of time it takes to clean up the juicer or to squeeze the oranges manually.

Good news!! ...I did get the juicer I wanted. A vintage looking orange juicer that just with a simple movement of its lid, it presses all the juice out in seconds and easily gets cleaned without any aggravations. Besides, as an additional benefit, the chrome finish makes it a cool piece of decoration.
It is amazing how little things can make such a big difference when they come to you at the right time. January is usually the month for successful beginnings or terrible failures. From the very first days of the month, I can foresee what resolutions will become part of my life in the new year and which ones will stay in my wish list till the next one... Dedicating time to cooking, eating healthy and providing myself and family with a well balanced diet is one of those resolutions. Definitely, a simple tool, a juicer is helping to keep up with the idea... Did you know a 6oz. cup of fresh squeezed orange juice provides 100% of your vitamin C daily requirements, plus 3% calcium, potassium and many other goodies? ...Yummm!! ...Cheers to the new year and all of those little changes that make you feel closer to success!!

OrangeX Chrome Juicer available here

Vintage Halloween

Fall is in full force right now in the Hudson Valley. All around us has turned yellow, orange, red, brown, and it looks gorgeous. Days are goings by fast and with them, the colors, those beautiful colors that so soon will be brown, more brown and gray... Ocassionally, we have been gifted with unusual October temperatures of eighty degrees and cloudless, bright blue skies. The perfect weather to forget about whatever I had to do indoors, grab my camera, my girls and get out to explore... This time, the road took us to New Paltz, where we ended up at the Wall Street Market and its antiques barn, a place packed with all kind of goodies from the past and some eye-catching, vintage Halloween favors.

What do you think? ...Aren't they awesome? It felt like we got on a time machine, strolling through so many rooms, surprisingly finding here and there, a spec of orange and black, a sign of past time Halloween... A wooden trick-or-treat basket in one corner, a tin pumpkin and horn in another, the cute pumpkin-head guy, the witch shoes, all of this reminiscence of old Halloween traditions kept me fascinated, thinking of how fast things evolve while others disappear... The world of trends... right?

... How about this owl? It kind of stole my heart!!... I admit my weakness for owls. I love them in all kind of shapes and colors, but this one screams my style. It reminds me of illustrations and postcards from the sixties... I'd love to see it on a t-shirt or a pillow.

New Paltz in the Hudson Valley area, NY, is becoming one of my favorite places... A really nice town to visit with the kids and walk around, stopping by cool antique shops, a farm market with fresh, local products and many restaurants with very interesting menus, organic, vegetarian, vegan, international fusions... The atmosphere around Water Street Market is perfect for a Sunday morning with its outdoors cafe, live music, antiques barn, good coffee, pastries and cheeses... What else can you ask for?
Can't wait to get there? Here are the directions ...Have fun!!

Summer: I Scream for Ice Cream!!

Growing up in the tropic, having a temperature of eighty degrees every single day of the year, also meant having a childhood with an incredible abundance of ice cream... In Caracas, my hometown, there never was a "hide and seek" tournament or a good match of "freeze tag" that didn't finish at the ice cream shop... I can still remember my little gang- my brother, cousins and neighbors all sweaty, licking popsicles and scooping chunks of our favorite flavors, always followed by a "colita" Grapette soda... Ahhh!! those times when a sugar overdose was not an issue...

Flavors like tamarind, passion fruit, mango, coconut and pineapple were my favorites... Of course, classic vanilla, chocolate and strawberry were always an option, but the richness of the tropical flavors was unbeatable... A bunch of years have gone by since childhood, but "ice cream" remains my biggest weakness. I'm not even sure about who gets more excited, my girls or I, when summer arrives and the ice cream parlors open doors around town... I'm always searching for new places and I have to say, the variety of texture, flavors and styles of ice cream in New York can really drive you insane.

Recently, on one of those sizzling days of summer in New York, we discovered Beacon Creamery, our latest obsession and most visited place... A colorful lilac facade with whimsical, dotted frames and bright, yellow walls inside, seemed to be calling our names. We had no idea what we were just about to shock our taste buds with, until we reached the counter... How can you decide on just one flavor, when you are tempted with such concoctions like Killer Chocolate, Dulce de Leche, Green Tea, Ginger, Cappuccino Kahlua Calypso, Pistachio, Very Blueberry or a Watermelon sorbet??

It turns out Beacon Creamery sells the wonderful confections of Jane's Homemade Ice Cream, a name that is almost a well kept secret in the Hudson Valley, extending only to some upscale restaurants and hotels in New York City. With the help of mini tasting spoons, we endulged in some of those incredible flavors until we made up our minds and picked our favorites.

It didn't matter what we chose, the ice cream was always fabulous with the right texture and the perfect flavor, truly matching the name of it. In other words, pistachio tasted exactly like the green nut and raspberry like the real fruit ...What a difference!! ...Artisan ice cream, made in small batches using fresh, local and organic products from the Hudson Valley, served in a friendly atmosphere.

I just love the peaceful, satisfaction packed time I spend with my girls, sitting at the creamery's little patio, licking over and over, till everything is gone...

By the way, if planning a visit to the Hudson Valley, Beacon is a really nice town to stop at... The Dia Art Foundation is right off the train from New York City, as well as the gorgeous park by the river and, still at a walking distance, the attractive Main Street with many interesting boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and of course, ice cream.

Did you know July is National Ice Cream Month? Do you have a favorite ice cream place? Where is it? Would you share with us and tell us about it? We'd love to visit, surely if it is in New York!!