~Valentine's Day~

~I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY!~ 

I LOVE PARTIES! Actually, I love any kind of celebration! I love searching for creative ideas, planning, preparing and especially decorating. I love watching people come into a room and immediately be affected (hopefully in a good way), by the presentation I have created. It's rewarding to provide an atmosphere where people can be together, have fun and make lots of memories!

So, Valentines Day is approaching. It's a time for yummy candy, class parties, homemade cards and gift ideas that show others how we truly feel about them. Today I'll share a table idea (for the meal of your choice), for your loved ones with a few personal Valentine gifts for kids with a rhyme to match each one. I have also created a breakfast in bed idea, 9 quick Valentine party favors and a White Velvet Stuffed cupcake recipe with a fun cupcake topper idea. I also have a quick centerpiece for your table that can hold all the party favors you have put together for a party or for your table to decorate your home until Valentines. I picked up all of my Valentine party favor supplies for this post at one of my favorite stores- Party City. 

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

~Valentine's Day Breakfast in Bed~

Here is a little breakfast in bed idea to serve on a cute tray. What person wouldn't love to receive something like this upon waking? You can change it up a bit to appease whomever you are serving whether it's your husband or the kiddos. 

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

Of course, you will have also have breakfast made for that special someone as well. I plan on tying a red balloon in the shape of a heart on the tray for a little added fun. 

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

It would also be fun to put a cute note or valentine card inside the mailbox that they could read while eating.

~Valentine Table and Gift Idea~

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

Here is a view of one of the place settings. I made the placemat from wrapping paper from Party City along with the paper products and doily. My son's valentine is a finger football game with a rhyme attached. I gave you the details of the 3 different valentines for my boys (on their plates in this pic) and the rhymes I made up for each one. You will find them at the very bottom of this post.

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

I love this little 3-tiered tray with a few valentine treats that look festive on the table for those who visit to enjoy and for those in your house so they could snack on them throughout the week or however long they last! :)

~Valentine Cupcakes~

Here are some fun Valentine cupcakes that are a festive treat for neighbors, coworkers or even a class party. I got the red and white cupcake liners, Valentine sprinkles, curly ribbon and suckers on top of the cupcakes at Party City. I found the suckers (pink pop favor kit) in the girl baby shower section. I used the "thank you" stickers included in the kit but added a heart sticker over it and then added curly ribbon at the base of each sucker to make it fun for Valentines. I stuck a sucker in each cupcake after I scattered each one with the Valentine sprinkles first. (I would not suggest trying to sprinkle after you put the sucker in. Don't ask me how I know that. :)

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

~WHITE VELVET STUFFED CUPCAKES~

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

Ingredients: 
Hershey's Hugs, Lindor white chocolate truffles or white chocolate chips)
1 Box White Cake Mix 
1 cup Flour
4 Egg Whites
1 1/3 cups Milk 
1/4  cup Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Salt

~CREAM CHEESE FROSTING~

Ingredients:
3 cups Cream Cheese softened
1  1/2 cup Butter softened
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl add the cake mix, flour, sugar and salt.  Mix well.  Slowly add milk, oil, sour cream and egg whites in that order.  Mix until well blended.  Pour the batter into cupcake liners at barely half full. Place a Hershey hug (or use Lindor truffle or 4 white chocolate chips) in the center and top off with batter. Bake 20 minutes or until they look done.  Mix cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar together. Frost cupcakes after they have cooled off. 

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

~Valentine Centerpiece and 

Party Favor Ideas~

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

I love this large mailbox! I found it in the wedding section at Party City. It's a fun centerpiece idea to decorate and a great display for your party favors. Another idea is that you can leave it up and perhaps place a little note each day for the kids reminding them for the 14 days up to Valentines of the many things you love about them!

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

I have 9 party favor ideas from supplies I found mostly in the valentine section at Party City. A few of the party favors were found in the general party favors. I used valentine cut outs and doilies that I turned into tags by writing a message on them. 

*Top left corner- see 2nd pic & idea below for the rhyme

*Top row, middle pic- I love your "Bubbly" personality!

*Top row, 3rd pic- Friends "band" together is a valentine favor made from hair bands in the valentine section

*2nd row, 1st pic- "Brace" yourself and Be Mine! 

*2nd row, middle pic- see 1st pic below for rhyme I made.

*2nd row, 3rd pic- I can "heartly" keep my eyes off you!

*3rd row, 1st pic-  "Twizz" U Be Mine?- Twizzlers in a little bunch tied with tulle from the wedding section

*3rd row, middle pic- U R 4-Ever "Tattoed" on my heart! 

*3rd row, 3rd pic- See 3rd pic below for my rhyme- I used their cutouts and I used their printed valentine tablet and cut out the shapes for the tag.

Photo by: Sarah Martin for crafty2thecore.com

Here are some party favors I made for my sons to put at the table for their Valentine breakfast or lunch. I made up the rhymes attached to each one. I wrote on a card I got from a tablet of pre-made valentines and cut outs from Party City but you could easily make your own and print it out if you don't print well. In case it is hard for you to read the rhyme I will type it out for you.

FINGER SOCCER GAME

Soccer is a game-
Bad kicks you can't afford
When it comes to Valentines
It was I- who truly SCORED!

FINGER FOOTBALL GAME 

To play finger football
It takes good aim-
Please be my Valentine
'Cause YOU'VE GOT GAME!

PINBALL BASEBALL GAME

When you play this game

I hope you have fun-

If Valentines were baseball

I'd have scored a HOME RUN!

I hope you enjoyed my Valentine ideas! Thanks you for visiting my blog. I hope you will follow me so I can share lots more with you! Have a great Valentine's Day! :-)