HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM THE BLACKBIRD APOTHECARY

And more specifically, we'd like to let you know that we will be here for you ALL DAY for those last minute Valentine's Day gift grabs. If you've procrastinated on your V-Day shopping, we've got you covered. We'll put it this way: we've got way more gift ideas than you've got excuses.

DETAILS: This little vignette features ceramics by Laura Zindel,

Baies Noire Candle by Diptyque ($68.00), nail polish by RGB ($14.00), Poe's Tobacco Eau de Toilette by TOKYOMILK ($28.00). And this is just the tip of the old iceberg.

DETAILS: Candles by Diptyque are a perennial favorite here at the Blackbird Apothecary, but they make for a surefire Valentine's Day gift. Diptyque has expertly captured a wide range of fragrances, such as tuberose, gardenia, firewood and amber. There's one for every nose.

DETAILS: For the guy that's serious about shaving, we've recently begun carrying this amazing collection of traditional shaving products from Edwin Jagger. Featuring silver badger hair brushes, aromatic shaving cream and soaps, and classic designs crafted to last longer than you will.

Hurry in and pick something up before it's too late!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's Day! Even when I haven't been in a relationship, I still love to celebrate it with family and friends. I woke up to a great breakfast with my family and tonight I'm having a nice night in with the boyfriend. We decided to avoid all the crowds at the restaurants and make a fun dinner at home.

We're also giving each other small little gifts, so I decided to make a homemade card to go with it using supplies that I had around the apartment. I used white and turquoise card stock along with a fuzzy felt heart and a cute little message. You don't have to spend $5 on an expensive store-bought card to get your message across!

I used another little pink fuzzy stickers to seal the envelope too :)

I'm also giving him his Chocolate Covered Brownies and Blondie Balls, using his favourite Protein Brownies. We kept a budget of $30 for gifts because it really feels like we just did Christmas gifts, so I picked up a few little odds and ends that made me think of him. I like keeping it simple and just spending  time with each other is more important than any gift.

While catching up on this week's TV shows (love Valentine episodes!), I decided to tidy up the apartment and add a few little sweet touches for our Valentine's Day dinner.

While digging through my gift wrapping supplies, I found these red heart doilies to tape over the frames. Simple art that can be taken down as soon as the holiday is over.

Another little touch I did, was rearranging the bookshelf to get all my red and pink toned books together. Usually I have it in a rainbow pattern, but it seemed fun to change things up for a bit!

Even the candleholders got a little update.

I stuck felt heart stickers on the outside that are easy to remove later on.

And on the inside, I nestled a little red tealight on a bed of white rice.

I can't wait to get home from work tonight to make a fun dinner and enjoy a nice evening cuddling up for a movie night with the guy I love. I couldn't ask for a better Valentine's Day.

Hope that you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day! xoxo

Chocolate Covered Brownie & Blondie Balls

With Valentine's Day tomorrow, I wanted to give something special for my boyfriend. He isn't the biggest fan of boxed chocolates, so I decided to take my recipe for protein brownies that he likes and make them into Chocolate Covered Brownie Balls.

If given the choice, he loves vanilla and white chocolate, so I made some of each flavour for a little variety.

I even sprinkled some coconut on a few of them. I have to admit that I tested every one and the white chocolate coconut ones were my favourite.

To make your own chocolate covered brownie or blondie balls, all you need is:
- Favorite Brownie or Blondie recipe, prepared (I made Protein Brownie, but you can use any)
- 1 bag Chocolate Chips (White, Milk, Semi-Sweet or Dark, whichever you prefer)
- 1 tbsp Butter.

Crumble up the cooled brownies or blondes in the pan and using a melon ball, scoop the brownie and form into a ball. Place them on parchment paper and allow to chill for an hour in the fridge.

In a small bowl, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave according to the package. Stir in a tbsp of butter. Place a frozen brownie ball in the melted chocolate, rolling to coat. Lift out with a fork and gentle tap on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.

Return balls to the baking sheet and sprinkle with you favourite toppings as desired. Return to the fridge to cool until the chocolate is set.

Continue melting chocolate and covering the brownie balls. It took about 1 bag of chocolate chips to do a batch of chocolates.

I placed the brownie balls in little silver foil cups inside a heart box that I decorated.

Years I ago I received this as packaging on a present that I ordered and I loved the box. I've had it in my wrapping supplies box all these years and have finally found use for it for the boyfriend's homemade gift this year. I didn't have the heart to through it out all those years ago and I'm so glad that I didn't, because it is perfect for this.

It has enough room to hold two layers of chocolates, and I have plenty more tucked away in another container incase he wants more. Knowing his late night snacking, I'm sure that these will be gone in no time.

I hope that he likes them!

Valentine's Day Homemade Craft and Treat Ideas

With the weekend coming up, I thought I would do a little search for fun treats and crafts to make before Valentine's Day on Monday.

These are my favorite Espresso Cookies that I made for Valentine's Day last year for my friends and family. Deliciously chocolatey, with a little coffee flavour.

I packaged them up in these fun (and easy to make) little fabric Valentine Treat Bags. A great reusable craft too because you can use them year after year.

I don't have kids to worry about buying Valentine's for sharing with classmates, but the second I saw these Tootsie Roll Valentines I was in love. How cute are these? This is a great Valentine project to do with kids - using photography, computer graphics and crafting - that are sure to delight the recipients.

Looking for a creative way to turn your pizza into something special? Using a small heart cookie cutter, cut pieces of pepperoni and place on top of a homemade or store bought pizza to make fun and adorable Valentine Pizza!

Why not take the two trends of red velvet and whoopie pies together and make fun and festive Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.
 

Having a tea party soon? Make these cute Tea Cup Cookies that have a slit on the side to let them gently rest on your tea cup!

Making a craft to use with kids doesn't have to take much to be fun and can use simple scraps that you may have around the house. This Heart Tic Tac Toe game is made with a simple cardstock heart shape and uses stuffed felted hearts from felted scraps for the game pieces.

Just looking at these is making me crave delicious and chewy Cake Balls. Instead of spending money buying your sweetheart a Valentine's Day treat, why not make them a sweet thing yourself! Or better yet, take the time over the weekend to make it together!

You can even package up your homemade treats in these cute Mini Valentine's Day Gift Bags from Martha Stewart.

You could even fill up the bags with Chocolate Rolled Cookies. I love the polka dot ones :)

Looking for a sweet and sophisticated way to dress up your flowers? Make this bold, yet simple Candy and Tulip Bouquet using deep red tulips and little cinnamon hearts.

I'm a big fan of fun vintagey print templates, so when I saw this great Valentine Brownie Bag template I just had to share it. You could even change this around and make it work for packaging up treats for any party or holiday!

Hope that you find some time over the weekend to get creative and have some Valentine fun!

Chocolate Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

Start your Valentine's morning off right with these healthy and delicious chocolate oatmeal protein pancakes. I've been trying to find ways to add more protein into my breakfasts, but it isn't always easy so I put together these protein pancakes in the hopes that it will encourage me to stay motivated. They feel like a nice treat, despite being healthy. To keep the sugar levels down, I use low sugar syrup and berries for just the right amount of sweetness!

They may not taste just as light and fluffy as normal pancakes, but they are still delicious and satisfying.

What you'll need for two servings:

1/2 cup Egg Whites
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Oats
1 scoop Protein Powder
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
Stevia or Splenda to taste
1/2 cup Berries
Maple Syrup or Sugar-Free Table Syrup
Or any other favorite toppings

Add wet ingredients to blender, then dry ingredients.

Blend until smooth.

Heat griddle or non-stick pan. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. When pancake starts to bubble, flip and cook other side.

Hot, steaming chocolate pancakes!

Top with fresh or thawed frozen berries and maple syrup. 

You could add whatever you like! Chopped apples! Chocolate Chips!
A dusting of icing sugar!

Dig in and enjoy!

Makes two servings of three pancakes.

Printable Version

Nutritional Information

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

While absent mindedly browsing the internet (and watching Glee!) I started looking up fun and sweet Valentine's Day gitfts that weren't your typical dozen roses and a box of chocolates. Don't get me wrong, those things are great, but its nice to find something a little more special and unique for your loved one. None of these companies asked me to put together this gift list and this is by no means a review of them. They are just a few things that caught my eye, that might catch yours too!

The second that I saw this at Starbucks, I was smitten with the Sending My Love Mug (Starbucks $8.95). Its very cute with a vintage love letter feel. Treat your Valentine with a nice hot mug of coffee first thing on Monday morning.

Speaking of cute vintagey love letters, this Love Letter Necklace (Red Envelope $99.95) holds a sweet message inside for your loved one, complete with a hinged envelope.

Looking for something other than traditional roses? Give a beautiful flowering Orchid. Not just for women, men like to receive flowers like this too, just look for one in dark masculine colour or a lighter stark white.

But if you don't feel like giving a man flowers, why not pick something else to trigger his sense of smell. This rugged Lemongrass and Cardamom Beer Soap (Etsy $5.50) is perfect for his post-gym shower.

If you're in a warmer climate than me right now, your sweetheart might appreciate a surprise Valentine's Day picnic. Prepare their favorite goodies and package them up in this Deluxe Picnic Backpack (Lee Valley $48.50) for a romantic meal outdoors.

Feeling creative? Make (or purchase) White Chocolate Covered Oreos (Etsy $12.50) for a different take on the traditional cookie. Want to upgrade from dunkin' these in milk? Try some swapping it for Bailey's Irish Cream for a sweet after dinner treat. Its seriously good and turns a childhood treat into an adult indulgence.

You can buy a card...or you can make one with the Scrabble Valentine's Day Card Kit & Game (Hasbro $7.99). You could even do this idea on your own, grabbing some extra Scrabble letters from a local second hand store and using them to spell out your favorite lovey-dovey message.

Speaking of secret messages, surprise the business man in your life with these Secret Message Cuff Links (Red Envelope $59.95). The tiny scoll inside lets you jot down sweet messages that only your loved one will know is there.

I love heart shaped anything around Valentine's Day and this Heart Shape Waffle Maker (Amazon $69.85) fits the bill for a sweet celebration breakfast. Be sure to fill every square with delicious maple syrup!

Just like with the Orchid, this sweet Red Berry Bonsai (FindGift.com $59.95) will last much longer than traditional cut flowers. Your loved one can enjoy this plant for years to come and think of the sweet and loving person who gave it to them....you!

What Valentine's Day gift ideas do you have?