How Sweet!

I was just playing around on Flicker and found this delightful series by jek in the box. Each month she photographs her bed with a different set of colorful vintage linens and arranges a new display above the headboard. How fun is that?!

Aren't these vintage valentines just the best? My mind is starting to turn toward Valentine's Day. New Seasons has a great display of Valentine-themed goodies, including a set of reproduction cards similar to the ones in the picture above.

I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to be excited about V-Day, but the other day I went into Fred Meyer to buy a shipping box, and came out with a cyclamen, a begonia, and a violet - all in shades of Valentine's pink. Apparently, I am excited! Perhaps it's the red and pink color combination which speaks to me & gets my pulse racing. It seems like a combination I would have loved as a child. Though I turned my back on it as a teen (I blame the media), it speaks to me again.

I could also wax poetic over all of the little heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. For some mysterious reason I completely lost my taste for chocolate in the last year, so this year the pleasure is all in the visual feast. Before I lost the taste, I had become quite a chocolate snob. Portland has some excellent choclatiers, like Alma and Cacao. We are so spoiled here!

I would dearly love to make pretty Valentine-inspired cakes and crafts. Unfortunately, this year Valentine's Day falls just inside the opening of the Winter Olympics. Lest you think I'm a closet figure skating fan, my concern is with the Ravelympics, in which I hope to participate this time around. Though it is only 2 weeks away, I have yet to really prepare. I have already joined a team, but there are still events to choose, patterns prepare and swatching to do. So, is it possible to squeeze both Valentine's crafts and Ravelympics prep into the next couple of weeks? I'm sure there's a way...

A couple of last notes for my fellow Portlanders, Close Knit's anniversary sale is this weekend! Next door to Close Knit, Bolt is offering 20% off books and patterns. At day's end, 10% of the day's total sales at Bolt will go to a local organization. You can read more about it here.