Valentine's Day Brunch 2011

Last year Valentine's Day landed on a Saturday.  In lieu of going out with the masses for a meal, I decided to throw a small Valentine's Day party.  I told everyone to bring Valentine's cards for everyone, just like in elementary school.  I made heart shaped envelopes and covered the table with stickers and ribbons and craft papers to let the guests get creative and decorate their card holders...

I was a little surprised that everyone got in to it at least a little bit - it was awesome!  We paired that with a Valentine's Day themed White Elephant Gift Exchange.  The gifts included everything from a giant blow up heart to a pink stuffed teddy bear named Poopsie...  We had fun, so I decided to do it again this year.

Because we are all responsible adults and have to wake up early on Mondays, we had our party on a Sunday...   Before everyone arrived, I set out some craft papers, stickers, ribbons, scissors, glue, pens, tape, etc.

We packed up most of the supplies we used last year in one box, so it was easy to pull it out again this year.  I bought these cute foam glitter heart stickers at a sale after Valentine's Day last year and kept them for us to use this year. 

I just love Midori Ribbon - because I live in Seattle I am able to shop at their monthly outlet sales which are usually great prices, even lower than wholesale.  I love to stock up on ribbons and use them for everything from crafting to wrapping gifts...

Shortly after everyone arrived, Eric made us Bloody Marys then people started creating!  It's so fun to see people who don't normally get crafty, dive in and let their creativity flow.  Being that we're a group of 30 somethings, it's funny that we all have these little kid streaks.  Even the guys got into it too!

And before we knew it, everyone had a gift bag, decorated and ready to receive treats and cards!  I made one for our friend Derry who had to work, and wasn't able to come... bummer!

You guys are all so creative - Note the "eco" bag in the back row - Made from all upcycled materials, I think from an REI bag.. hilarious!

Our White Elephant Gift Exchange was fun too, everything from a bag of condoms to a heart shaped eye patch!   We followed that with a semi-scary movie, The Last Exorcism... (I think that was the name?) Because, well, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to watch a horror flick!

And to top it off, Amalia was sweet enough to bring red roses for everyone - that was so nice of her!

And more pics from our brunch:

Happy Valentine's Day!!!