28 Creative Ideas For Valentine's Day

Oh la la! The day of love is approaching and for some, it spells dread because we've been sold to for years that V day is all about romance with your one true love. Don't buy into it! Gather your girlfriends, your kids, your family or spend it alone in the bathtub with something boozy to drink and bubble bath to celebrate the love you feel for yourself. Dump the dumb traditions and look at February 14th as a fun, positive day and whether you celebrate or not, next month is a great month in general to stock up on lots of fabulous things in pink and red in fun heart shapes (including those yummy candy hearts that I miss so badly here in Germany!) that you can also enjoy year round. I thought you may enjoy some inspiration to see what I mean. Here are 28 ideas that I've collected online (please link to those that you fancy) that you're certain to enjoy. Kisses! 1. Throw a cute kids crafting party like Style Me Pretty did. Photo by White Loft Studio.

2. Cocktails! Just add heart sugar from Dellcove Spices to the rims to make it extra festive and full of love.

3. Creative photography! Arrange something pretty on a tabletop in the shape of a heart, photograph it, print, and pin to your mood board or frame like Leslie Shewring did. You can also turn this into a greeting card to give to someone dear.

4. Gift giving! Watercolor on paper and cut into hearts and attach them to presents with twine like Leslie Shewring did  - she's such a talented person!

Gift give! 5a. If you like to keep things simple, KROnPINSESSENE has a simple gift wrap idea with string and stickers. 6b. Pretzels dipped in chocolate with heart confetti 7c. Cupcakes with handmade arrows. 8d. love letter cookies from Kanela y Limon.

9. Bake cookies for your sweetheart! Love cookies made by Sweet Style Blog - could these get any sweeter?

10. Whip up a little pie! Bake up a little raspberry pie, this one was made by zucker zimt und liebe.

11. Host Brunch with friends. Make some heart waffle sandwiches with prosciutto to enjoy brunch with your lady friends on V Day! We have plenty of love in our life to go around without worrying about whether or not we have a date on February 14th! Gather the girls like Design Love Fest did and spread your own love and magic.

12. Wing it! If you don't have time to whip up something heart-themed, why not buy some cupcakes at the bakery and add your own touch on top with a little heart you've made. In America around Valentine's Day, lots of cupcakes come with a plastic heart stuck inside but you can easily remove it, cut and attach your own handmade heart using a favorite paper to a straw you've cut short (like a cute red and white striped one) and pop it into the cupcake.

13. Photo magic at home! Take some fun photos against a white background (hang a sheet you've pressed wrinkle-free) and use heart-shaped anything as props like photographer Max Wanger does (his website, his interview on decor8). Take photos of your kids, pets, whomever is around that you love. Or use a camera with a timer and photograph yourself.

Balloons! Oh yeah, definitely do the whole balloon thing. One, two, forty... Balloons say FUN and turn a simple dinner at home into a romantic joy fest. 14a. massive amounts of pink balloons at home from 100 layer cake 15b. order and deliver big hearts to someone you love like these by geronimo balloons via oh joy 16c. A small colorful collection presented to your date on his doorstep (or office) wearing your prettiest outfit like these from lark store 17d. One giant balloon with streamers tied to it like this one shot by Liz Banfield for Style Me Pretty.

18. Throw a Craft Party for Your Friends! Host your own V Day crafting party with the girls like they did over at Better Homes & Gardens... And while you're at it, serve champagne! I also love the at home crafting party that they did over at Style Me Pretty! Nothing makes crafting together more hilarious than when you drop going for perfection - usually a glass of bubbly makes even the most perfectly perfect crafter chill out a bit.

Play dress up! Wear some hearts without being tacky! 19a. Adorable blogger Jordan Ferney in a heart sweater 20b. shoe clips by Ban.do 21c. heart skirt (love this) which looks super stylish 22d. heart blouse (I also adore this look) from little miss fearless. Fashion tip: A way to avoid this look turning too twee is to either dress or accessorize with only ONE item that has a heart pattern. Not all at once!

23. Decorate with decals! I love these black hearts against a peachy-pink wall by Ferm Living.

24. Decorate the ceiling! And why not? By Designer Emily Mugannam

25. Decorate with pillows! I like this understated heart cushion by Foto Le Maire for a living room, especially nice for those who don't want to go bold.

26. Decorate the walls with flowers! These wall vases from Love Star are the best.

27. Decorate with hoops! This fun V day party by The Nester resulted in these crafty hoops - love!

28. Decorate with chocolate! Do you think I'm kidding? The Sweetest Occasion made a DIY heart wall. Yes, really!

See any ideas you love? I love the craft party idea, or the pretty brunch that Bri did. I also love the heart sugar for cocktail glass rims! Yum!

(images linked to their sources above)