Love Stuff for all on Valentine’s Day

Call me spirited or sentimental or just plain silly, but I get into Valentine’s Day.  Some call it the Hallmark Holiday and I get that, but I still think it is fun to celebrate. So like I do every year, I went shopping to find some cool and unique stuff to give your loved ones on February 14th.   Read on to see stuff for the guys, gals and kids. 

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Gift idea that works for all:
For your honey, gal pal or child, a box of chocolates is almost always a favorite gift and I’ve found the best box of chocolates that I’ve ever had.  And I’m an expert on chocolate!
From See’s to Godiva to Russell Stover, I love them all.  So when I saw a box of Trader Joe’s brand, I had to try before you buy.  This box of the good stuff is my new favorite!
Called Trader Joe’s Box of Chocolates, it comes gift wrapped with 35 pieces of 17 different varieties.   For around $10, your loved one gets flavors like dark almond toffee, milk sea salt caramel, dark orange cream, yellow coconut truffle and more.  Usually when I get a box of chocolates, there are a few rejects, but not with the Trader Joe’s collection.  Yep, I recommend this one!

Gift Ideas for Gal Pals or Girlfriends
Rose-themed beauty items are perfect heart day gifts.  The Jason organic line includes a Rosewater Body Wash and a Rosewater & Chamomile shampoo and conditioner.  Find Jason products at Whole Foods Market locations.

Most women love a nice bottle of wine, so add a little spirit by pairing it with a Lolita custom wine glass.  I’ve seen these cool designs before, but I hadn’t seen this one that includes a recipe for a drink called a Valentine Splash.  This spirit that includes White Zinfandel and Raspberry Liqueur is hand painted right under the stem. Pretty and tasty!   The line also includes champagne flutes, martini glasses, and party shots with prices ranging from $12-25 at www.thelolitastore.com or at local Hallmark gift stores.

Another fun gift idea for all kinds of beverages is a high heel bottle opener.  And it sells for only $6 at Party City locations.

For a nice light scent, without the strong perfume spray, give the Pacifica Fragrance kit.  Housed in a decorative box with Valentine’s hearts, the collection includes five different scents like Indian Coconut Nectar and Hawaiian Ruby Guava.  All come in a solid perfume form that are housed in containers that look like lip gloss tins instead of spray bottles.  The perfume kit is on sale now at Sephora stores for $25 (a $45 value) or at pacificaperfume.com.

Fitting for the day is a line called Davines Love that has a wonderful shampoo and conditioner that fit perfectly into a gift basket.  The Love products are sold at local salons and spas including Elizabeth Arden Red Door locations.  Shampoo sells for $22 and the conditioner goes for $25.  Visit davines.com for more salon locations that sell Davines products.

Gifts for single gal pals on Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day can be downright depressing for some who have just suffered a painful break-up, so cheer your friend up with these ideas:

Grow a Boyfriend Growing Sponge.  The package says to just add water and watch him grow up.  The box also says that this boyfriend will always listen, be on time, smell good and more.  Get two for $3 at Walgreen’s and cheer your gal pal right up!

CVS has something similar called the Magic Frog to Prince.  Just add water and 72 hours later, a prince is born.  I did think it was odd that it takes several days to grow, but it is still fun to give.

Who cares if it is couples night!  Go on a gals night and give your friend a basket complete with Tip Toes Foot Petals for comfortable dancing and a bottle of wine.  Plus Foot Petals will donate 10% of sales of the Rose Heart line to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  They sell for $6.95 a  pair at Nordstrom locations and at footpetals.com.

Gift Ideas for him
To save money, plan a spa night at home.  Make a yummy dinner and then tell him that you have a chocolate dessert to share.  Expecting chocolate, he instead opens the Philip B Chocolate Milk Collection, which houses a chocolate scented body wash and body cream that works for both men and women.  At $62.50 this is high end, but unique and fun.  Philip B is sold at philipb.com and is a favorite of celebrities that include Antonio Banderas, Fergie and Brooke Shields.

And manis and pedis aren’t just for the girls.  Massage his hands and feet with Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sensual Body Lotion.  This product is light in texture and has a unisex scent that appeals to both men and women.

To set the mood, I found a fun CD called LOVE SONGS at Party City with songs from a lot of different eras like “Unforgettable” and “Always and Forever” and even classical love tunes like “Four Seasons Spring.”  You get 18 tracks for $7.99.

Kodak keeps making cool cameras and the EasyShare M590 is no exception.  Perfect for Valentine’s Day, this little red camera (also comes in silver, purple and blue) is the world’s thinnest 5X optical zoom digital camera.  It also takes great 14mp shots and captures HD video.

Another cool feature is the ability to tag and upload your pics to Face book, Flickr, Orkut, YouTube and email.  So if you want to splurge on your Valentine, consider this lightweight, but multi-purpose camera, that sells for just under $200.
Cool Kid Gifts
The sock monkey has made a comeback, so I couldn’t resist the striped monkey holding a heart that I found at Big Lots for $10.

For the girls, KISS has a mom-approved fake nail set that comes right on and off the nails without the dangerous glue.  Easy and safe, she and her gal pals will have fun playing dress up.

And for both boys and girls, a very unique company called Book By You custom designs children’s chapter books that star your child and his or her best buddy.  Adult books are also available.  Watch the segment to see the one that I special ordered for my daughter.  Order and learn more at bookbyyou.com.

I even found cute little items for only 25 cents at Party City.  For just a quarter, give your son a skateboard key chain that says “rock star” or a bottle of red bubbles.  My older kids still love blowing bubbles and our cats chase them!

So, whether you are a celebrating couple, having fun with the kids or declaring February 14th a girls night out, have fun on heart day.  Happy Valentine’s Day!