
plenty of extra sweet valentine vibes going on around here these past few days. celebrating peace, love, happiness (and chocolate) in simple, fun little ways. starting with the little hug-offering heart-dude above that margaret sketched. i love him! so much so, that i scanned him in and printed him out in multiples as the tag for this year's valentine for her friends — same as year's past (natural marshmallows turned lollipops and dipped into a melted mixture of semisweet chips + butter + corn syrup). becoming somewhat of a tradition here i suppose...

but we did mix it up a bit and celebrate with a new spin on the heart-themed holiday here too this year. may i present to you... the first annual valentine's day raffle!
yes. the valentine's day raffle. you know, sometimes these things appear and just evolve a bit organically... one evening you're at a potluck/fundraiser at the yoga ashram, with an herbal tea in one hand and several non-winning raffle tickets in the other — the next thing you know you're heading home sans incense, promising everyone in the car that we can have our own raffle someday where we all create the prizes — with tickets and everything! once an idea like that is out in the universe, it sticks around, hovers, inspires and then come valentine's day we're gathering in the living room after fondue to see who the lucky winners will be.
i made some numbered tickets in the computer. these were key. how could we have a raffle without raffle tickets? and the other essential? the prizes... which we all provided - chocolate, watercolors, cedar carvings, certificates for backrubs and portraits, marshmallow lollipops, etc... just simple, little gifts from the heart. enough so that we all won something. really, this idea that found it's way to us turned out to be something quite special. a great little celebration at home together that filled both our hands and hearts.
hope you're days have been filled with lots of love and sweets lately too.