Happy Valentine's Day!

1. Love Pillow in Pink Metallic, 2. Charlotte Olympia Masako Silk-Satin Pumps,
3. Lover Label Christina Lace Dress, 4. Annick Goutal Neroli Parfume,
5. Brissi Betty Cylinder Vase,
6. Laduree  Rose Macaroons
7. Bettina Javaheri L'Amore Diamond Cuff Bangle, 8. Alexander McQueen Woven Britannia Skull Clutch,
9. Gabrielle Sanchez Pink Opal Flyer Earrings, 10. Love in the Louvre-Rizzoli New York,
11. Valentines Day Cards by Rifle Paper Co. 

As Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching, I thought it would be unjust of me not mention a little something about it. However, please make no mistake - I am NOT one of "those" Valentines Day people. I'll even go so far as to ask your forgiveness if anything listed above looks a bit cringe-worthy... I've done my best to temper it as much as possible! Of course, after all that, I must confess that I do have a soft spot for the actual history of Valentine's Day. There are a few different variations of the legend of Saint Valentine, but the most popular and widely known claims that he was a priest in third century Rome, which at the time was under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. The story goes that Claudius II ( also known as Claudius the Cruel) decided that men made better soldiers without the distraction of silly, frivolous things like wives, children, and above all love and affection. Not being able to do anything about older men who had already indulged in the institution, he proclaimed marriage to be illegal for all young men. Valentine, seeing the obvious ridiculousness of the situation, continued to marry young couples in secret. Now, if this was a romance novel or some modern day chick-flick, Valentine would go on and on, performing these marriages for young couples in love, and retire to Tuscany and die peacefully with the gratitude and admiration of Roman society. BUT, this was third century Rome, so OF COURSE he was discovered, and OF COURSE he was put to death for his grievous mistake of defying the emperor. Although the story doesn't end so great, I still can appreciate Saint Valentine's reasoning and courage... hence I can appreciate this holiday based on the facts above. Just no fuzzy red teddy bears holding chocolate boxes please. As fate would have it, I happen to love the colors pink and red (especially in clothing) and absolutely love everything listed above. So I suppose this post wasn't too painful to compile after all.... Happy Valentine's Day!