It seems like Christmas and New Years were just last week and now Valentine's Day is looming on the horizon. I've often said that homemade gifts are the best, because you can really personalize them and they have heart built right in. The perfect Valentines gift for me is a simple equation: Thoughtfulness + a little effort = success! If you knit fast using chunky wool and big needles you can knit a scarf for your honey bunny just in time for Feb 14th
or you could get creative and paint a little pottery (real men paint pottery too-it's been said).
A wonderful solution is to get a gift made by someone else and in our area we have so many talented artisans that it could be hard to choose. For example, start with chocolate that is home made by Master Chocolatier Mark Aarden from
Aarden's Chocolates in Stayner. A visit to the
Candy Factory in Collingwood will give you lots and lots of sweet indulgence to choose from. There is a sweetheart in our household that always manages to score some Orange Creams for V-Day. If fudge tops the list of ‘must get for Feb 14th' then a visit to either
Grandma's Beach Treats in the East or the
Ravenna Country Market on top of the Escarpment will satisfy that craving and if your sweetheart is of the healthy, vegan, GMO free variety there is always the wonderful
Collingwood Community Food Co-op that has all sorts of healthy stuff - yes even candy!
Make Valentine's Day truly memorable this year with a custom gift from Loose Goose in Collingwood. Pick from their selection of garments, burlap pillows or cozy fleece throws. Choose a graphic from Loose Goose, create your own saying, print your favourite photograph or allow Loose Goose to design something just for you. Show your love in a unique and creative way this year with a gift which will be treasured for years.
If you're going to opt for the tried and true and send flowers you can kick it up a notch in the floral department and give Abigail Hitchens a call at
Petals in Thyme for a truly stunning Valentine's Day arrangement.
If you're planning on dining out here is a complete list of all of the
Amazing Restaurants in the area (make your reservations soon).
Watch our facebook page in the coming weeks as we showcase some of the special Valentine's menus that our wonderful area chefs are creating
Whatever you choose start thinking now because a little forethought and creativity will go a long long way. Hmmmm a romantic snowshoe at
Scenic Caves is topping my list of activities to do with my Sweetheart wonder if he'll read this newsletter and surprise me.
Happy V-Day!
Julie Card