Ayayay, valentine is coming to town! It’s February now, and lovers out there can’t wait to grab a handful of chocolate & flower bouquet. A candle light dinner will beautifully wrap the day.

But what happens if you’re married, having child & cannot go outside because you can’t leave the child alone? Well it happened to me back in 2005. I was almost a val-day abuser then. Can’t leave the day without celebrating. When it happened, I decided to bring the party inside. I always love crafting and a bit cooking, so I add my own touch to things I find inside the house, or kept since highschool hours (Yeess, I love collecting kawaii goods too :p). If it happens to you, hope what I did inspired you in a way or another 🙂

Back then, we have our bed on the floor because we dont want 2yo anipchan to fall. The paint on the wall is rather dull & everything was just as. What I did was only covering some of our own furniture with as little effort as possible. I didn’t use any expensive items. Like the white cover is actually a plain tulle. Bought for IDR 5000/m in Otista. And the fancy chocolate is actually hand-made. With hand-made decoration too. Will list items I use and where to find it in Bandung….

1. Rose petals. Def a must have val-decor item. Will boost any decoration to the top! But finding one could be a little tricky. Go to your local flower market (I went to Wastukencana) exactly 1 or 2 days before valentine. By that time, they’re usually preparing bouquet for valday and throw uneccesary petals away. If you ask to buy the petals, they usually sell it in a very low price. I get a bucketful for only about IDR 15.000. (of course, it was 2005 :p)
2. Sedap Malam. Is the best natural fragrance. Again, go to your local flower market. I bought 2 pairs for IDR 10k.
3. Candles. I dont have time to buy fancy candle, so I use regular candle instead. To make it more appealing, I put it inside a tiny glass and wrap it with silver ribbon. If you have time, you can also go to ACE Hardware or any imported market & buy aromatherapy candle. Try sandalwood, ylang-ylang, cinnamon, neroli, rose, vanilla or jasmine.
4. Not fancy for candle? it’s okay…just use a bowl of warm water, fill it with aromatherapy oil. Add few petals and just rest it in the room’s corner. Make perfect decoration as well as wonder-scent!
5. Ribbons & Stuff. Nothing cost more than Idr 7k/m. So much worth the look 🙂
6. Chocolate, every chocolate is home-made. I will write down the recipe soon *yakusokuda*
7. Chocolate mold & packaging. Found it in Toko Sejati at JL. Kebon Jati Bandung. About few houses away from St. Hall backdoor.
8. Giftwrap. It was made with spunbound paper. Cheap, but thin. So I wrapped it twice to make it looks vogue.
9. Anything else is actually based on your i–ma–gina–tio–n *spongebob style* :p
10. It’s a wrap! Isn’t so hard to make it special, right. Actually, celebrating at home give us more privacy, time & joy of creativity..which I think is priceless  🙂

Now I don’t celebrate valentine anymore, but never hesitate to use the occasion to say I love you. Both to dear hubs & son. Nevertheless, I’ve been val-day abuser too. I use it as one more reason to ask for hugs & surprises hehe. Happy (upcoming) Valentine, everyone 🙂