Jar of Love

Well in case you've been living in a cave this past week you may have noticed Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  No sooner have the retail store elves packed away the Christmas decorations and gifts they've hijacked Cupid and replaced them with chocolates, cards and roses.  Yep here come the retail giants rubbing their hands in glee as we dash out to spend a fortune on items that have nearly doubled in price.

Don't get me wrong, I love Valentine's Day and who doesn't enjoy receiving presents and being showered with love? It seems just as we're getting over the expense of Christmas, we're pressured into buying gifts and going out for expensive meals when we might not normally chose to do so. There's nothing wrong with romance and showing your loved one how much you care but this doesn't have to be confined to one day of the year and it doesn't have to cost the earth!

Sometimes a well thought out present can be more than  meaningful than an expensive bunch of roses.  If you're looking for something a little different why not try making your present?

If you're stuck for ideas how about a jar filled with handwritten scrolls listing all the things you love about your partner? It will certainly put a smile on their face as they unravel each scroll and read all the lovely ways you appreciate them and will last longer than a bunch of roses!

What are you doing this Valentine's Day?  Will you go all out with expensive gifts or maybe you boycott the whole thing?  What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for Valentine's Day?  Let me know, I'd love to hear.

My Wedding Scrapbook

Whether you're engaged or not, if you've been to a few weddings you unintentionally get an idea of what style wedding you'd like to have. In my head I wanted something low key, small and intimate with nothing too fancy. So when my boyfriend got down on bended knee, last October and popped the question, little did I know Bridezilla would soon be making an appearance with a few ideas of her own!

Before I knew it, small and intimate was soon turning into lavish and outrageous, not to mention expensive.  I was torn between what I wanted and the endless options available.  Yes I wanted something special with close friends and family but on the other hand, hey, it's my one big day, lets go crazy!  I'll admit it, there were a few tears.

After we'd found a venue we both loved I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off our shoulders. I had a stern word with myself and banished the Bridezilla.  I don't want a wedding that's going to consume our everyday lives. I don't want to spend hours agonising over flowers that'll be dead in a few days. I want something simple with a few special touches that shows our personality, in a venue where we feel comfortable and of course surrounded by our closest friends and family

Although our day will be special to us, our married friends tell us it will fly by in the blink of an eye.  Creating this scrapbook has helped me focus on what's important because when it's all said and done we'll only be left with the memories.  The minor details aren't worth stressing about.

1. The journey  2. The dress  3. The suit  4. Some personal touches  5. A keepsake box   6. Simple flowers  7. Ok this cake is amazing!  8. Our loved ones  9. Really what it's all about

My Wedding Scrapbook – How To Enter

Create your own ‘Wedding Scrapbook’ post and you could win a 2 Night Luxury Break for Two in a Suite at the stunning Ox Pasture Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire, including Dinner, Bed & Breakfast, Cream Tea on arrival & other little treats - worth up to £800!

Excludes Christmas & New Year - available any other time, subject to availability

All you have to do to enter is write a post entitled ‘My Wedding Scrapbook’. Your post should include all the aspects you believe make a dream wedding and can feature words, images, photos and sketches - in fact anything you would put in a real life scrap book.

Once you’ve written your post, make sure you add these ‘how to enter’ instructions as they appear here at the foot of your post and then tweet a link to it from your Twitter profile including the hashtag #myweddingscrapbook.

Two runners up prizes of a £100 and a £50 Love2shop gift vouchers will also be given to the 2^nd place & 3^rd place post respectively. The winner will be the most inspirational post, as chosen by the judges. Competition closes midnight 31 March 2014. Winners will be chosen and notified by email using the contact details on their blog within 10 working days of the competition closing.