A Valentine's Treat

I have a new obsession for making things. I like to blame, at least in part, my friend Sandra for her beginning influence in the world of homemade things. She has a blog, you see, and I love to read it. In her blog, she posts ideas she finds online along with other fun things that she makes. Also on her blog is a list of other blogs that she reads. This list is full of crafty people with wonderful ideas, most of which I would never even dream up if I tried.

Now, at least partly because of her, I feel the need to make people things. Holidays, special occasions, and random gifts are now all about the newest ideas and how I can put my own spin on them.

My latest project has been for a member of Refresh, my young women's group at church. We exchanged names and were responsible for sending our person a Valentine's card with some encouraging words enclosed. Of course, I wanted to make her something special, too. So last night, I worked with my friend Shanna to make something to make our "Refresh Valentine's Friends" feel loved this Valentine's Day. This is what we came up with:

Hot Chocolate on a Stick!

(sorry about the bad lighting...this pic was taken with my cell phone)

I found this idea from a blog called Whipperberry (you can find the recipe here). This blog is great and has tons of ideas from event planning to recipes to gift ideas.

Shanna and I had a wonderful time making these treats for our friends. We cut them up, stuck them in a treat bag, and tied them up with a ribbon! Shanna made some cute notes to include with the treats with instructions on how to make the hot chocolate, too. And, of course, we had to include some yummy marshmallows! One of these days I'm going to learn how to make homemade marshmallows...that candy thermometer is pretty intimidating.

My Valentine's Friend loved her special treat! I even got a text message from her saying that the hot chocolate was yummy. That's why I love giving gifts...I love to help someone feel loved and appreciated.

The best part about this treat idea is that it makes TONS of treats! We had lots of leftovers to share with family and friends (and some to enjoy ourselves!). We even mailed some to a mutual friend.

How about you? Are you doing anything special for someone this Valentine's Day?