valentines day party idea

Every culture celebrates the day of love a little differently. For instance, in Japan, women give men chocolates on February 14th, while some parts of Britain serve buns baked with caraway seeds and raisins. After checking out YourTangos feature on Valentines Day around the world, try mixing a couple of fun new traditions into your date night.

As much as we love batting heart shaped piatas during Singles Awareness parties, well concede that hating Valentines Day can be just as trite and obnoxious as the day itself. Instead of throwing an anti Valentines party, participate in International Quirkyalone Day, where singles around the world throw feel good parties celebrating empowerment, romance and gratitude. Sometimes, these get togethers encourage mingling; other times, theyre just an excuse to enjoy Valentines Day without the collective self pity that often accompanies other singles parties. For ideas, check out the movements website, which recommends hosting an event at a public place, such as a library, and advertising for it a few weeks ahead of time on Craigslist or Flavorpill.

As I got older, Valentines Day has gradually moved to the back of my list of favorite holidays, but now that I have a daughter, Valentines Day has taken on a whole new meaning. It brings me back to the days of elementary school when we would bring in Valentines Day cards for our friends and make mailboxes to have on each of our desks so we could pass out cards and candy.

Valentines Day is always a time to celebrate your significant others, but its also the perfect opportunity to show the women in your life how much you love them and appreciate them.

When a group of talented crafters comes together for a Valentines Day party, the resulting handmade valentines are as hip as they are heartfelt.Back in 2003, when Maura Madden invited friends to her New York apartment to make valentines one afternoon, she never thought the gluing and painting would still be going strong after midnight. We just had an amazing time it was more fun than I could have imagined, says Madden, who embraced her childhood love of crafting that day. After that, she started getting people together for knitting, sewing, and jewelry making, and began inviting more friends and friends of friends. The events outgrew her apartment and moved to cozy bars and restaurants. Fast forward eight years, and Madden has written a book, Crafternoon, on crafting parties and cohosts Handmade Crafternoon, a monthly salon at the main branch of the New York Public Library.

No matter the project or the venue, the objective is always the same to bring together a group of people to create, share, try something new, and have fun. Its about making friends while taking pleasure in the process, even if what you make is imperfect, says Madden, who by day develops TV shows for Comedy Central. For this gathering, she and her cohost, rare books librarian and accomplished seamstress Jessica Pigza, assembled a group of like minded DIY ers in a soaring, oak paneled room of the library to make valentines once again.

Clockwise from left Anna Beckman, a professional illustrator who specializes in lettering and calligraphy; Rebecca Kutys, a stationery designer; Jessi Klein, a comedian and part time animal doodler; graphic designer Cassidy Iwersen; Maura Madden; Jill Lauck, a college counselor who dedicates her spare time to making cards under the name Cherry Blossom Paper; Danielle Maveal, jewelry designer and Etsy educational coordinator; and Jennifer Nicholson, a State Department calligrapher.

The librarys collection of vintage valentines inspired these newly created cards like this heartstrings card which you can make using our artwork.

This folded heart card was based on a card from the librarys vintage collection.

Jessica Pigza discusses her design with Jill Lauck while Madden cuts out a valentine.

Pizza sandwiches keep the crafters going; to make them, fold dough over fillings cheese, roasted tomatoes, and soppressata, or olives and mushrooms and bake.