Because I live in the Northern Hemisphere, I think of February as a transitional month that bridges the darkness of winter to the brightness of spring. February is a wonderful time to prepare for the upcoming season ahead as well as a time to refresh your mindset; begin to crawl out of the darkness, if you will. 

It’s easy to jump the gun and think that spring has arrived when you see the flower bulbs emerging and the arrival of the spring collections on display. You desperately want to start wearing your lighter clothes as you suddenly realize how tired you are of your winter wardrobe or how you’ve grown tired of your cozy ritual of lighting candles and building fires. But hold on, we’re not there, yet! That’s why this month is a perfect time for you to prepare and to get ready for what’s to come. The anticipation of what’s to come will help you through.

February is also the month of love with Valentine’s Day placed right in the middle. With the anticipation up to and the days following, love pretty much envelopes the entire month. This year in particular I think Valentine’s Day is a special one. Expressing our feelings to those in our lives is so important, now more than ever. How are you going to express it this year? Will you go the traditional route and send flowers, cards and/or candy? Or will you be more creative and spread the love to more than d’amour romantique? There are many ways to do this. Here are some of my favorites ::