Baking the Most out of Galentine's Day with HomeSense

What do you do when it's Super Bowl Sunday and you have no intention of watching the Super Bowl? You invite you best galpal over for a pre-Valentine's Day celebration of course! This Sunday I got together with Eleni, one of my blogger besties, to have a little girl date. We put on our pink sweaters, poured some strawberry drinks, baked some cookies and then went to town decorating them. Our one stop shop for all the essentials to host a cookie decorating get-together? HomeSense of course! Want to host your own little Galentine day date/cookie decorating party with someone special? Here's how to do it:

{all accessories found at HomeSense ranging from $2.99-$24.99}

1. Baked Goods.
Sweet treats and Valentine's Day go hand in hand and there are so many ways to go about this. You can bake in advance to have everything ready to decorate or bake together. It just depends how much time you have. We opted for box mixes from HomeSense because they are super easy to prepare for when you want to focus on each other's company. You guys-- they even have gluten-free options that are the best quality. My favourite part was scoring Sweetapolita sprinkles for $4.99 when they are regular $13.00! The cutest addition to our pink sugar cookies! HomeSense is also great for other gourmet finds... I mean, macarons, gourmet chocolates and meringues for under five dollars! You can't beat it. Baking from scratch? Just pick yourself up a cookbook, pink spatula, cake stand, mixing bowls and you're set!

{cake stand - HomeSense $13.00}

{"Besties" glasses- HomeSense $9.99}

2. More decor.
Yes, this is the time to bring out all the pink, red and fabulous and once I have a theme I really run with it! Obviously, we needed to fill the day with flowers. Roses in every colour, please! We also picked up some adorable Meri-Meri party supplies from HomeSense (for a fraction of the price), and adorable pink plates to serve our goodies on.

{Sweetapolita sprinkles- HomeSense $4.99}

{greeting cards- HomeSense starting at $2.99}

3. Make it special.
My favourite part of Valentine's Day growing up was writing out and handing all my Valentine cards! I just loved going to school (in my pink and red best) and slipping the cards into everyone's handcrafted boxes! I still love writing out cards today. There is just something so special about it. That's why I was SO excited when HomeSense started carrying greeting cards! They are actually so fun and beautifully crafted-- think glitter, catchy sayings and pop up details! And the best part? They start at $2.99! So much cheaper than the regular card stores... Make it special by writing up a card for your pal! Such a sweet touch that they can take home. Fun fact-- Eleni and I got each other the same card! Haha.. great minds, right?!

4. Dress the part.
Pink, pink and more pink please! A true Galentine's Day would not be complete without an extra dose of pink. Obviously, Eleni and I were wearing matching pink sweaters (total coincidence), and then when we scored these adorable pink and white stripe aprons at HomeSense, we were basically twins! I'm serious when I say one-stop-shop! They were $12.00 each which was the icing on the cake! We weren't the only ones who dressed the part. So did the table! An adorable Nicole Miller table runner, and washcloths to soak up all our floury mess!

5. Extra extra!
It's Galentine's Day... the more all out you go, the better! Turn up the music nice and loud, pour yourselves a glass of bubbly (in a cute glass, obvi), and have fun! Doesn't this sound so much better than watching the game on a Sunday? My thoughts exactly!

Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you get some great ideas for Valentine's Day next week. Whatever your plans may be! Just enjoy the day, and don't forget to celebrate the love you have for yourself first! Make sure you head on over to Eleni's blog, Bijuleni,  to check out more ways to save and indulge this Valentine's Day!

Although this post was sponsored by HomeSense, all opinions are 100% my own. I genuinely love working with HomeSense and sharing my finds with you because I am a regular there! 

All photos by: Krenare Ali 

5 Tips To Be The Best Guest

We’ve all read the how-to entertain guides... how to be the hostess with the mostess, what to serve at your holiday party and how to decorate. But where are all the guides on how to be the best guest? Sure there are some main etiquette rules we all should follow, i.e.: don’t show up late (the host puts so much effort into the evening and is expecting you at a certain time), offer to help as much as possible but stay out of the hosts way when they are on a mission, and bring something as a gesture of your gratitude. But this part can be tricky. What to bring that will show just how much you appreciate their efforts and what will set you apart from all the other guests! Today I’m breaking it down for you. Five simple ways to be the best guest and ensure you bring something appropriate, yet fun! Want to know my secret? I don’t even have to leave one store to make it all happen. I rely on HomeSense time and time again for the most interesting, different and just plain exciting hostess gifts, and at every price point.