Valentines Day is fast approaching and everyone is starting to make plans for the big lovefest. Are you looking for a fun and easy solution? Well then you are so in luck! Some of you may be planning an extravagant night out and looking forward to getting all dressed up while others may be looking to do something a little more low key for the evening. This year I personally decided on the low key option. I'm talking a cozy, romantic fun evening at home: a Valentines Day movie & dessert night! How does a favorite movie, yummy snacks, cocktails & an ice cream cake sound? Now that's what I'm talking about. Pretty good right?!
I am so excited to have partnered with Cold Stone Creamery to bring you these ideas on how you can have a comfy cozy Valentines Day "Date Night In".
"Date Night In" is one of my favorite ways to have "a date" as it can be made into anything you choose and can also be as fancy or as casual as you want but making it EASY is key. Today we are choosing the comfy, cozy option. Super kick back and chill. So here's a few things to remember when planning a Valentines Date Night In!
Location is key!
Choose an area of your home where you want to get all cozy for the night. I chose the living room as this is where we usually hang out, watch TV and sometimes eat dinner. (ok well maybe a LOT of times eat dinner here, but no judging! lol) With that being said, it was only natural to set up our date night fun on our coffee table as we can get all cozy, pop a movie in, munch on appetizers and snacks, exchange love letters /gifts and then have a yummy dessert! This is a perfect night in to me. To keep it easy on yourself, make sure to use items you have laying around for this fun night . . . be frugal and keep it simple.
Simple menu of your faves!
I would plan a small menu of your favorite snacks that you like to munch on while watching a movie for your date nights. For this particular evening I chose a simple cheese, summer sausage and cracker tray. I simply bought the items at the store so there was no cooking and got a little creative with the cheese and sausage by using a mini heart shaped cutter to add to the fun. Grapes complimented the tray and were added to make sure we got our fruits in. ;) I also had a bowl of strawberries on the wine tray because it went well with the custom ice cubes I made.
We also love our sweets, so a fun, tiny tray of M&Ms & sweet tart hearts made their way to the table, so we could grab them as we wanted. Using some of the festive mini serving pieces we own already makes this date night just a wee bit fancier, don't ya think? ;)
Make sure to pick up your favorite bottle of bubbly, cider or simply have some infused water in fancy glasses to give the evening a more romantic vibe. I made heart shaped ice cubes and put tiny bits of strawberries in them before I froze them & then added it to our glasses for a bit of festive-ness! It's all in the details and remember, . . . the details can be simple and easy.
The best tip I can give to you is to pick a dessert that is not only delicious but is one of your faves as well. One of our 'go-to' dessert places is Cold Stone Creamery so that's what we wanted for this night too. We tried the new 'They Call It Truffle Love' cake. It is moist layers of Red Velvet Cake and
Fudge Truffle Ice Cream with Chocolate Shavings wrapped in a rich Fudge
Ganache. Can I get an "oh my YUM" is it gooooood! You must check it out on the Cold Stone WEBSITE as it really IS that good.
Add a personal touch.
When deciding on a movie to watch for the evening, why not choose one that you've seen already, together on a date out, one that means something special or just simply one you want to watch for the one hundredth time. The one we chose, we had seen already on one of our fun date nights, so it was a perfect choice for reminiscing.
If you are having a hard time thinking of the perfect gift to give, simply write a love letter using the FREE Valentines card you can download. Whatever you choose to do, make it special. Make it unique. Make it from the heart. After all, that's the only thing that matters on this day.
Utilizing FREE printables.
You will want to print out the FREE Valentines mini party pack, I designed for you all, and put it into action! I LOVE this little party package as it's a "mini" version of the ones I sell and who doesn't just adore all things mini? I thought so. ;)
I designed it with just enough items for you to decorate your Valentines "Date Night In" table AND also provided you with a Valentines card so you don't have to run out & find the perfect one. How cool is that?
When you download the file it will have two pages: one with the FREE Valentines Day card and the other page will have four toppers/tags, four party flags and then a half page of decorative paper to use for anything you like. Here are some ideas I came up with and how I used them . . .
Use the toppers/tags for a tag adorning a gift. It makes a nice decorative touch to a tiny candy bag. The tags as well as the flags can be cut out and taped to a lollipop stick or toothpick & use it to decorate your food items.
The scrapbook paper can be used for a variety of different purposes: use it to lay on a tray before
placing food on it, cut out hearts & place around your table or
hang them. I cut out two heart shapes from the paper & used them for
coasters for the wine glasses. Use your imagination and have fun!
Take this opportunity to write down how you truly feel about someone in the Valentines card. A handwritten note is always a treasured keepsake so take this as your chance to tell people what they mean to you.
I hope you have gotten some fun ideas from this and will use the FREE printables to help in your planning. Make sure to check out the amazing ice cream cakes at Cold Stone Creamery and also follow them on Twitter and Instagram so you can stay updated with anything new they come out with.
So are YOU going to have your own Valentines Day "Date Night In"? Please leave a comment below and tell me what it is YOU have planned. Will you be using these printables?
I hope whatever you decide to do, that you have a fabulous Valentines Day! xo
This is a sponsored post in which I received product/compensation from Cold Stone Creamery. However, all opinions are strictly my own.
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