♥ ♪ ♫ That's Amore ♫ ♪ ♥

♫ "When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie, That's amore....
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's amore"... ♫

Gotta love Dean Martin. ;)

So, Happy Hearts Day!

I can't help it, call me sappy, but I'm a nut for Valentine's Day. Not just because of the romantic implications, but I just love LOVE, don't you? I mean, LOVE in general, whether it's hubby or significant other, or your child, your best friend in the world, your whole circle of friends, your Mom and Dad, your cat, your dog...There's nothing like Amore. :)

I have lots and lots to share this Valentine's Day, beginning with a sort of joint labor of love called the Penny Tree....


You can go here to read all about it. The auction begins on Valentine's Day, and some lucky collector will win this gorgeous bronze feather tree with all the yummy ornaments shown below (mine is in there somewhere, a small tuxedo cat), with the proceeds benefiting the Alabama chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There are many truly amazing, nationally recognized artists who've contributed to this, it's a serious treasure!


This is also the last day to sign up for the One World One Heart blog giveaway. Here's a photo of my little trinket box up for grabs...


...and here's the post where you can leave a comment if you haven't already. I've had such fun visiting blogs for this event, and will probably be visiting them most of the year - I barely made it through fifty of the thousand plus participating blogs so far! Lots of visiting still to do.

It will be a quiet Valentine's Day here, just the two of us and five furkids. I'm making one John's favorites for dinner - shrimp scampi, and we'll have these yummy Very Vanilla cupcakes for dessert. Would you like the recipe? It's soooooo easy, not even a recipe at all, really. Just prepare a box of French Vanilla cake mix according to the package directions, including a teaspoon of vanilla extract as part of the liquid, then scrape the seedy contents of one vanilla bean into the batter. Mix and bake. Sooooooooo good with homemade vanilla and chocolate buttercream icing...

And easy-peasy. :)

Not to rush things, but having given Valentine's Day it's due, I want to share just one more thing before I run off - this one inspired by St Patty's Day, a lucky black cat piece, with a very old "charm" for invoking the good luck of a black cat, written around the top. It's up for grabs on eBay now.

That's about it for today, except to wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you spend it in the company of your love, your friends, or yourself, I hope you pamper yourself a bit and do something fun. :)

I'll be back very soon with photos of two very special pieces in progress. Until then, I leave you with this song, which makes me melt every time I hear it...

♥ Carolee