I’ve been leaving Ben a little surprise every day since February started, and we have the girls’  Valentine’s gifts ready, so I put together a little something in honor of Galentine’s Day! By the way, did you know 62% of women think Valentine’s Day isn’t that big of a deal, and 74% think there should be a holiday just for celebrating friendships (so enter Galentine’s Day!). Thus today, the girls and I (they’re my favorite gal pals) are going to go deliver these to some of my local friends. Most of these ladies are people with whom I have been friends with since high school, and we’ve experienced a whole lot of life’s ups and downs together. One of my close friends is THE reason my ex-boyfriend and I broke up (and well, I met Ben not too long after that, so the rest is history!) I always joke with my friend and tell her, “I’m so glad you were there to break us up!” HA! My friends and I have had fights too over the years, but I’m so thankful for all the forgiveness that has countered.

Anyway, the package has lots of goodies… some of Skinny Cows’ newest, gratifying treats, which include their ice cream (did someone say ice cream?!), chocolate candy (would you like milk chocolate or dark chocolate?), and creamy iced coffee (comes in vanilla latte, mocha latte, and creamy cappuccino). There are also some handmade things too, and of course, flowers. Each gift also came with a special poem; some are some silly (cheesy) poems I came up with, and others are a play off familiar poems. I used my (very novice) calligraphy skills to write out the poems, then I scanned them, digitalized my writing, and printed them out on card stock. Once I cut them out, I did a few watercolor brushstrokes on each one, and there you have it, every gift had a corresponding poem. I put all the pieces of the gift together in a berry carton, and now they are ready to be dropped off.

To go with the handmade necklaces (made with simple beads and leather cording)…
Galentine, O, Galentine
I’ll be your friend, and you’ll be mine,
Our friendship has gone through rain and shine,
Here’s a token to decorate your neckline.

To go with the flowers…
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I treasure our friendship,
And I hope you do too.

To go with Skinny Cow’s Creamy Iced Coffee…
Love is what makes the world go round,
I know for some in coffee that’s found.
If you find that statement to ring true,
Savor the Skinny Cow Iced Coffee that’s here for you.

Accompanied with the Skinny Cow® Blissful Truffle Candy Bars (or the Skinny Cow® Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Bars for the friends coming over)…
You dear friend are a sweet gal,
We’ve talked about everything,
Even when our kids went through our birth canal.
You bring laughter and make my life bright,
So for you, enjoy this Galentine delight!

Heart Strings Garland

Supplies:
Cardstock
Heart puncher
1/8″ hold puncher
1 yard paper rope (per garland)

Directions:
Cut out a lot of hearts in a plethora of colors, then hole punch the center of each heart. Mix up the colors and string onto your rope. Double knot each ends, so the hearts can fall out. I attached another one of my silly poems to the end of it, and wrapped the garland around all the gifts.

The poem that came attached to the heart strings garland and sums up the whole surprise…
Days go by, in and out they go,
Our lives get busy, as I’m sure you well know.
Even still, our friendship has stood the test of time,
You are special, dear friend, you are my Galentine!

This post is sponsored by Skinny Cow, and as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting this space and the companies I choose to partner with.