Valentine's Day Gift Guide: Hints for Him

1. Kate Spade Dress (worn by Taylor Swift! Also available in pink/coral)

 2. Godiva Chocolates  //  3. Steve Madden Nude Pumps   

4.  Stila Lip Gloss Trio  //  5. Tory Burch Croc Embossed Robinson Tote  

6. Kate Spade Earrings  

7. Diptyque High Quality Candle  //  8. Paris in Color Book

If you're anything like me, when my sweetie asks me to give him gift ideas of things I'd like or that I need, I seem to draw a blank on the spot. This year I'm a bit more prepared, I found a lovely assortment of items that I simply adore, some will be within his 'student' budget at the moment and some will not, but I thought it would be fun to share my favorites with all of you. Perhaps these will inspire your own Valentine's Day wish list so this year you can be prepared when asked what lovelies you fancy. If you don't have a Valentine or just like to pamper yourself with something extra special this time of year (I'm guilty of it), you can never go wrong with a new pair of pumps!

This list covers the bases for all things lovely: elegant and classic striped party dress, a dreamy scented candle, decadent sweet treats, an investment handbag that I can wear for the next 7 months and years to come, cute nude bow pumps which are perfect for spring and summer, a little sparkle for my ears, colorful lip therapy and a beautiful coffee table book that will transport me back to the city of love, where we got engaged. :)

Speaking of Valentine's Day, the randomly selected winner of our Datevitation Giveaway is Jennifer Alice Duran! Congratulations and I'll be in touch soon with your instructions to create your very own love coupon book so it will be mailed to you before Feb.14th.

Now it's your turn, which gift of the 8 above would you be delighted to open up on Valentine's Day?

Thanks for reading!

XO




*Please note: I am not compensated for writing this post, all opinions are my own.

Valentine's Day Giveaway Winner!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far. I don't know about you but I'm ready for the weekend to get here already! The weather here has been 75-80 degrees during the past few days and it  feels so freeing to take off a few layers and wear sandals again a fter many long weeks of frigid temps.

I really enjoyed reading all of your favorite Valentine's Day dates and ideas, thank you for sharing. I would love for all of you to get a set of these cute cards, but there can one be one. With the help of Random.org, here is the winner of the Pear Tree Greetings Kids Valentine's Cards:

Congratulations to Nikki of Ladybug Momma who was lucky No.8! I'll be in touch with you shortly so you can order your cards well in time for Valentine's Day!

Thank you all for participating as always. Many of you, as first time readers or new followers, left sweet comments about my blog-I read every one and truly appreciate your kindness!

Pear Tree is offering FREE shipping on any Valentine's order, just use the code VDAYSHIP10 upon checkout. More details {here}.

There will be one more giveaway this month and much more content, so please come visit often! :)

Warmly,

Karla

2-Year Blogiversary & Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Aren't these cards just the cutest? Who else loves cupcakes and pink owls? I thought hosting a giveaway would be a great way to celebrate my 2-year Blogiversary with all of you!

If you weren't a Classy & Fabulous reader then, here's a flashback to my first year Blogiversary (and 100th post). Like last year, I have a lot of new and big plans for this blog and fun posts coming your way. I also have a few new fun series' ideas up my sleeve too so I hope you'll join me for those. :)

I also wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank each and every one of you for stopping by to read my posts, leaving me a comment, sending me a personal e-mail, or asking a thought-provoking question. I have met so many kind and generous ladies through blogging and have now made some awesome friendships here too! I love the blogging community and am continually amazed by your stories, your creativity and your insight. While I have a great passion for sharing the classy woman message with the women of the world, it is you ladies who make it so much more fun. Thank you for being You!

My good friends at Pear Tree Greetings want to give one lucky mama a set of 24 kids Valentine cards with shipping to one lucky reader. I received a sample packet of some of what they offer and I fell in love with so many of their cards. While I'm drawn to all the girly, pink and sweet cards there are a bunch of cute robot, monster and dinosaur cards for the little boy in your life too! Can't decide on just one design? Pear Tree has Valentine variety packs too like the one shown at the top of this post or you can choose 3 individual designs with 8 per pack.

To enter, just leave a comment with your dream Valentine's date or maybe you've already experienced it, and are willing to share with us! :) For a second entry: leave another comment letting me know that you are a follower of Classy & Fabulous.That's it! Easy, peasy. Random.org will select the winner.

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: January.19th @ 11pm EST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE: Set of 24 kidsValentine cards
RULES: Winner announced on 01/20
OPEN TO: U.S. addresses ONLY for this giveaway. Sorry. :(

Good Luck to Everyone!

XO
~Karla

Sharing a Little Blogger Love

Happy Valentine's Day Ladies! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend with your sweet, precious spouses, families, kids, friends and/or loves!

Yesterday, I was thinking back to a special moment many years ago. My dad (whom I'm very close with) did such a sweet thing for me one Valentine's Day. I was single, had broken up with a long term boyfriend and most certainly wasn't expecting anything, especially not flowers from anyone. My dad knew it would be a rather uneventful day for me and surprised me by popping over to the house with some pink sweetheart roses for me. It was a reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do on Valentine's day is brighten the day for someone who may not experience all of the giddy love and celebration that others are enjoying.

I wanted to share a little love with you all today, blogger style. I thought I'd share with you my top 5 Favorite go-to blogs. These are the five blogs that I read and visit nearly every single day. I hope you will check them out and may enjoy them as much as I have.

My Favorite Blogs:

1. Young House Love- I heart this blog! Why? Because,Sherry and John are a young couple who purchased a charming, older home in Virginia and blog every single day (sometimes multiple times per day) on the ins and outs of decor, their home renovation projects, their new baby nursery for their little 'beanette' on the way and their cute little pup named 'burger'. Oh, and they have some pretty sweet giveaways too. If you love do-it-youself decor projects and witty humor you'll love Young House Love!

2. Fashion Under $100- May of you have been asking for more fashion posts via the blog poll in my sidebar. One site I'm loving right now for great outfits under $100, celebrity wardrobe requests on a dime and fab finds under fifty dollars is this one. You might remember how I dedicated a whole fall fashion post to it HERE. You can even write in with your requests for reunion attire, what to wear on your next hot date, etc.

3. Rare & Beautiful Treasures-Erin is a sweet gal who like the Young House Love couple, is also pregnant, blogging about baby treasures, the wondeful celebrations and details in everyday life as well as some stunning inspirational decor images too! Erin writes beautiful and inspirational posts that always pull on my heart and make me reflect.

4. Copy Cat Chic- If you love great home design but can't afford the designer price tags, then this blog is for you! Reichel takes finds from Potterybarn, Restoration Hardware, Horchow and the like and shows you (in most cases) a great knock off for a fraction of the price! She too will take on reader requests so send her some furniture or accessories you love (but can't afford) and she'll do the rest!

5. Closet Cooking- You may remember me featuring Kevin's blog on my Fabulous Fare post. I stumbled across this blog completely by accident many months ago and was delighted to find so many creative and delicious-looking recipes. I also thought it was neat that he's a blogger from my hometown. :) You will have a blast whipping up some fun, new recipes after visiting this blog. Over 2300 followers can't be wrong!

How about you? Do you have a favorite blog that you'd like to share with us? Let's continue to share the love. Have a wonderful long weekend!

Chocolate-Coconut Valentine's Day Treat!

Trying new recipes is one of my favorite things to do, especially if it is a dessert! My husband is a coconut lover and I decided to make him a treat that he couldn't resist-Black-bottom Coconut bars. These are a combination of 50% brownie bottom and 50% coconut macaroon top, they are 100% DELICIOUS!

These bars are great for entertaining no matter what the occasion is. Here is the recipe so you can try them too! It is compliments of Martha Stewart.

Prep: 45 minutes

Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Makes 24 Bars

FOR CHOCOLATE BASE :

· 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 1/4 tsp salt
· 1 large egg
· 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

FOR COCONUT TOPPING :

· 2 large eggs
· 3/4 cup sugar
· 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
· 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
· 1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling on top.

Directions:

1. For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.
4. For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).
5. Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.
6. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/black-bottom-coconut-bars