Be your own Valentine: small gift ideas for your big heart + A giveaway ❤️

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day at a posh restaurant with a tall drink of water or at home with your cats and a tall bottle of red, there’s no better day to treat yourself to your heart’s desire. Even if it’s just a little something to say to yourself, “Self, you are loved.” Here are some of my favourite little sumthin’ sumthins for Valentine’s Day — all treats you can pick up last minute or order online for a delightful delivery later in the week. Love is all around but some of the Valentine-themed gifts won’t be around forever. 

Like Starbucks’ Valentine’s Day collection, which seems a little smaller than previous years but maybe it’s just me. The pretty travel mugs and cold cups I’ve been eyeing in store have been disappearing faster than you can say Cascara Latte (it’s new — do you like it a latte?). I bought the hearts mug the other day and Starbucks sent me the balloons double wall traveler to try. Snap them up, mon amie. ‘Cause there’s nothing sadder than an empty space on the shelf where your new favourite mug used to be. (Okay a few things are sadder but this is no time for tears. Unless they’re tears of laughter ha ha, which I fully support.)

Chapters’ sweetheart coin pouch is on sale along with dozens of other cute Valentine’s finds. I don’t know if I’m going to keep this one for myself or give it to one of my love bugs here at home. (They get wee beanie boos for Valentine’s Day and whatever they want for dinner, within reason. Probably pancakes this year.)

I could spend many a happy afternoon smelling all the good smells at Saje Natural Wellness and their kiss mist zesty breath freshener is my latest fave find. Chewing gum can feel so gauche but a quick spritz, well that’s all class.

I’ve mentioned how much I love Mellow Bath & Body’s all-natural coffee scrub — it feels so good and smells great! I’ll be sharing a chat with the co’s founder in an upcoming post.

Maybe pretty stationery makes you smile? How about a compliment every time you pick up your pen? There’s more where that came from in the ban.do sweet talk pen set, which makes a great gift (yes for you!) paired with the russell + hazel calhoun coptic journal and the ban.do rough draft mini noteboook (‘tho why it’s called mini I don’t know, at 9 x 7 inches it’s a good size.)  I love pretty much all things ban.do and Chapters has such a great selection.

And I love my mini ban.do heart hair clip and brooch (2.5 inches square so not that mini either). Wouldn’t it look super cute pinned to a white tee or a black turtleneck or a denim jacket?

I have no affiliation with ban.do apart from a mad crush, and here they’ve done it again with their compliment postcard book. You are gold baby, solid gold. (And those Starbucks cookies are deelish!)

If you thought that H&M kitty tee was cute, check out their pink whale tape dispenser. Too much? Nahh, just enough. They’ve also a blue unicorn and a pink flamingo. Which one do you need?

DAVIDsTEA’s heart-shaped tea tins have my heart too (here berry romantic and white chocolate rose).

And just in time for Valentine’s Day, the brand-new release by Sophie Kinsella, My (not so) Perfect Life. It’s a love story/workplace drama described as “witty critique of the false judgments we make in a social-media-obsessed world” and Chatelaine had a great chat with Sophie about it on Friday on Facebook Live. I’ve just picked it up yesterday so I can’t say how it is but I’m a big Sophie fan and this one looks fab.

If I go on any longer we’re going to miss Valentine’s Day altogether so I’ll let you get to your shopping. But first, a little Valentine’s giveaway!

SELF, YOU ARE LOVED GIVEAWAY ❤️

For a chance to win a $10 Starbucks gift card (courtesy of Starbucks Canada) and a $15 Chapters Indigo gift card (from yours truly), tell me something about yourself and your favourite gift idea from this post in the comments below. (This entry is mandatory.)

For an additional entry, follow try small things on Facebook and share this post, then tell me you did so and your name on Facebook in the comments below.

For a third entry, follow try small things on Instagram, like this photo, and tell me your Instagram handle in the comments below.

And feel free to tweet the following once per day and leave the url for your tweet in the comments below (one entry per tweet). Make sure you’re following try small things on Twitter for your entry to count.

Treat yourself, Valentine! + #Win Starbucks + Chapters/Indigo gift cards from @trysmallthings ❤️ http://wp.me/p4xBed-4pA CAN 3/4 

The giveaway is open to Canadian residents 18+ and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on March 4, 2017. The potential winner (chosen at random) must respond to prize notification within 48 hours and provide the correct answer to a skill-testing question, otherwise another winner will be selected.

Update March 5, 2017: Congratulations Pat H!

Starbucks Canada sent me product free-of-charge in order to facilitate this post and Mellow Bath and Body sent me the coffee scrub last month for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Happy Valentine’s Day!