“You are the butter to my bread, the breath to my life – I love you, my darling.”

- Paul Child, to Julia

America’s most romantic holiday is upon us. I love Valentine’s Day – I always have. The pinks, reds, and whites. The chocolate. The love. All of it.

The first 24 of my life, I didn’t really have a “valentine.” Now I do. It’s fun, to be sure. But I have some great memories of Valentine’s Day as a kid.

My parents would always give my sister and I small Valentine’s gifts in the morning before we left for school on February 14. Sometimes it was candy or a little stuffed animal. But one year, we got those mini-backpack purses that were SUPER popular in the early-to-mid nineties. You know the ones with the brown suede bottoms? Oh, yeah. We were so excited and totally in heaven, and even now, that remains one of my favorite memories of Valentine’s Day – and of my childhood in general.

The most fun part of Valentine’s Day though, is the cards. My tastes have evolved a bit over the years and even though I’ll always love the tear-away rectangular throwback Care Bear cards, here are a few of my favorites for this year:

You Are the Salt to My Pretzel, by hellosmallworld, $4

Multi Colored Hearts Stationery, by PaperSource, $9 for 10

Valentine’s Day Postcards, by Rifle Paper Co, $10 for 10