Each day is Valentine's Day...

... but even so, for some reason we choose to celebrate love on February 14th. :) So for all of you lovebirds out there who want to show someone you care, all whilst showing the planet some love, I've compiled a list of eco-friendly Valentine's goods. These are way better than stuff you'll find at the nearest convenience store, promise (though you can find some of these things there...) You've still got time, so go and scoop these up, quick!

Cards from the heart

The first item on your list is probably a heartfelt card. Instead of defaulting to Hallmark, why not express and create your own sentiment? Making cards (from recycled and reusable paper, cardboard, ribbons, buttons, etc.) is a cute, fun way to share your love… and makes you feel like a kid again. I like to use old photos or magazine cut-outs to make something one-of-a-kind. You can even up-cycle your old cards by cutting out the picture on the front and placing it on your new card. Last year we even suggested taking blank cardstock and covering it with your own lipstick-covered kisses—alternate shades of red, pink, even purple to make a sweet statement that’s all your own. Finish by spritzing the card with your favorite perfume.

No time to make a card? No sweat. Try cards by Green Field Paper or Tree-Free Greetings. We especially love their plantable cards… this way your gift covers both the card and flowers! But if that’s not quite enough…

Love in full bloom

Show your valentine how much you care… about him/her and Mama Earth! A big bouquet of red roses may seem like a surefire hit, but remember that most of the flowers bought and sold in the U.S. (at least 60%) are actually harvested in countries like Colombia and Ecuador, and with a hefty amount of pesticides. According to the Environmental News Network, those r

oses can contain up to 50 times the amount of pesticides that are legally allowed in our food. That’s no way to say “I love you!” Say it instead with a local, seasonal, beautiful bouquet. Simply visit your local farmer’s market and ask for what’s in season; you can select fresh or dried blooms. Your sweetie will love your thoughtfulness. Got a long-distance love? Check out an online organic flower delivery service. Good ones:

Organic Bouquet Your love will flip over their certified organic, sustainably-grown roses or tulips. Even better, you can add on a box of Life Is Sweet organic, fair-trade certified gourmet chocolates, which come in a recyclable and biodegradable box. Sweet, indeed!

Diamond Organics is another gem. All of their flowers are grown by American organic flower farmers in California and Hawaii. This awesome site also features free delivery, and this week you can even save an additional 10% with their Valentine’s promo code. If you really want to wow your loved one, order their elegant organic wine sampler.

California Organic Flowers is another site to try, and they will deliver to anyone in the

continental U.S. Flowers are shipped priority overnight for $14.95.

Say it with... chocolate!

You already know you should be eating organic chocolate… it’s good for you! Share some with your sweetie today. Now there is such an abundance of tastebud-tantalizing organic, fair trade, and just plain yummy chocolate to choose from, you can just waltz into your nearest grocery store and snag quite a few varieties. A few to try:

Chocolove. This is the sweet candy bar with an even sweeter message tucked inside: you’ll find a love poem in every package. And for those of you with dietary concerns, Chocolove is certified kosher, and most bars are also vegan (the company takes great pains to whip up milk chocolate separate from the dark, dairy-free recipes). Chocolove is also part of the World Cocoa Foundation, which supports cocoa farmers worldwide.

Another favorite: Dagoba organic chocolate. Try their tasting squares for the perfect bite-sized portion. The lavender blueberry dark chocolate is sure to hit a romantic note.

Equal Exchange is another great place to look for organic chocolate (and coffee!). Check out the site’s great guide to pairing chocolate and coffee (a match made in heaven). And try their Organic Very Dark Chocolate (71% cacao)—it’s vegan, gluten-free and the site’s top seller.

For the gourmet chocolate lover, you simply must try Terra Nostra. This organic and fair trade company offers a truly decadent assortment of truffles and bars. If you’re feeling lavish, give their complete organic chocolate bar collection gift box. Your gift will be swiftly devoured, but never forgotten.

You can also order some divine organic truffles from OrganicBouquet.com. Their assortment of handmade ganache will make your mouth water!

Swoon-worthy

You’ve got the flowers, card and chocolate. Now sweeten the deal with a cute little ensemble... Try on Indigenous Design’s adorable little knit dress in ruby, made from organic cotton and tencel. This red-hot number is perfect for a night out or in.

Sweet face

Complete your V-Day look with the perfect glow. Organic beauty products will help you look and feel your best and brightest. We love Tarte’s Flower Child Natural Cheek Stain. This eco-chic product is made with Tarte’s exclusive T5 Super Fruit Complex, a blend of the five most active superfruits: goji, açaí, maracuja, acerola, and pomegranate. It’s blissfully made without nasty parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes and fragrances and other chemicals that block your glow. Plus it’s the perfect shade of pink that complements every skin tone. Grab a tube at Sephora.com.

Another cool way to glow: with The Body Shop’s new Love, Etc. collection. Give your sweetie the gift box including the Love, Etc. Eau de Parfum, (a blend of jasmine, neroli and bergamot with notes of vanilla and sandalwood), body wash and body lotion. Buy the whole set, or each product individually, at a current reduced price. The Body Shop is a great line to support because the company is against animal testing and for sustainability and community trade.

Bejeweled

No Valentine’s Day is complete without a little bling. But don’t buy into all those jewelry store ads; try rocking something vintage instead, and lessen your environmental impact. Shop vintage and thrift stores for one-of-a-kind finds that you or your Valentine will cherish forever. We love the line Vintage by Kate, jewelry created by a Boston-area artist who re-styles vintage beads from the 1930’s and ‘40s into wearable, modern pieces. The vintage pearl rose quartz necklace would make an especially sweet gift for anyone who wants to echo a charming and romantic era.

Find it (and the little red dress!) online at Jute & Jackfruit.

Got a few sweet suggestions of your own? Sound off in the comments below! Happy V-Day!

L'enfant terrible

Alexander McQueen, ever the rebel, sent shockwaves through Fashion Week every season. Today he gave us the biggest shock of all. Perhaps he has made the ultimate statement. Regardless, he has left behind a truly enduring legend. His collections, his master tailoring, his showmanship was unparelled. Fashion lovers everywhere are grieving, and for good reason. McQueen can shock us no more.

I wrote my very first runway review about McQueen's fall 2008 collection. His inspiration was an ancient tree, and from there he imagined an entire fairytale about a woodland sprite turning into a queen before our very eyes. Look after look echoed his fascination with Russian czarinas and a recent trip to India, all fused with otherwordly elegance. This is what McQueen did best. Fashion editors and fans everywhere are still talking about his spring 2010 "alien" shoes. Lady Gaga wore head-to-toe McQueen in "Bad Romance." His work is just so fresh, so utterly relevant, and sadly today his "McQ" runway show was understandably cancelled. We've lost the chance to see his imagination and craftsmanship at work. It goes without saying, but he will truly be missed.For a retrospective of some of McQueen's best work, click here.

For just a few of my favorites, see below:

Think spring!

While the "Blizzard of '10" rages outside, I'm dreaming of spring. Once the temperatures rise, here's the trekker-chic look I'm craving...

Spring Break by erincathleen featuring Old Navy dresses

These finds are so fun and summery, it makes me want to pop into the mall to check out American Eagle and Old Navy again. The rompers and sundresses are too sweet! I'm also dying to try the newest fragrances from Benefit and coral and mint candy apple polish shades from Essie. We may be in the midst of a raging winter storm, but in my mind, spring is in the air...

The kindness of strangers

Earlier today I went food shopping at Trader Joe's, on the eve of what is supposed to be a massive coastal snow storm (I had to stock up on all my organic veggie food, lest I should starve!). I had just gotten out of an interview for a job I'm less-than-enthusiastic about taking, but we all do what we can "in these times," so we'll see. Then a funny thing happened... the woman ringing in my groceries was incredibly discerning and kind to me. How so? She simply asked, "Did you have a good day today?"

It's a simple thing, and since I work in a boutique I tend to say similar things to customers: "How are you today?" But that simple turn of phrase, by changing a few words around, made it into an entirely different question that, well, made my day. "Did you have a good day today?" It took our customer-cashier banter to another level, like a conversation between friends or mother and daughter. Nothing more than a polite exchange, it's true, but even so it's nice to be asked.

And you know what? Because of that, I did have a good day. Thank you very much. :)

My interview ensemble:

Cardigan, ruffle top, tweed-y skirt, tights: Loft
Shoes: Abaeté for Payless

What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever said to you?

Favorite things: February

It's that time again, already... new month, new fun stuff! Here, my second in a series of soon-to-be-monthly favorites... a few sights and sounds to delight in right now:

Frou-frou tulle, everywhere:The sweet sounds of chanteuse Charlotte Gainsbourg:

Rom-com movie infiltration:

No offense, Na'vi... girls' night out is back!

Lovey-dovey organic beauty products, just in time for V-day:

Caffeination, simplified. The Starbucks Double Shot:Sparkly taupe/latte-colored nails (a choice made, perhaps, under the influence of said caffeine):

Leighton Meester's enviable Louis Vuitton look at Paris Fashion Week:

I am so busting out the boot socks, sandals and sweater vest and snagging this look!

Lauren Conrad's sweet little dress:

Boston bloggers, FYI: LC's next book tour stop is at the B&N in the Prudential Center tomorrow night. I'd be curious to go, just to style-stalk her. This print is great, but maybe next time she should make a conscious effort to not clash with the bookstore. :P

Lastly, Anthropologie's divine bedding:

Ahhh. My dream set.

Perhaps I picked that last one as a hint to myself... time to wrap it up! Beddy-bye is calling. But do leave me a little note to read when I wake. What are you dreaming of this month?

Quarterlife

Something really magical and tragic happens when you turn 25; you really do wake up with this feeling some days and just think, "Ahhh! Who am I? What am I doing?" Everyone talks about the quarterlife crisis at some point or another, but I really believe it's true. It happens to all of us. And you don't have to be 25, exactly. You could be 18, or 33, 0r 46... We all question our life decisions at some point. But I think twenty-somethings especially have this tendency to worry about the future. The current economy doesn't help matters, with job security (or finding a job, period) up in the air, quite literally. It's natural to stress over these things, which one day, with a heavy dose of experience and perspective, will seem trivial. I am looking forward to that day (and I hope it happens before I turn 35!).

I do apologize for being a moody blogger of late. That's why, some days, I've simply chosen not to post anything... Because, as Thumper once told Bambi, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!" I've been quite grumpy, but I realize it's pointless to get so stressed. There are far more serious things going on besides my own happiness and satisfaction (like the Haiti devastation, the war overseas, climate change... goodness). As long as I have healthy friends, family, a roof over my head and the ability to dream and create, I can push forward into the future, not worrying over every little thing.

But I've been debating whether or not to move forward with this blog. It's kind of evolved past a fashion blog... I no longer track the trends (no time!) and we all know that trends don't equal fashion, anyway. I do miss doing runway reviews, but perhaps one day I'll work for a glossy and will happily sit at the shows (wishful thinking alert!). I do tend to talk about my daily life on here quite a bit, and I hope that isn't too much of a bother. Right now I'm dreaming up a new blogging project that will be even more personal, so I'm not sure that Ip & Audrey is the right... venue for it, so to speak. I may embark on an entirely new frontier for the next phase of my writing. I hope, wherever it takes me, that all of you will come along on the journey!

Hint: it may have something to do with this...

Once I've finalized this project, I'll happily let you in on all the details. For now I'll strive to post more regularly... about fashion, music, art, films, the things that help our lives go round. As always, I love hearing from you and learning your thoughts. I'd even love to interview some of you about your own blogs at some point. You all fascinate me and make me smile on the grayest of days (and in this New England winter, there are lots of those!).

Thanks for continuing to stick with Ip & Audrey... and do stay tuned!