love

Whether you're after a breathtaking view, a secluded romantic getaway, or a once-in-a-lifetime journey, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to find it and a popular time to for many to pop the question and get engaged. Choosing the where and the when for your proposal really is a big deal, since all the rest of your days together start in that moment and in that place.

If you're looking for inspiration check out these ideas, all of which will have you making a memorable journey together to mark a memorable moment, and please add your own suggestions in the comments!

A Valentine's Box for your dog. It does strike me as a little over the top, but then what's life without the simple pleasure of indulging others? And if there was ever anybody worth indulging it's that little (or big) companion that sticks by you no matter what -- ignoring your bad moods and loving you unconditionally. The box contains an assortment of dog-friendly chocolate-looking treats made of organic ingredients (not chocolate) and a big bouncy strawberry chew toy that's made of recycled materials. It's so pretty it looks almost as fun to give as it will be for Fido to get! $29.95

If you're looking for points in the "uniqueness" department this Valentine's Day and know somebody who likes marmite, this champagne flavored version with a heart-shaped label and "I LOVE YOU" in big bold letters definitely fits that description.

600,000 jars will be made, and although they aren't going on sale in stores until January 21st (£2.99) you can get one now from Selfridges & Co. if you're willing to pay a little more (£3.99). You can also glam things up a bit with a personalized engraved silver lid -- if you're willing to pay (£145).

The latest edition to Cartier's Love collection is the Love watch. The Love bracelet is a bracelet that is screwed on around the wrist and comes with a tiny screwdriver. The new watches are attached to the wrist in the usual way but do carry on the screw motif on the crown. The watch is available in an 18k pink, white or yellow gold case decorated with screws and is available with or without a diamond embellished bezel. The watch uses the Cartier calibre 059 quartz movement and comes on a fabric strap.

[via Time Zone]

The Love Edition Laptop from Ego is the ultimate way to show the love of your life that you care - assuming that she (or he, if you're so inclined) likes gadgets even more than jewelry. It's a laptop computer that was designed just for Valentine's Day! The laptop is covered in soft red or pink leather and embellished with a heart on the top. Each one includes a silver heart pendant that can be engraved with the message of your choice. No pricing information has been released, but it's a limited run so a higher guess is safer than a lower one.

[via crave]

Even though these are really a custom piece and there is no pricing information, we absolutely love these Scrabble Benches from designer Stephen Reed. They are located in the employee break room at the London branch of Bloomberg financial services. The screen-printed pillows have all the classic scrabble letters, so employees can spell out messages or leave notes. It seems like it would be a lot of fun to have these at home, where you could leave little notes for your spouse in the morning or get everyone involved in a game at a party.

[via boingboing]

We love the Cartier LOVE line, but not as much as New York, apparently. The city actually declared yesterday to be "Declare Your Love Day" and the CEO of Cartier presided over the opening bell at NASDAQ Market Site (4 Times square), which was rung by Sarah Jessica Parker and Spike Lee. "Declaring your love" with Cartier involves buying some of their products, of course, and the company released the LOVE charity bracelet for the occasion. It features a pink gold miniature LOVE bracelet on a silk cord that comes in one of eight colors, each representing a different charity. $100 from each charity bracelet sale will be given to the charity it indicates. The bracelets, listed below, should be available at Cartier boutiques and online.

• Salma Hayek – Human Rights Watch– White Bracelet
• Scarlett Johansson – USA Harvest– Baby Pink Bracelet
• Ashley Judd – YouthAIDS – Red Bracelet
• Spike Lee – Kanbar Institute of Film and Television / Graduate Division/Tisch School of the Arts/ NYU – Purple Bracelet
• Edward Norton – Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust – Green Bracelet
• Sarah Jessica Parker – UNICEF – Blue Bracelet
• Michael Stipe – Mercy Corps / Gulf Coast Recovery – Black Bracelet
• Liv Tyler – The Breast Cancer Research Foundation – Deep Pink Bracelet

The company also threw a star-studded party to spread awareness of their new product - and the causes it supports.

[Image BCRF Cure]

We already saw the recommendations from Bride.com for their top five honeymoon destinations, released just in time for the upcoming late spring/summer wedding season. According to Forbes magazine, eighty percent of weddings are followed by a trip for the newlywed couple, who spend a total of $8.6 billion annually on them and an average of $4,400 per couple. People are traveling further afield on these vacations, intending to make the trip into the event of a lifetime as they set out on their newly married life.

Forbes has just selected their picks for the top luxury honeymoons. Of course, some of these picks are quite a bit more costly than the average honeymoon  -  we refuse to use the phrase "moneymoon" -  but are well worth it. The most luxurious stays include:

Anse Chastanet on Santa Lucia is in one of the Caribbean's most breathtaking locations, with over 600-acres of lush garden, tropical flora and gorgeous beaches. Couples can do everything from scuba to shopping or nothing at all. The honeymoon package is $4,480 for a seven night stay (in June) and includes everything but wine, champagne and airfare.

These tiny ceramic vases don't need to be big to deliver their short, sweet message. Sold as a pair, one reads "mom" and the other, "love." The vases are designed by artist Beth Mueller and the sketches that adorn them are hand painted. Each piece is only 4-inches high, but the size makes them into a keepsake that is easy to find room for. Mom can even keep them on her desk or bedside table, with one or two of her favorite flowers tucked inside, so she can think of you every day. Price: $25.00.

Looking for a great gift for your mom? This box of chocolate truffles from Red Envelope might be the ultimate Mother's Day gift because it is candy and a card all in one. Inside the large gift box that bears the message "Mom: Ten reasons I love you," there are ten small boxes that are inscribed with a different reason to love mom. The messages include "You let me believe ketchup is a vegetable" and "You give great hugs." The best part - assuming that your mom is a chocolate fan - is that each box contains a delicious chocolate truffle topped with a bit of edible, 24-karat gold. Price: $32.

We know it's the thought that counts, but when the thought  includes chocolate it's hard to go wrong. And your mom would probably agree.

 

So, at $22, this screen printed top by French designer, Rachel Pelfger isn't your typical Luxist fare. But what this shirt lacks in the way of weighty price tags, it more than makes up for in another type of equally valuable luxury -- namely, the ability to say two contradictory things at once.

A politician's dream, this cherry t-shirt says "hate" when you are looking at one way, but reads "love" when you the see the shirt through a mirror image.  All you have decide, I suppose, is whether you are a  "hater" or a "lover". And if you can't decide, thanks to this nifty anagram t-shirt, you can always be both! After all, isn't being able to have it both ways the greatest luxury?

The Cartier Love Collection was recently reborn with a whole new line of pieces in addition to the classic Love bracelet. The original collection debuted in the 1970s and was designed to represent enduring love because it was fastened with a tiny, sturdy screw, which required an equally tiny screwdriver to open and close it. The screwdriver is disguised as a pendant. The current collection includes rings, necklaces, earrings, cuff links and wedding rings in metals ranging from pink gold to platinum. While all the pieces are engraved with the signature love "screw" emblem, which partially disguises the location of the real screw, many also feature diamonds or other precious stones.