Menus – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Last weekend, I headed over to Christie of KiKiMac‘s gorgeous house with Danielle of Goat and Spoon, and we had a perfect “Galentine’s Crafternoon.” She had posted some Valentine’s craft ideas here and here. As you’ll see in Christie’s post, we ended up creating these pretty hearts. Please soak in all of her gorgeous touches – like the place settings, menus, and delicious vegan, gluten free food!

Of course, with this festive holiday approaching us quickly, there are lots of DIY and decor inspirations posted across the web. Oh So Beautiful Paper’s Valentine Crafting Party ideas include some of my favorite! I adore these printables from Oh So Pretty x Sugar & Cloth.

If you’re looking to have or host a Valentine’s girl’s brunch, be inspired here. This Glitter Guide get-together is seriously perfect. I love the bubbly bar and the glitter LOVE letters.

Another gorgeous Glitter Guide crafty party is featured here. Every single detail (and craft) is perfect. Every one.

I also love this cupid’s arrow cake idea! Sasha and I would never finish that big of a cake, but I think a scaled down version would be perfect. I could even use our new favorite vegan chocolate beet muffin recipe for the cakes!

Another fun vegan Valentine’s Day recipe are these chocolate cake balls. I love finding vegan and gluten free recipes – perfect for a dinner with me and my brother-in-law, Carl, who has Celiac disease.

As part of my mission to eat Burrata cheese at all of these Houston restaurants, I decided to meet a good friend of mine, Paola, at Rainbow Lodge on Sunday for brunch (99 cent mimosas? yes, please). I had never been before, but had wanted to go for ages, so jumped at the opportunity to check it off the list. As I walked in, I felt like I had in fact been there before. I quickly remembered that I recognized the restaurant because I had seen it on photographer Taylor Lord’s blog. She shot a wedding there last year, and I loved every detail. In fact, little did I know at the time, but I would end up in the same Crepe de Chine BHLDN dress! I was grinning ear to ear when I pulled up the pictures again and saw that.

The food was incredible. The Heirloom Tomato Salad was heavenly – the Burrata cheese was perfect, as were the wonderfully affordable mimosas. The 100 year old cabin home turned into hunting-style restaurant is an amazing spot for Sunday brunch or date night. The views are amazing – windows all around. The vegetarian options are definitely limited, but that’s what I expected from an upscale game lodge eatery.