7:30 AM

10 at home Valentine's Day date ideas

Valentine's day is just around the corner and it's hard to believe that after this holiday we've officially celebrated every holiday in quarantine. Nowadays date nights have turned into nights in with our favorite take-out and binge-watching the latest Netflix show. Even though Valentine's day plans may look a little different this year, there are still some fun (and safe!) ways to celebrate the day of love with your Valentine. 

1. Romantic candlelight dinner at home

Bring the five-star dining experience home and put together a romantic candlelight dinner in the comfort of your own home. Even though indoor dining is an option for us here in North Carolina, we still haven't felt safe enough to eat inside of a restaurant just yet. All you really need is a nice tablecloth, some placemats, and candles to bring the restaurant experience home. Want to add in a romantic touch? Throw in some rose petals!

Christian actually put together a candlelight dinner for us for our anniversary and it was such a sweet surprise. You could chef up your favorite meal to serve or order to takeout from your favorite restaurant and plate it at home! 

2. At home sip and paint

Bring out your inner artist with an at-home sip and paint event! There are a couple different ways you could go about this. You could pick up some blank canvases, acrylic paint, and paintbrushes and find a video tutorial on YouTube. Another option would be to order a paint by number from Amazon or even custom paint by number with a portrait of you and your Valentine!

I have actually always wanted to do a sip and paint class, but think we are planning to do an at-home version this year for Valentine's day! We plan to have our favorite bottle of red and put together a grazing board while we paint away!

3. Elevated movie night

I know, I know, by now you probably have had enough at home movie nights to hold you over for the next decade, but there are still ways to make them special. Instead of cuddling on the couch like usual, why not set up a mini fort in your living room? You could deck it out with fairy lights and cozy pillows to make it extra special. Just finish it off with your favorite snacks and drink of choice and voila, an upgrade to your everyday movie night. 

4. Cook a meal together

Why not chef it up in the kitchen and try out a new recipe? There are tons on Pinterest or you could even order a meal delivery service such as HelloFresh. Another option would be Want to take an actual class? Sur La Table offers online cooking classes that may be a fun option to check out! Want to take it another step further? Make it a themed dinner! From a night out in Italy or on a sandy beach in Mexico, decorate your space and chef up a meal from that country to switch things up!

5. Have a cook-off

Want to add a bit of competition? Instead of cooking together have a cook-off! You each pick out a recipe and see who is the better chef in the relationship. The cook-off could be a free-for-all or a theme of your choice! Some ideas could be grill off, specific cuisine, breakfast cook-off, or gourmet cook-off!

6. Bar hop at home

Turn your home into a night out on the town and turn each room into a different themed bar. Your porch could be the hottest rooftop bar in the city. The living room? A fun video game bar. The kitchen? The best bar for midnight snacks. With a little creativity, your home could be the hottest spot in the city.

I had actually surprised Christian for his birthday with this idea and it was so fun! I made signs for each "bar" and made up special drinks for each location. 

7. Have an at-home spa night

Pamper yourselves with an at-home spa night! Breakout all of your body scrubs, facial masks, and beauty products to have a relaxing night in. Slip into some cozy robes and have a relaxing night in together.

8. Have a game night

Feeling competitive? Break out your favorite board games and pour some drinks for a fun night in. A little friendly competition is always fun and I'm sure you have a board game or two laying around.

9. Have a tasting party

From wine to ice cream to fast food chicken nuggets, gather up a variety of choices to taste test. Wanna take it a step further? Do a blind taste test! I've always wanted to do a fast-food chicken nugget taste test where we get chicken nuggets from popular fast-food restaurants and blindly rank them to see which restaurant has the best chicken nuggets!

10. Have a Karaoke Night

Sing your hearts out with an at-home karaoke night! Purchase your own karaoke kit or just simply find videos on YouTube and use your trusty hairbrush as a makeshift microphone. Either way, you're in for an entertaining night in. 

Have any other at-home date night ideas? Share them with us down below! I hope you all found this post helpful and as always, thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Amy

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7:00 AM

Meaningful Valentine's Day gifts for any budget

 

*Disclaimer: This post is in partnership with Responsival and as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting brands that support The Daily Amy!

Love is in the air and if you're like my boyfriend then gift-giving is your way of professing your love to someone. Christian and I have been together for two years now and I will say he is probably the best at giving gifts. From birthdays to anniversaries he always manages to gift me the most meaningful gifts and I thought it'd be fun to share some of those ideas with you all in case you're looking for something meaningful to gift your Valentine this year!

 Whether you're looking to drop some serious $$$$ or looking for something small and meaningful to gift to your significant other this Valentine's Day I have rounded up the best picks for you all. 

DAINTY GOLD RINGS

Can one really go wrong with gifting jewelry? I've been a big fan of dainty gold rings lately and think this gold initial ring would be such a cute gift. You could gift it with her initial, your initial, or the initial of her future last name. The possibilities are endless.

HEART SHAPED PHOTO NECKLACE

Have a favorite photo of the two of you? Why not turn it into a necklace? Christian gifted me this heart-shaped photo necklace right before our anniversary and I absolutely love it. It looks like a heart necklace, but if you look closely at it, it has one of our favorite photos together in the center. Such a cute and special gift to wear around. 

WOODEN MUSIC BOX

Do you have a song? This little music box is not only adorable but can play the tune of your favorite song with one simple turn of the handle. Christian had given me was this adorable wooden music box. We had met at a Christmas party singing a song from Moana and one year he had gifted me this music box that plays "How far I'll go." It's such a sweet gift and every time I spin the box to hear the song it reminds me of the night we met! 

SPOTIFY ACRYLIC PRINT

These Spotify album prints were big on TikTok last year and I think they are adorable! You can totally make these yourself or if you're not the crafty time there are a ton of Etsy sellers who makes these as well. You can completely customize this with a favorite photo of you two, your favorite song, anniversary date, etc.

HANDWRITING BRACELET

How sweet would it be to wear a bracelet with "I love you" written on it from your significant other? You can send any short phrase or message to this Etsy seller and they can turn your everyday handwritten note into a beautiful piece of jewelry.  

THE ADVENTURE CHALLENGE BOOK

I've been seeing ads on this book float around Instagram for some time now and think it's just adorable! Essentially it's a book with 50 scratch-off adventures you can do together. Perfect for the couple who wants to get out of the slump of pizza and Netflix for date nights. 

DATE NIGHT BUCKET LIST

For those nights where you don't know what to do for date night, draw from this collection of date night ideas! This kit includes sticks with fun date night idea prompts and a space on the back of each stick to write down the date of when you completed the activity. 

COOKBOOK

Cooking together is something Christian and I have started doing this past year and it's been one of our favorite ways to spend time together. Plus, you get a delicious meal out of it, a win in my book. This cookbook shares 120 recipes to nourish the people you love and think would be the perfect Valentine's Day gift! 

Been gifted something you absolutely loved? Let us know down below! I hope you all have found this post helpful and as always, thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Amy

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7:30 AM

20 Date Ideas for any Budget

Looking to switch up your date night? Don't worry, I got you covered.

Sweater || Skirt || Booties || Earrings || Similar Purse 

I know everyone kept going on about how January felt like the longest month, but I actually feel like it was the opposite. I can hardly believe we're already a month into the new year. Good thing we have an extra day this year to get our act together, right?

Now that it's officially February and it is the month all about love, I thought it'd be fun to share some fun date ideas with you all! I know my boyfriend and I tend to fall into the routine of cooking dinner, having a glass of wine, and ending the night with Grey's Anatomy marathon. Although there's nothing wrong with a good routine and I do love our Grey's marathons, it's fun to switch things up every now and then! I've broken down these date ideas into three categories: free, affordable, and splurge so there are ideas for whatever budget you may have!

FREE DATE IDEAS

1. Game Night

Whether it is board games or on the switch, a little competition is always fun! When we first started dating we used to play Mario Kart all the time.

2. Movie Marathon

Gather up all of your favorite snacks and binge your favorite movies! Harry Potter was my personal favorite and I loved putting together a snack platter for us to enjoy while we watched them!

3. Drive around town and jam out to some old school favorites

One of my favorite memories with my boyfriend has been us driving around jamming to our favorite songs growing up. Put together a killer playlist and sing your heart out!

4. Take a hike

Back your bag up with some water and snacks and take a hike. This is a great way to enjoy some fresh air, get some exercise and be completely present with each other. Plus, you get to reward yourself with a pretty view at the end of it! 

5. Stroll through the park

If sweating and climbing up hills doesn't sound appealing to you, take a relaxing stroll through your local park. Another great way to get moving outside without having having to climb up various obstacles. 

6. Take a couple's yoga class

If fitness and yoga is your thing, try looking up some free yoga classes in your area to take together! I know Charlotte has several popping up every weekend, just try checking Facebook events!

AFFORDABLE DATE IDEAS 

7. Cook a meal together 

HelloFresh is my favorite because everything is already packed up and portioned for you. I wrote a whole review on my experience here!

8. Go to Trivia Night at a local brewery 

A few months back we went to a Harry Potter-themed trivia at a local brewery and it was so much fun! You get to unwind with a glass or two of beer and test out your knowledge. 

9. Go to an Arcade Bar

This has been a recent favorite for us! We have several arcade bars here in Charlotte with many of the games being free to play. It's a fun and inexpensive date night spot and it brings back a ton of childhood nostalgia. 

10. Go Ice Skating

Strap on your skates and test your balancing skills on the ice! This is such a fun and cute winter activity, but be warned, it is a workout! 

11. Take a swing at TopGolf

Put your golfing skills to the test and head out to TopGolf! This is such a fun spot day or night and would be a fun group date night spot as well.

12. Hit up a trampoline park

Bring the inner kid of you out and jump around a massive trampoline park for an hour. It's a great way to let loose and be silly. 

13. Visit a local winery 

Sip, stroll and try out some new wines at a local winery. I've only visited once (a llama winery!!) and think it's such a fun springtime activity. 

14. Do a restaurant appetizer crawl

I've actually never done this before, but I think it'd be so fun to do! Basically, it's like a bar crawl where you hop from restaurant to restaurant but instead of ordering drinks order an appetizer from each place! It's a great way to try out a little bit of everything from everywhere. 

SPLURGE DATE NIGHT IDEAS

15. Take a Cooking Class

Pick up a new skill together and sign up for a couple's cooking class! I've actually been wanting to try this out and think it's such a fine idea! 

16. Get tickets to a sporting event

Depending on the type of sporting event, this may be a splurge, but if sports are your thing, head out and cheer on your favorite team together! 

17. Jam out to your favorite band

Or if sports aren't your thing, splurge on some tickets to hear your favorite artist live! 

18. Book a Spa Day

Treat yourself to a relaxing couple's spa day. Both of you will be relaxed and refreshed by the end of it. 

19. Go Indoor Skydiving

For more adventurous couples, indoor skydiving may be for you! Get your adrenaline pumping without having to jump out of a real plane.  

20. Craft your own signature scent at a Candle Bar

For $40 per person, you can whip up your own candle at a candle bar with many of them being BYOB! Not only is this a fun activity to do together, but you also get a candle to take home to remind you of your fun date night!

Photos by: Deeana Kourtney Photography

Have you tried any of these date night ideas? Also, if you have an idea that I didn't mention be sure to add it in the comments down below! I hope you all found this helpful and as always, thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Amy

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8:00 AM

7 simple ways to show love

Happy Valentine's Day friends!
Here's to the day of showering your loved ones with love and showing them how much you appreciate them. In spirit of the day of love, I thought it would be fun to share some simple ways you can show the people in your life how much you care about them. I'm big on the little things go a long way and I really think that you don't need to spend a ton of money on someone to show them how much you love them. 
Actions > Material things
1. Make them their favorite meal I mean, food is the number way to a person's heart, am I right? Chef up their favorite meal for dinner (or breakfast!) and I'm sure they'll feel loved and appreciated. Not a cook? You can always order their favorite meal togo as well. It's the thought that counts!

2. Write them a handwritten letter There's something so special and thoughtful about receiving a well thought out handwritten letter or even a simple card. Have a loved one or friend that lives far away? Shoot them a well thought out card. Those are so rare now a days and will surely make them feel special.

3. Leave hidden notes  RJ use to leave hidden notes around my dorm room freshman year and it was always so sweet to find them, especially after having a bad day! You could sneak a little note in their wallet, bag, room, where ever. It's such a nice surprise when they find them!

4. Do a chore they don't like  Does your s/o hate doing dishes? How about dreads cleaning the bathroom? Give a hand and do a chore they dislike and I'm sure they'll love you for it.


5. Call them I'm guilty of getting caught up with school, socializing, and everything life throws at me and forgetting to call home every now and then. Call your parents, call your best friend, call your boyfriend, call and tell them how much you love them.


6. Host a get together I love a good excuse to have all of my favorite people together in one place. Even if you host a simple pot lock, call up some of your friends and get them together to catch up and enjoy with each other's company.

7. Spend time with each other Lastly, spend time with the person! Put down the laptops and cell phones and just enjoy quality time with each other. With social media and technology playing such a big part in our lives, it can also get in the way with good quality time with one another. Take some time to talk to each other, do an activity you both enjoy and enjoy each other's company! 

What are some things you like to do to show your loved ones how much you appreciate them? Let me know down below! I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day and remember, you don't need to be in a relationship to celebrate. Single? Go grab yourself a glass of wine and your favorite treat and go #treatyoself 

Happy Valentine's Day!

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7:12 AM

Restyling a formal dress

Similar Formal Dress HERE and HERE || Button Down Shirt || Black Tights || Black Flats || Chain Bracelet || Alex and Ani Unicorn || Alex and Ani Initial || Brahmin Clutch c/o

Happy Wednesday Friends!
I've said it multiple times on my blog how I like to find ways to restyle pieces in my closet and get the most out of my clothing pieces. Today I decided to take it a step further and restyled an old formal dress to make it a little more wearable for everyday. 
Fun fact: this is my winter formal dress I wore my senior year of high school!

I'm kind of a hoarder in the fact that I hate getting rid of my old formal dresses. I have every winter formal dress, prom dress and homecoming dress I ever worn in my closet back at home and I just can't bare to part with them. Maybe one day I'll work my way up to sell them or give them to a friend who really needs a dress for an occasion, but we'll see! To make the dress more wearable and a little more suited for ever day wear I threw on flannel shirt to cover up the sequined top. As much as I love sparkles I wanted to focus mainly on the fun flowy skirt of the dress. Skater silhouette dresses are so fun to play around with because you can easily thrown on a button down top with it and make it look like a skirt! Easy two in one piece!
To finish the look off I paired the outfit with my go to ribbed tights, black flats and a clutch. This would be such a cute date night look and you could even switch out the black tights and flats for some cute nude heels if it's warmer out!
What do you all think about restyling your formal dress? Did this inspire you do try it out? Let me know in the comments down below! I hope you all have a wonderful day and as always, thank you for reading!

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8:00 AM

Valentine's Day Date Night Look

Dress (c/o) || Similar Necklace || Nude Heels || Kendra Scott Earrings c/o via Rocksbox (get your first month free with code: pastelnpinkblogxoxo) || Bracelet || Brahmin Clutch c/o
Happy Monday friends!
Back at it again with another blush Valentine's day look (#sorrynotsorry)! I'm kind of obsessed with this color lately, especially for Valentine's day! I'm not much of a red type of girl as pink is always my go to this time of year... or actually all the time. 
This little pink number from Allura Boutique has to be one of my new favorite pieces, especially for date night. The ruffle detailing on this dress gives it such a fun and flirty look and the back is what sold me! I don't have any open back clothing pieces, but this may be the turning point for me to start purchasing more pieces. If open back pieces aren't your thing, this pretty bright pink dress from Allura would be SO cute for date night as well. 
I wanted to keep the styling of this dress pretty simple so that the main focus would be on the pretty ruffles and open back of the dress. I recently picked up these nude pumps and am wondering why haven't I picked up a pair sooner?! They go with so much and are a great piece to elongating my legs.
The weather keeps going in and out of being beautifully warm and super cold here in Charlotte. Hopefully the weather will turn pretty next week so I'm able to wear this pretty little number for Valentine's day!
I hope all of you had a fun weekend! If you saw on Snapchat or Insta Stories you may know that I attended one of my high school friend's wedding Saturday. It was so fun celebrating with my friends and I'll be sure to write a little more on it this Friday in my Pink talk's post. I hope you all have a great Monday and as always, thank you for reading!
Shop My Outfit: *This post was in partnership with Allura Boutique. Thank you for supporting brands that support Pastel N Pink!

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8:00 AM

Valentine's Day Gifts for Everyone

Happy Friday friends!

Shopping for others can be hard, especially on Valentine's day. Today I'm rounding up my picks that I think would be perfect for everyone on your list this Valentine's day! Personally I'm more of a DIY type of gal, but if you're not the crafty type or looking to spoil someone special in your life, hopefully these will give you some ideas!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 I may be a little bias, but I think girls are the easiest to shop for! I mean, get her some flowers, fuzzy socks and a cute pear of earrings and you should be set! You can't really go wrong with jewelry and this mantra band would be such a sweet gift to give to that special girl in your life without being super cliche or breaking the bank on a diamond necklace. Find a quote you think will suit her best and BAM you just won boyfriend of the year award.
More gifts for her:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 On the flip side of girls being easy to shop for, guys are the HARDEST people to shop for, I swear. I've been with RJ for many Christmases, Birthdays, Valentine's Days and so on and I still struggle every year on what to get him. If you're really stuck, my usual go to for RJ is a cute button down top. If you are really in a pickle, I feel like you can never go wrong with food for guys. So worst comes to worst head over to Pinterest and find a cute yummy snack to make him! More gifts for him:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Who said Valentine's Day is only for couples? Treat your gal pal with a small little gift to show her how much you appreciate her! I recently just try the infamous Sugarfina gummies and OH MY GOODNESS they're SO GOOD. Treat your girl friend with a box of these goodies and I'm sure she'll love you forever! 

More gifts:

And that's my round up! I hope this helped you all on some potential gift ideas to gift the loved ones in your life. By no means you have to give someone a gift to show them how much you love them. A handwritten note, cooking them a meal or even doing a chore they don't like goes a long way! 

I hope you all had a wonderful week and have a wonderful weekend! I'm headed to a friend's wedding tomorrow and hosting a little Super Bowl party at my place on Sunday! So be sure to follow me on Instagram and Snapchat to join in on all the fun! Have a great Friday! 

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8:00 AM

Casual Date Night Outfit

Pink Sweater || Leopard Scarf || Black Skinny Jeans || Black Lace Up Flats || Similar Purse || Pearl Earrings

Happy Thursday friends!
I hope you all had a wonderful week! Today marks one week since I started my new internship! So far so good, and lots of walking. I guess getting my daily steps in is not going to be a problem for me this semester, right? 
Today I'm sharing another Valentine's day outfit idea for you all. I also want to put in a side note that when I was styling and preparing all of my outfits for Valentine's day that I didn't realize that all of them were blush pink.. I mean my blog name is called Pastel N PINK after all, haha!
This outfit would be perfect for a casual Valentine's day date or a fun night out with your girl friends. There are so many pieces that gives this outfit a fun sassy touch! First off, who doesn't love a touch of leopard? This leopard scarf is such a great layering pieces and a fun way to add a little sass and pattern to any outfit. Flats are my shoe of choice because I don't care what anyone says, heels are uncomfortable. These lace up flats  are always may go to for adding a little fun touch to my night out outfits.
Do you have your Valentine's day outfit picked out yet? If so, let me know what you're wearing down below! If not, come back next week for two more outfit ideas! I hope you all have a great day and as always, thank you for reading!
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