A Nutty Valentine's Day treat

Hi Everyone! I'm Nicole, Annette's blog manager. When Annette asked me to share a Valentine's Day post with you, I couldn't wait to get started. Over the years, Valentine's Day has become one of my favorite holidays.Whether you're celebrating with a significant other, your best friends, your children, or your coworkers, it's a day to stop and remember the good and loving people around you.My husband and I live in a quaint little neighborhood in Atlanta, and we happen to have some of the best neighbors around. They get packages off of our porch if we're not home, smile and ask about what we're up to, and make it a point to always look out for us. As a street, we take care of each other; I love the camaraderie!I decided I wanted to give a little token of appreciation to each of my neighbors (a nutty Valentine's Day treat!), and I knew the first place to look was Minted. Minted is an online marketplace for independent artists and designers, and a vibrant playground for paper lovers like me.You can find everything from photo backdrops to home decor at Minted, but this time of year, I love looking through their Valentine's Day cards. Of course, Minted has a large selection of photo cards, postcards, and greeting cards, but did you know that Minted also has classroom valentines?I've always enjoyed how cheeky and funny kids' classroom cards can be, so I knew I would find exactly what I was looking for...and I did! Minted kindly sent me a set of these Nuts Classroom Valentine's Day cards for the neighbors' treats. With Minted's easy to use personalization options, I was able to change the color, select my own wording, add a scalloped edge, and include an adorably nutty background. So cute!Once my Valentine's arrived (within a week!), I picked up some cute food-safe pails** from my local craft store along with Valentine's Day crafting supplies. I used scrapbooking stickers and ric-rac washi tape to decorate each pail before filling it with Annette's Big Game Snack Mix from her book, Picture Perfect Parties.Her snack mix packs a punch and includes a lot of flavors that meld so well together. Plus, who doesn't love snack mix? Annette's mix is incredibly easy to toss together and requires no extra work other than picking up the ingredients from your local grocery store. I love that I didn't have to dirty any dishes, pots, or pans and just could just mix everything together. Her recipes are great like that!I can't wait to leave each of these pails on my neighbors porches as a fun little Valentine's Day surprise. Let me know if you find any other cute uses for classroom Valentine's beyond the classroom. Minted has a great selection, and I'm excited to hear your ideas! Thanks for having me, Annette!xo, NicoleThanks to Minted for sending me the classroom valentines seen here in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.**Be sure to read the labels to get food safe containers for any food crafting.Photos: Nicole Letts