Today we have links from some of our favorite places to get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day!

+ Mini heart balloons from Mignon Kitchen Co. via Oh Joy

+ Handprinted Heart of Gold Stationery Set by Besotted Brand via Creature Comforts

+ Heart Measuring Spoons and Mulling Spices Sachet by Terrain

+ A Bundle of Cake Flags by Herriott Grace, shown above

+ Custom Arrow Mug by wandersketch

+ Shadowy Heart Posts at Anthropologie

+ Valentine’s Day DIY from the archives: Lace Tealight by Danny Hong, Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches from Lisa Wong Jackson, Love Garden by Succulent Love, a Cranberry Tart from Fresh365, Red Velvet Sandwiches with a Valentine’s Day box and a printable DIY valentine!

+ Local Stuff: There’s not a whole lot going on around town, but Triangle Restaurant Week is finishing up this weekend! Be sure to check out and see if your favorite restaurant is participating. // It’s also the last weekend of Raleigh Winterfest, so if you have any little ones that still have gotten a chance to ice skate, they will have the outdoor rink open through Sunday!

Have a good weekend!

Does anyone else feel like January is flying by? If you are able to catch a break this weekend, we have some links for you to check out!

+ Leather handle by Nu interieur | ontwerp via Bloesem

+ Oh So Beautiful Paper has been running some informative posts about the printing process. Check out the latest ones on letterpress printing, die-cutting and offset printing

+ Artwork by Lynne Woods Turner via Design for Mankind

+ A lovely collection of Valentine’s cards by Rifle Paper Co.

+ Screen printed infinity scarfs by little minnow designs, shown above

+ LOCAL STUFF: Third Friday in Durham! In addition to galleries downtown, the Golden Belt studios will be open and Only Burger will be serving dinner out front. // “A Sense of Place” interactive art installation by Michelle Gonzalez-Green at The Carrack // It’s going to be warm, so the Raleigh Flea Market might be a great place to check out!

Have a good weekend!

We’ve got the answer for Valentine’s Day parties this year at Paperless Post! We have a few new invitation designs, which can also be customized for Save the Dates and other non-holiday related parties. Hooray! Printed versions of these designs are also available.

If you’re entertaining guests over the holidays, this week’s recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride is a perfect quick breakfast that can feed 6-12, or could even work as a dinner roll substitute!

Here are some ornaments we have our eye on this year!

Clockwise: Coral Candy Orb / Bear / Vintage Flocked Finial / Yarn Skein / Crackled Clear Lozenge / Walrus / Lemonwood / Paint in Color Orb / Bristle Brush Fox / Brilliant Bird / DIY Matryoshka Doll (instructions)

For your dad: Wall clock form Scandinavian Deko

For your mom: hand-dyed napkins from 100 Layer Cake

For your sweetheart: tiny polaroid magnets from Ambrosia Girl

For your grandparents (or teachers or neighbors or friends!): Paperwhite bulb bags from Joke on Frolic

For your sister: hand-drawn mugs from Creature Comforts

For the dog: t-shirts turned into rope toys by DIYourFaceOff

For the little ones: fabric transfer from How About Orange (would look great on t-shirts and onesies, too!)

For your brother: While it would be cooler (and easier) to get illustrator Kyle Hilton to create custom paper dolls for you, I love One Plus One’s idea of your loved one transformed into their favorite super-hero.

For the cat: DIY cat toys from Design*Sponge

 For your friend: ipad case by Lotta Jansdotter in the Anthology Gift Guide

A round-up of gift-worthy items from some of our featured sponsors!

1. Good Timers Ceramic Mug by Kin Ship Press / 2. North Carolina Necklace by Vespertine / 3. Thunderbird Ring by Ruby Lane / 4. Zig Zag Postcards by The Change Factory / 5. Western Meadowlark Specimen Letterpress Print by Mossière / 6. Spring Court Velcro Trainers from Smallable / 7. Snow Angel Letterpress Cards from Felt & Wire / 8. Peaceful Snowflake Cards by Juniper Berry / 9. Looking for Beauty Print by Creature Comforts / 10. Hana-Hukin Kitchen Cloth from Uguisu

Thanks, all! Sponsors help make Mint possible, and I am so grateful for their support. If you’re interested in advertising on Mint, please get in touch by emailing ellie at mintdesignblog dot com, and I’ll be happy to give you all the details.

Some good ones from some of our favorites (with the holidays on the mind)!

+ Fun and colorful geometric wrapping paper from Forma via Oh So Beautiful Paper

+ These prints from Swallowfield would make the perfect gift! We especially like the one pictured above, via Bloesem

+ Ink + Wit’s wood cards are so unique, and we really like the gold envelopes!

+ Silly Buddy’s dog bow ties via Design Sponge

+ Ship & Shape is a beautifully curated shop and has a variety of gifts for the holidays (or yourself!) via Wit & Delight

+ We love the classic cases JCrew is carrying for the iPhone, along with the handsome DODOcase for the iPad

+LOCAL STUFF: 2nd Friday Artwalk in Chapel Hill // Prime Cut at The Fish Market Gallery // Object to Image at Trough This Lens // Luis France at The Stone Center // Phil Cook & His Feet Saturday at Local 506 // The annual UNC Student Print Sale is today (Friday) from 11am til 9pm on the 3rd floor of Hanes Art Center!

Have a good weekend!

One of our favorite sponsors Felt & Wire has some really great gifts for everyone on your list this year. They also have a large selection of cards and tags that would put the perfect finishing touch on any gift! Here are some of our favorites for the holidays, and be sure to check out their entire shop!

1. Heart Cushion Cover / 2. Holiday Music Card / 3. Yellow Candle Holder / 4. Kids Letterpress Color-in Clock / 5. Recycled Canvas Bucket / 6. A Year in Caps 2012 Calendar / 7. Fern Art Print / 8. Italian Grapes Journal / 9. Letterpress Holiday Cards (set of 6)

Thanks F&W! Sponsors help make Mint possible, and I am so grateful for their support. If you’re interested in advertising on Mint, please get in touch by emailing ellie at mintdesignblog dot com, and I’ll be happy to give you all the details.

The 3rd issue of Wrap is out, just in time to cover all the Christmas presents you’re buying. If you’re unfamiliar with Wrap, it’s a new magazine focused on contemporary illustrators, so you can read interviews and features, then flip over the page, disassemble the magazine, and re-purpose it as wrapping paper. Visit their shop for the full Christmas collection.

Illustrators: Donna Wilson, Josephin Ritschel, Andrew Groves, Iker Spozio, Ruth Munro, and Lesley Barnes