I have the priviledge of helping people express their love to others.

It all started as a gift for my husband. Valentine’s Day 1994 was rapidly approaching. As Chief Pilot for American Eagle Airlines, Neil was away from home a lot. This particular year, I was trying to think of a Valentines gift that would be meaningful. On many occasions, I had given him shirts, ties, books, tennis equipment, even silk boxers. This time I wanted to give him something that he could carry with him as a private reminder of our love.

I was sure that Neil would be reluctant to wear a visible item of sentiment other than his wedding band. So, I decided to give him a simple heart pin to be worn inside his airline jacket over his heart. I thought that inside his jacket, this little heart would be a very private reminder of my love for him. Unable to locate a simple yet elegant heart pin, I fashioned one myself and gave it to him  with a little verse that I wrote:  “Whether you are near or far, we will always be heart to heart.”

The impact of this simple heart was immediate. Neil said that it provided him with a source of strength and reminder of our love whether he was running errands around town or flying the line. His comments made me realize the power of love in that tiny heart.

My nursing colleagues loved the idea. Totally agreeing that the choices for a sentimental gift for a man are few, my nursing colleagues raved about the idea and that they would love to give a heart pin to their husbands too. I encouraged them to ask their husbands about the idea of a little heart hidden on the inside of their jackets. The men really liked the idea. That was all there was to it, The Loving Heart Collection by Jean Schnaak® was on its way to becoming a reality.

It’s been seventeen years since the giving of that first heart pin. Now I have over thirty jewelry designs and the line is growing.  The most popular items are the unique gifts I created for men, the Loving Heart Pin and the Pocket Heart.   Valentine’s Day is one of my busiest times of the year. I like playing Cupid! 

In case you were wondering, these days my husband flies a desk instead of a Boeing 757, but he still wears a symbol of my heart over his. I wear one too.

Think back to days of…
     tiny pastel Be Mine and Kiss Me candy hearts,
         cut out red paper hearts declaring Be My Valentine! in black crayon, and
             messenger delivered notes with the near heart-stopping question “I like you.
                 Do you like me? Check Yes or No.”  These simple expressions of love were
                    effective then, so why not now?

For a grown up version of passing a love note to your Valentine,  let me offer a few fresh ideas:

• If your Valentine routinely checks his or her phone messages upon arrival at the office, deliver your love note via voice mail. For anyone who is “holidate” challenged, and you know who you are, Valentine’s Day – February 14th is on Monday this year.
   
• Formality can be fun!  Ask your Valentine out for a date!  Your written invitation can be styled as a love note.  To really WOW your Valentine, special delivery of your invitation, with fitting flowers, will create quite the impression at the workplace.  I know. I sent flowers to my boyfriend at his workplace twenty-eight years ago. The message was clear, “Neil, I’m crazy about you!“  To his co-workers, it was “Hands off ladies. He’s mine!” Neil still relishes the memory and remains my Valentine to this day.
   
•  Another much simpler approach to deliver your invitation would be to place it strategically where your Valentine will easily find it, yet be surprised. Perhaps under the windshield wiper while the car is parked at work;  inside a bagged lunch; or in a favorite coffee mug. As for the invitation itself, give a little taste of what the evening will hold, but maintain a sense of  mystery!   Then deliver - a night to remember.       

• What about a love note in the form of a poem? There are no rigid requirements.  If it sounds good to you, it is sure to earn an A+ from the one you desire to impress. Of course, you can get a little help from the famous poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, by starting with the first line of her poem:  How Do I Love Thee? Let me count the ways. Then create your own.  If you’re not up to penning your own poem, I’m sure a poet would not mind that you borrowed from their poetry on Love’s big day!  Though the poet gets credit for writing the poem, you’ll be the one who scores this Valentine’s Day.  You may be thinking, how do I introduce the poem? Keep the delivery simple.  Perhaps start by saying,  ”I’d like to share with you a little poem by (the poet’s name).  It expresses so well what I’d like to say to you.”      

• If you want an effortless way to express your love to your Valentine, not just on February 14th, but every day,  present the one you adore with a classic symbol of your love and affection – a heart. Along with a verse, it will express what is in your heart.   Here are some fresh ideas in heart gift giving.  The Pocket Heart is private, it’s fun and it will remind him of you.  In fact, everytime he puts his hand in his pocket he will think of you!  Then there is the Loving Heart Pin  worn inside a jacket over his heart and is for his eyes only.  For a woman, giving her a symbol of your heart to wear over hers is like passing her a little love note each time she wears it. Consider a heart necklace.  In full disclosure, I designed these unique fine jewelry gifts and sell them exclusively through my e-boutique:  LovingHeartCollection.com

So, if you ARE considering sending a love note,  I hope these ideas remove some of the daunting from the task ahead.  In fact, I hope I’ve ignited your imagination and inspired you into action.

Then again, those tiny pastel Be Mine or Kiss Me candy hearts worked for me in the first grade. If I get too busy, I may try them again. – virtually this time.

I remember Daddy, helping me pick out a pink and red cellophane wrapped box of twenty-five perforated Valentines Cards. Once home, I carefully separated the little themed cards and chose who was to get which card and what I’d dare say.  Of course the card face said it all – “Be My Valentine”, “Let’s Be Friends”, etc.  I can’t remember if I selected the box of cards with Loony Tune Characters like Tweedy-Bird and the Tasmanian Devil or Disney’s Cinderella, Snow White and Prince Charming.  The years blend together, and I’ve sent lots of Valentine’ s Day cards since then. Either way, I simply had to sign “Love, Jean”. But even that required a boldness, that on any other day of the year I may not have been able to muster.  When Valentine’s Day finally did arrived, exuberantly I stuffed my classmates’ red cut-out hearts and white lacy doilies decorated shoe boxes with my little declarations of love, love for friends and especially my male version of Charlie Brown’s  “little redheaded girl”.

Of course, I had high hopes that I’d receive lots of “Will You Be My Valentine?” cards and especially, one from “him”.  I did!  In fact, during the Valentine’s Day class party when the teacher and room mothers were not looking, he and I managed to “accidentally” meet  in the coat room. I presented him with a candy heart with Kiss Me printed on it. In that very moment, I received my very first real kiss. Mark was either inspired or liked following instructions, either way he and I have joked about this event some forty years later.

Once my classmates and I were more adept at sentence composition, love notes of another form began to be passed. You know what I’m talking about, the carefully folded love note. Typically made out of Blue Horse ruled notebook paper, this love note was handed off by a trusted messenger on behalf of a best friend. Either by biological drive or example, one twitterpated classmate after another sent forth on paper, the near heart-stopping question: “I like you.  Do you like me? Check: Yes or No.” 

It is easy to think that I am well beyond these childlike maneuvers, especially after twenty-seven blissful years of marriage. However, these simple expressions of love were effective then, so why not now? Let me offer this thought, whether it is a new love or a tried and true love, who wouldn’t like to hear that they are adored and, like songster Nat King Cole sings, that they are unforgettable?

Perhaps this Valentine’s Day, I will return to what I know works and compose a love note to my Valentine.

If the same thought has crossed your mind, yet you are asking yourself, “What can I possibly say or do?” Check back later this week. for Love Notes – Part Two. 

Have a wonderful day! Enjoy the video of Nat King Cole (posthumously) singing Unforgettable with his daughter Natalie Cole.

From the Heart,

Jean

Jean Cotten Schnaak
Founder and Designer
Loving Heart, LLC

Express your love everyday with a gift from The Loving Heart Collection by Jean Schnaak®
Facebook: Loving Heart ; Twitter: LovingHeartLLC

It’s just a few days until the annual celebration of romance is before us. Will you choose to approach this Valentine’s Day intentionally? Or not?

Will you see the day as an opportunity to show your Valentine that they are your priority?  Or not?

Will you choose to spend just a little time to make this Valentine’s Day not necessarily extraordinary, just not ordinary? Or not?

Grand gestures won’t carve your name on their heart nearly as much as your tenderness and thoughtfulness will.

From my own experience, wooing starts best in the bloom of the day, followed by one or two surprise whispers of love as Valentine’s Day fully blossoms.  As you design the day, imagine how you’d like Valentine’s Day….and the night to unfold.

Perhaps you’ll start the day by softly sweeping the hair from their brow and presenting them with the perfect cup of morning coffee, a paper and your shared excitement about the day.

Mid-day could be a simple phone call to remind each of you of the love you share.

Evening plans can be as elaborate or as simple as you choose.   Without a lot of fuss, you could invite your Valentine to a cozy fireside dinner or a “carpet picnic” in your living room. Prepare your own specialty.  Or opt for takeout at your local market and tell “Deli- guy” that it’s your night to cook!

Will the dress code for your soiree be evening gown and “tails”, or provocative “PJ’s'?

As the evening progresses, will you test the waters by lighting candles and drawing a fragrant, bubbly bath for the two of you?  Or play a love song and slow dance in the foyer?  Maybe a soothing massage is  more your style.

I offer these ideas just to ignite your own imagination. It’s all very affordable. On this special day, face it, can you afford not to woo the one you love?

If you are considering a Valentines gift that will express your love to “your love” not only on Valentines Day but everyday, check out the Pocket Heart and Loving Heart Pin for men and Loving Heart necklaces, earrings and charms for women.  

My passion, my company and my line of jewelry are about helping people express their love to the special people in their life.

This Valentine’s Day will you treat your Valentine like “the one of a kind” they really are?

– by Jean Schnaak, Designer
 The Loving Heart Collection by Jean Schnaak^®