How to Make a Valentine’s Day Birthday Super Sweet

For all of you who have a birthday that falls on a holiday, you know how your own special day can get totally overlooked by the celebration of Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, etc. Well, my daughter Brynne’s birthday falls on Valentine’s Day. Every year I like to make sure her special day is a stand out. I do believe that her being born on the sweetest day of the year is reflected in her personality!! She is an athletic, tough, tomboy-ish ultra sweet kind of girl. To acknowledge this double holiday, I am looking for something sporty and something sweet to reflect both sides of her personality.

Have you been to a girls soccer game lately? In my day, when girls got together on the pitch, the game was going on somewhere but there were also bunches of girls (from both teams) standing in what looked like a huddle but was actually a circle of chatting – about boys, clothes, etc. This is certainly not the case anymore! At Brynne’s games, the players are laser focused and the competition is serious. The players are definitely in uniforms, no jewelry or hard hair accessories, which can make it difficult to show off your individuality. I always loved watching how Blair and Serena from Gossip Girl accessorized their uniforms. But for soccer, the only places to show a little personality are (soft) hair accessories and your cleats. Which is leading me to the perfect birthday combo for my super sweet athlete! This birthday soccer player is going to show some fashion from head to toe.

Starting at the top – the rules say, that hair accessories must be soft or they will not get past the referee. And, we say they should be cool. The fact that so many girls are now playing sports seriously has not passed by sporting goods companies. This is a big business – making sports attire fashionable. You can choose from ribbons, bows and headbands that make your player standout. I found some from JBI Athletics, Under Armour, and Athletic Girl Apparel.

Getting down to the feet. I have come across several pairs of cleats, from Nike, Puma and Adidas,  that are for the serious athlete who is not afraid to show off her girly side. The footwear that says “watch out, I can play this game with skill AND style”.

Why not throw in a little special holiday facial to go with our manicure? I found a fun, easy and refreshing chocolate facial recipe on Birthday Party Ideas for Kids.

Nail art has become a booming industry. The creativity that is happening on these tiny palettes is amazing. Here are some inspiring ideas from a Pinterest board called 18 Valentine’s Day Nail Art Ideas.

Or, we can go total soccer with nail stickers from Rockin’ Nails on Etsy.

At last, we are getting to the truly sweet part of the day. Since it’s a birthday and Valentine’s Day all wrapped up in one – we need to add some extra sugary treats – a Cupid Float from Somewhat Simple, some adorable Panda Cookies from MellifluousCakes and I am in love with this gorgeous Pink Striped Heart Cake from The Cake Blog. The recipes and instructions are all included in the links.

The very best part of Brynne’s Valentine’s Day Birthday is that it starts with her most treasured valentine, her dad. My husband began the breakfast in bed tradition a few years ago and it has become the thing she looks forward to most on her special double sweet day. I am sharing a picture of her on her special day last year and below is a photo of the menu she requested for this year!

I think it’s a wrap on the sporty and sweet, birthday and Valentine’s Day challenge!!

Just wanted to leave you with some bedrooms I designed which capture both the sweet and sophisticated style of young girls. My goal is to make these rooms a place where a girl can transition from a child through her teenage years. I just completed one of my most enjoyable projects: designing a teen hangout room for a client with two pre-teen kids. It’s the last picture in this series and it’s the kind of place I wish I had spent my teen years.

Happy Valentine’s Day!! And, happiest of birthdays to Brynne and everyone else who celebrates a Valentine’s Day Birthday!