These five Vancouver bakeries will melt your cinnamon heart. Because on Valentine’s Day, it’s A-OK to eat your feelings.

Butter

Tucked away in Mackenzie Heights, Butter’s new home is bigger, better and – dare we say -- buttery-er. 4907 MacKenzie St., Vancouver, www.butterbakedgoods.com

Lemonade
Gluten-free goodies that are actually good? It’s a culinary miracle. 3385 Cambie St., Vancouver, www.lemonadebakery.ca

SweetSalt 
Part café, part bakery, SweetSalt is like Candy Land for the kids. 3497 Fraser St., Vancover, www.sweetsalt.ca

The Gluten Free Epicurean
On top of their wheat-free baked goods are vegan offerings, which is as cleanse-friendly and guilt-free as it gets. 633 E.15th Ave., Vancouver, www.glutenfreeepicurean.ca/home.htm

Lucky’s Doughnuts
Right now, our favourite doughnut shop is serving up cinnamon-glazed crullers shaped as – what else? – hearts. 2902 Main St., Vancouver, www.luckysdoughnuts.com

—Kesley Dundon

How do we love thee? Let us count the ways…

1. Send a love letter the old fashioned way - on real paper - with a card by Vancouver-based designer and illustrator Mélanie Kimmett's Pretty Paper Please. Made on recycled paper, these hand-cut notes are stylish, modern and simply delightful. $4 at www.prettypaperplease.com

2. Sharing a bottle of Chocolate Box Shiraz after a matinee of this year's Palme D'or winner, Amour, at the Fifth Ave, sounds like a pretty romantic plan to us. $24.99 at www.bcliquorstores.com

3. Jewellery? Well, 'tis the season. And we are charmed by this Birks Mini Muse bracelet - the red silk cord is just what we need to catch Cupid's eye. $195 at www.birks.com

4. Your love can stand under your umbrella ('ella… 'ella) with this red, heart-shaped version from The Love Umbrella Project, which donates proceeds to the Leave Out Violence youth organization. By donation (minimum $50) at http://theloveumbrellaproject.com

5. Need to perk up your love life? Try a bag of Milano Coffee's "La Futura" espresso blend, which just won gold at Italy's International Coffee Tasting Competition. Serve with breakfast in bed and two tickets to Rome. For locations visit www.milanocoffee.ca

V-day gifts out editors are giving to themselves

A Valentine's afterglow can be created in more ways than one. Skoah's new Kupid's Glow Facial includes shoulder, arm, and hand massage using vanilla-scented cream, the most universally loved scent by men, and leaves your face positively angelic. Shot to the heart. Until Feb 29, $60, www.skoah.com

I’d like some underwear that is pretty, comfortable, and can actually be worn under clothes. So bring on Miel lingerie, the Canadian brand founded by two sisters in Montreal. We love the Sol thong ($20) and the Nana bra ($30), both of which work very nicely under that sexy Valentine’s dress. And so what if they don’t have cheap satin ribbons and itchy lace trims? We know they won’t be on for very long anyway. Miel Sisters, www.mielsisters.com. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg, Vancouver fashion editor

I'm leaving behind the city and man I love and heading to NYC with my girlfriends. I figure a little vacation is the ultimate gift to give oneself. —Kelsey Dundon, Vancouver lifestyle editor

Red is the colour of love, and it’s also the colour of Clare Vivier’s soft pebbled leather clutch. It’s just big enough to comfortably fit a wallet, an iPhone, a small notebook, and all the beauty editor essentials (read: quite a few things).  $158 at Oliver & Lilly’s, 1520 West 13th Avenue, Vancouver, 604-736-7774, www.oliverandlillys.com —Anya Georgijevic, Vancouver beauty editor

Being constantly online can sure take a toll on a gal, this year I'm giving myself some quiet time. I'm turning off my phone, shutting down the computer and taking a couple of digital-device-free hours. Now, what to do with all that distraction free time?  —Kelsey Mulyk, managing editor

Get crafty with the little ones you love.

I love the oversized pink heart print ($50) (cleverly sized to fit a IKEA frame) at Banquet Atelier Workshop, but for bonding over glue with the kids, I take them to Vancouver's Collage Collage, where we'll make these adorable cupid's arrows together in their drop-in workshop today ($12). —Sarah Bancroft, editor in chief

There’s a limited number of crafts you can do with an eight-month old, so for Valentine’s Day, I made some foam cards and Viktor signed them with his handprint. Here’s how I made them. We are giving them to all of his girlfriends, who will probably just suck on them or tear them apart. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg, fashion editor

Growing up, my mum always made Valentine’s Day a special occasion. For my own daughter I heart these retro placemats ($31.45) and polka-dot aprons ($21.76) from Pottery Barn Kids. They’re perfect for an afternoon of crafts and cookies. —Marianne Wisenthal, Toronto Contributor

On Valentine’s Day, I’ll make heart-shaped fried eggs for my husband and children and then we’ll spend the day walking through Toronto’s streets and parks (let’s hope it’s a blue sky day) until we get chilly and need to stop for a pizza. —Athena Tsavliris, Toronto editor

Remember when Valentine's Day meant chocolates and cute cards, not baking 30 sugar cookies for a kindergarten class and ransacking your unmentionables for a pair of underwear without an elastic waist?

Bring back that loving feeling with the Colorblock Hearts Dome Ring by Marc Jacob ($90.90). Slip this playful dome ring on your finger when you want to show the world you've got plenty of heart—and fabulous taste.

At shopbop.com

And about those sugar cookies... check out our Editors' Diary for an icing recipe from CTV anchor and uber-mom Tamara Taggart. See more here.

Whether you’re satisfyingly single or contentedly coupled-up this Valentine’s Day, these gifts go either way. Herewith, five special things from steal to splurge that don’t wilt like roses:

Fanny Brawne needn’t be the only one to feel John Keats’ heat. With Love Letters from the Everyman’s Library, we can too. Within is a post office’s worth of mad-about-you mail penned by other well-known wordsmiths. $12.40 at Amazon.ca

Smell and memory are inextricably linked, so make a sweet and spicy impression with an all-natural signature perfume by Vancouver perfumer Ayala Moriel. Have yours in a mini bottle, beautiful French flacon or pretty pendant. $48-$150 at www.ayalamoriel.com

In Victorian times, keys were signifiers of guardianship, knowledge and liberation, and what do you know, that’s the key to our heart. Pyrrha boasts a variety cast in reclaimed silver from real vintage keys (and even a medieval one). $128-$275 at www.pyrrha.com/shop

Whether you’re hot or just bothered, a duotone alpaca throw from 18 Karat, dark grey on one side, red on the other, amends to your mood and keeps you cuddled and bundled. $375 at 18 Karat, 3039 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-742-1880, www.eighteenkarat.com

A dip-dyed Agent Provocateur floor-length silk Barbetta kimono that morphs from black to crimson, with shades of aubergine in the middle, makes lounging around luxurious. You’ll feel loved up even when home alone watching The Bachelor. $2,195 (in store Tuesday), Agent Provocateur, 1020 Alberni St., Vancouver, 604-688-2712, www.agentprovocateur.com

The Olympics may eclipse Valentine’s Day this year, but we still have love for the saccharine celebration with a slew of offbeat and saucy gift ideas. Herewith, our picks:

An inscription vase (from $135) let’s you write a love message (and erase it) and a porcelain love charm ($15) says it too, but with fragility. At Walrus, www.walrushome.com

A cashmere pashmina in a bright pink or deep red hue is sure to catch the eye of Cupid. $120 at Gravity Pope Tailored Goods, www.gravitypope.com

Play Sugar Mama with a retro Candyland board game from upscale New York sweetshop Dylan's Candy Bar. $35 at Holt Renfrew, www.holtrenfrew.com

Art Action Figures of Yoko Ono, Courtney Love or Missy Elliot are better than a teddy bear and can be used as voodoo doll of a former flame in a pinch. $50 at Chachkas, www.chachkas.ca

Show someone you embrace their flaws, whether it’s a bald head or small stature, with one of Usus' Misfits dolls. $25 at Vincent Park, www.vincentpark.wordpress.com 

Pin the Mr. on the Man game makes for naughty fun with your gal pals. $12.95 at Signed, Sealed, Delivered, www.signedsealeddelivered.ca

Grant your man his vices with a silver flask and cigar holder set. $78.95 at Moule, www.moulestores.com

Sometimes what seems wrong together is so very right, like the marriage of salty and sweet in Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix. $15 at Mr. Lee’s General Store and Haberdashery, 109 E. Broadway, Vancouver, 604-816-4409.

There’s no shame in a one-night stand when you come prepared with Urban Aid’s Shame on You kit. $28 at Oliver + Lilly's, www.oliverandlillys.com

Someecards.com postcards ($12.95) and Yep Jep anti-Valentines ($30) will give your friends, enemies and lovers a hearty chuckle.

Before dating profiles, there were silhouettes. Send pictures of you and your Lavalife love to Miss Crowland and she’ll turn it into an old fashioned portrait. $35 pair at www.etsy.com

Give a bigger rock than Ben Affleck bestowed on J.Lo in the form of hot pink Brazilian agate bookends. $125 at Cross Decor & Design, www.thecrossdesign.com

In the unlikely event that your Valentine’s Day doesn’t play out like a steamy scene from The Notebook, we’ve got a back-up plan to bring you love—no significant other required.

In lieu of a kiss: Press your lips to Jonathan Adler’s Love/Hate Mug. Whether you fill it with hot cocoa or something stronger is up to you. $25 at Chachkas, www.chachkas.ca

In lieu of sweet nothings: Hear the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, She & Him and A.C. Newman cover their favourite love songs on the new compilation Sweetheart. $14.95 at Starbucks, www.hearmusic.com

In lieu of long gazes: Watch Eric Rohmer’s Love in the Afternoon. While the Audrey Hepburn-helmed motion picture by the same name is a classic, this 1972 French art house film is a more thought-provoking look at eros. $6.99 at Videomatica, www.videomatica.bc.ca

In lieu of tender embraces: Wrap yourself up in By Guru’s warm, woolen Love Blanket. $165 at Bestow Boutique, www.bestowboutique.com

In lieu of a ring: Put some sparkle on your own hand with Essie’s Love, Beverly Hills nail polish, which is infused with real 24K gold. $19 at Essie, www.essieshop.com 

Talk about a sticky situation: We tested Lesley Stowe’s homemade marshmallow recipe with a three-year-old sous-chef and found it practically goof proof. Now does anyone know how to get marshmallow out of one’s hair?

Happy Valentine’s Day from Vitamin Daily Kids.

Ingredients
3 envelopes of unflavoured Knox gelatin
½ cup cold water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ cups white corn syrup
¼ cup water
¼ tsp salt
Confectioner's sugar for dredging
White thread coconut or sprinkles

Tools
Electric beaters
9x12 inch pan
Tin foil
Heart-shaped cookie cutters

Method
Line pan with foil and sprinkle heavily with icing sugar. 
In a big bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water and vanilla. Soak for 15 minutes.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Let simmer for one minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 10 -12 minutes until white, glossy, and in stiff peaks. Scrape into the  pan and shake to spread evenly.
Let mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (or more). Dip the cookie cutter in water and cut out heart-shaped marshmallows. Roll coconut or sprinkles.

Yield: 20 marshmallows

We opted out of the standard reso, roses and box of chocolates and whisked our current amour off to whimsical Salt Spring Island for the weekend.

stay
Stage a love-in at Oceanside Cottages’ seaside Love Shack. The cozy, shagadelic shed, where there’s fresh fruit, flowers and firewood waiting for you, has its very own outdoor soaker tub overlooking a private beach. Come nightfall throw a log in the fire and dig into the in-suite vinyl record collection of crooners before hitting the deck for a skinny dip under the stars. From $135 a night. Love Shack, Oceanside Cottages, Salt Spring Island, 866-341-0007, www.oceansidecottages.com

shop
Grab a free Salt Spring Studio Tour guide and leisurely weave from artisan to artisan. Stop by ceramicist Julie MacKinnon’s studio for the prettiest shades of tableware from her Surburban collection and pick out some matching mugs for your morning lattes. And be sure to take a little piece of island bliss home by way of the all-natural Salt Spring Soapworks (its Body Gelato is must-have).
Julie MacKinnon Ceramics, 805 Long Harbour Rd., Salt Spring Island, 250-537-2100, www.juliemackinnonceramics.com
Salt Spring Soapworks, 1-150 Fulford Ganges Rd., Salt Spring Island 250-537-2701, www.saltspringsoapworks.com

eat
The Love Shack is outfitted with a mini-kitchen and BBQ, so gather some delicious local fare from Salt Spring Island Bread Company (its brick oven beauties are well worth the $7 loaf tag) and gooey caramels and handmade treats from Harlans Chocolate. Pick up a bottle of Zeta at the Garry Oaks Winery and, for a late-night love toast, the 2005 Morning Star Methode Champenoise from Salt Spring Vineyards.
Salt Spring Island Bread Company, 251 Forest Ridge Rd., Salt Spring Island, 250-653-4809.
Harlans Chocolates & Salt Spring Gelato, 100 Lower Ganges Rd., Salt Spring Island, 250-537-4434, www.harlanschocolates.com
Garry Oaks Winery, 1880 Fulford-Ganges Rd., Salt Spring Island, 250-653-4687, www.garryoakswine.com
Salt Spring Vineyards, 151 Lee Rd., Salt Spring Island, 250-653- 9463, www.saltspringvineyards.com