We used to roll our eyes at Valentine’s Day. The romantic pressure. The cloying sentimentality. The diamond commercials.
But we’ve had a change of heart this year. After the gorge-fest that is December (Shop! Spend! Eat!), and the guilt-fest that is January (Bills! Diets! Resolutions!), it’s refreshing to celebrate a day devoted to … love.
In that spirit, we’ve gathered the things we love — places, products, books, philosophies. Maybe you’ll find a new love of your own.
Home
1920s milk glass: It’s the old Westmoreland glass with lace edges. … We’ve been finding it at estate sales and private auctions. It comes in compotes and bowls and plates. … It sets the most beautiful Valentine’s table ever. — Eddie Ross, lifestyle guru (of the Martha Stewart-House Beautiful pedigree), based in Hudson Valley, N.Y.
The kitchen nook at Anthropologie: It’s like picking through the attic of the grandma of your dreams. Most every plate or bowl or pitcher has vintage appeal, brilliant color and charm. So much so that I practically need a 12-step plan to keep me out. — Barbara Mahany
Miracle Cloths: Normally, any object that has to do with the word “cleaning” has nothing to do with the word “love” in my book. But I must make an exception for my Miracle Cloths. They do everything they promise: They’re extremely absorbent. They last for years. They’re easy to wash. You can clean mirrors and wipe bathroom and kitchen surfaces without strong chemicals. And best of all, you’re not assaulted with annoying infomercials or pop-up spam when ordering them online. Regular price $19 for six 14- by 16-inch cloths; $15.20 on sale; Solutions.com — Pam Becker
Velcro Home Decor: A secret weapon around the house that lets you put fabric where you want it. Because one side is sewn on (attach to fabric) and the other side has adhesive backing (attach to any hard surface), you can skirt a table or a sink, hang a curtain or valance from the ceiling, or whatever your imagination can come up with. Find it at joann.com, $26.99 for 15 feet. — Cindy Dampier
SimiChrome Polish: A polish that I love to use is SimiChrome Polish (Happich). It’s amazing for anything — silver, aluminum. 1.76 ounces, $12.99 at Woodcraft of Palatine, 1280 E. Dundee Rd., Palatine; 847-776-1184. — Eddie Ross, lifestyle guru
Garden
Ho-Mi Korean Hand Plow: Anybody who uses it is immediately addicted to it, and it’s the only tool you use. $21.27at gardenhardware.com — Marguerite Gluck, owner/designer/proprietress Marguerite Gardens, an urban garden design firm and shop at 5059 N. Clark St.; margueritegardens.com
Delphinium: In all its shades of blue, from cobalt to delft. There are many blooms in the bouquet that send me to the moon, but none so much as the pure blue beauty that has been known to make my knees go weak. The cobalt, in particular, is guaranteed elixir. — Barbara Mahany
Wild arugula: When your taste buds have gotten accustomed to arugula, it’s time to gun the accelerator. Also called “rustic arugula,” this pungent, peppery green will be the powerhouse of the kitchen. It’s sturdy enough to cook with, too, adding pizazz to pasta dishes. It’s a breeze to grow from seed. Many seed catalogs sell it (for starters, nicholsgardennursery.com). Unless you want to see it sprouting all over your yard, grow it in a container. — Renee Enna
Schulenberg Prairie: This beautiful tallgrass prairie, part of the Morton Arboretum in Lisle (mortonarb.org), epitomizes the glories of our native flowers and grasses. Visit in the spring, the summer, the fall (OK, we’ll pass on winter) to spark or rekindle your interest in growing some of the plants that are at home here. — Renee Enna
Dwarf macrophylla hydrangeas (“Blushing Bride” or the Cityline series): I love that they bloom in colors (pink or blue) other than plain white. They befit a city garden in terms of scale, they really are 3 feet by 3 feet, and they’re hardy in our zone. — Marguerite Gluck, owner/designer/proprietress Marguerite Gardens
Corona extendable pole saw with telescopic pole: My fav tool, along with a stainless steel bladed spade. About $45; online. — Craig Bergmann, landscape architect/owner of Craig Bergmann Landscape Design
Family
Great Kids Museum Passports: Chicago’s museums are reason enough to raise your kids here, but admission prices ain’t cheap. Passport to the rescue! If you’ve got a Chicago Public Library card, you can check out one passport per week, giving you and your family free access to one of 12 museums for seven days. No more waiting patiently for those blessed, but infrequent, free days. — Heidi Stevens
Dominos: The perfect family game, whether your family is two parents and a preschooler or a crazy quilt of grandparents, stepparents, college-age cousins and a kooky uncle. The equipment is minimal and the concept is simple, leaving plenty of time and brain power for midgame snacking, talking and laughing — the whole point of family game night, if you ask us. — Heidi Stevens
Momster.com: It’s a unique online space where moms of teens and tweens can trade smart (and uncensored) been-there-done-that advice, get expert opinions and quick and easy recipes, start a blog or simply vent about everything and anything that moms deal with on a daily basis. — Linda Fears, editor-in-chief, Family Circle
Boggle Bash on pogo.com: This interactive, online version of the classic word game is great fun (and one of myriad games on Pogo). Plus, free registration without paid membership still allows you to play with a minimum of inoffensive commercial interruptions from sponsors. — Renee Enna
“Love Poems”: Love is good for the soul — and it really is the fuel of a strong family life — so this little collection ($11.95, New Directions) of Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda is indispensible for a quick hit of inspirational adoration. — Fauzia Arain
Milkscreen breastmilk alcohol test: As a parenting expert who advocates mothers cutting loose and taking “me” time, how can I not adore this cute little credit card-size litmus test? Through a couple drops of “self-expression” on its tiny magic wand and a quick consultation with the color-coded key, it can determine when your post-potation breastmilk crosses the line, allowing you and your precious darling to both drink responsibly. Bottoms up! — Brett Berk, author of “The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting” (Three Rivers Press)
Health
Mini yoga classes on yogajournal.com: A yoga instructor from Chicago told me about these when I met her in a yoga class at a hotel in Puerto Vallarta. I’m too busy — and lazy — to attend formal classes, but these I can do at home, on business trips, and even on vacation. — Dr. Susan Biali, author of “Live a Life You Love: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You.”
Self-help for smarties: Tired of flaky theories and dubious claims? We found the perfect antidote in “Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom” by neuropsychologist Rick Hanson and neurologist Richard Mendius. This clear, compelling little gem of a book, currently getting significant buzz at Amazon.com, makes a powerful scientific case for the benefits of meditation and offers simple and highly effective exercises to get you started. — Nara Schoenberg
PopChips: I’m a chip lover, and I’m always looking for the healthiest options, and PopChips meet my criteria. They are tasty, low calorie and not fried. The barbecue flavor is my favorite. — Bob Harper, personal trainer on “The Biggest Loser”
New genetic tests for heart patients: What I’ve been doing with some of my patients is testing them for the risk of bleeding with aspirin, because for women there aren’t a lot of good studies showing whether aspirin really helps prevent heart attack, strokes or death. There’s this one blood test that can actually tell if you have the genes (you need to benefit from aspirin). Isn’t that amazing? — Annabelle Volgman, medical director of the Heart Center for Women at Rush University Medical Center
New Week’s resolutions: So many people at the gym, they make New Year’s resolutions, and then a month later, they’re gone. The challenge as an instructor is to keep those people there. So I started doing New Week’s resolutions. Every week we go around the room and say what our resolution is, and the next week I ask them if they did it. Sometimes (the resolution) is fitness related, but then I’ve had people say, “Return all my library books,” or “Pay all my bills,” or “Clean my apartment.” — Mira Kaiser, health and fitness director, Lake View YMCA
Pull-ups: They work every part of your body, especially your ab muscles, and chastise you with a poor performance if you eat more than usual and can’t lift it. — Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show”
BodyMedia Fit metabolism tracking: Wearing this armband for at least a week will give you an accurate look at your activity level, sleep cycle and metabolism. It uses body heat to determine how many calories you burn every minute of the day, how many steps you take, the amount of sleep you get, the amount of physical activity you reach and what level the activity is (moderate versus intense). I wore the BodyMedia Fit armband for a month and learned that I take nearly 30,000 steps each day and do not sleep as much as I thought. $189.95 for armband and activity manager at bodymedia.com — Cathy Adolph, fitness and wellness manager at the East Bank Club
Automated breakfast: Blueberries with Greek Fage Yogurt — 2 percent since (it has) less percentage of simple carbs and tastes better. In the winter, McCann’s Steel Cut oatmeal with flax seed oil and walnuts. — Dr. Oz
Style
Faux shopping: When I have more time than money, I simulate an online shopping spree on sites such as giltgroupe.com, jcrew.com boden.com and 6pm.com. I fill my cart with items from the “sale” section, then systematically edit until I’m down to a few. Or one. Or none. If I return days later and the item(s) in my cart are still available as well as the funds, I know it was meant to be. If they’re not, I celebrate my savings. — Wendy Donahue
Lana Jewelry’s petite Upside Down gold hoop earrings: I wear these feather-light sparklers nearly every day, and nearly every day I hear compliments. Around $190, at Neiman Marcus and Chalk boutique, 2611 Prairie Ave, Evanston (chalkofevanston.com). — Stacy Wallace-Albert, stylist (thefashioneditor.com)
Essie nail polish: This polish dries so fast and removes with sufficient ease that there is really no reason not to polish for a night out. That final touch makes me feel more, well, polished than anything else I’m wearing, and my 3-year-old daughter gasps with admiration the way I used to when my mom put on her pink pinstriped empire-waist bellbottom pantsuit. For spring, I love the corally new Essie shade, Tart Deco. $8. — Wendy Donahue
Gap jeans: The redesigned line of jeans under creative director Patrick Robinson rescued me from a prolonged case of postpartum fashion repression. Thanks to the Curvy Boot style, I have my sexy back. The premium look cost a mere $69.50, with no hemming required. — Wendy Donahue
Lee Allison ties: Witty, distinctive, stylish and so in-the-know Chicago, Lee Allison ties are a serious sartorial bond between many men here. There really is a Lee Allison behind the company and he lives and works out of a big Bucktown loft. leeallison.com
— Bill Daley
Trapper hats: Bear hunters beware! Urban hipsters, savvy boomers, Hollywood celebrities — even fashion-forward preschoolers — are after your hat. And what’s not to love about those oh-so-practical ear flaps? Among the options: phenomenal faux furs (shopbop.com), hand-knits and vintage plaids. — Nara Schoenberg
Down vests: Since your arms are free, you feel less like a Michelin Man. It’s more liberating. It’s not as wintry. For guys whose bodies run hot — I sweat a lot — I feel like the vest is nice. If you’re cold you add a hat. The vest and wool beanie combo is something I’ve been digging this year. — Kevin Sintumuang, associate editor of GQ magazine
Dr. Fredric Brandt skin care: He’s my go-to guy for everything surrounding my face, plus his products are super affordable (compared with other high-tech lines) and you can see the difference within days. Who doesn’t want to look younger within days? Hello! — Lawrence Zarian, fashion expert and commentator for TV Guide Network
Tape lint rollers: Remember when we only had those one-way red brushes to thwap ourselves with before we left the house? Ten strokes wouldn’t yield a single dog hair. Now we roll ourselves in masking tape and appear as though we’ve never seen a domesticated animal. — Jen Mystkowski
Minnetonka thunderbird beaded moccasins: I’ve worn them for years. They are comfy, classic and come in great colors, and I became even more smitten after seeing them in Paris priced at over 70 euros. About $40, themoccasinstore.net — Stacy Wallace-Albert, stylist (thefashioneditor.com)
Food & drink
Peppadew: They have been around for a few years, but it’s only recently that I’ve become addicted to the peppadew. A sweet/spicy fruit the size of a grape tomato, peppadews can be eaten plain, stuffed with soft cheese or used in recipes. They’re found at a number of grocery chains, and Silver Spring Foods (silverspringfoods.com) makes a peppadew mustard sauce that everyone should work into their macaroni and cheese recipes. — William Hageman
A ceramic chef’s knife: My go-to knife, a Kyocera 6-incher, handles everything from tomatoes to potatoes, fish, meat and more, with little effort. Yes, it requires hand washing and, yes, if you drop it on a hard floor it may break. But I’ve had mine for six years, hasn’t failed me yet. At cookware stores; prices vary. — Judy Hevrdejs
Dexter-Russell all-purpose Chinese chef’s knife: A beautifully shaped rectangle with Chinese characters elegantly etched on the 91/4 inch-by-43/4 inch blade, this knife makes short work of chopping, dicing and slicing. The wood handle fits comfortably in the palm of the hand. $70. dexter1818.com — Bill Daley
Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher’s Rub: My go to spice when I’m making meat, fish, eggs, vegetables. It’s a pepper, garlic, salt, shallot, parsley and red pepper mix (2.5 ounces, $4.58) from The Spice House. thespicehouse.com
— Judy Hevrdejs
