Thanks to L’Occitane for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Valentine’s Day is arguably my favorite holiday of the year, and if you agree, it probably has little to do with a significant other, and more to do with a love of love in general — for your partner, your besties, your coworkers, your family. If you think of February 14th as a day to celebrate all of that, it’s pretty hard to resist its charms, which is precisely why I look forward to hosting a V-Day gathering for girlfriends each year.
This year, we were thrilled to collaborate with L’Occitane and Rifle Paper Co. to host a party that oozes French romance. For the second time, the two beloved brands have partnered to create a special limited-edition line of L’Occitane’s shea butter products, redesigned with Rifle Paper Co.’s signature feminine designs. The painterly designs and vibrant colors were all we needed to create this inspired painting party for the women in our office — our work wives, our 9-to-5 besties, our amours. Keep reading to easily recreate this get-together for the loves in your life, and to find out how you can get your hands on some free L’Occitane x Rifle Paper Co. goodies!
Our good friends at House of Margot Blair put together the most beautiful floral arrangement for our table, acting both as a centerpiece and our painting subject for the day. Taking inspiration from the Rifle Paper Co. artwork on L’Occitane’s limited-edition products, our favorite floral designer used roses, sweet pea, eucalyptus (and so much more!) to create this stunning piece. Since we limited the party to one space, it was easy to splurge on this one show-stopping detail.
The table was set with a wooden palette, oil paints, paint brushes, a tabletop easel, and a small 5×7 canvas for each painter. I also placed a gift set containing L’Occitane Shea Ultra-Rich Body Cream and Shea Butter Rose Hand Cream at each place setting, making for the sweetest little favor. You can get your hands on this limited-edition set as a free gift-with-purchase, just by shopping L’Occitane’s products here and using the promo code “KISS” at check-out (ends 2/14)!
The girls gathered ’round, we poured some Champagne, and we began painting. It always feels a little intimidating to know where to begin, but once we started, we couldn’t tear our eyes off our canvases. And as our photographer Hannah reminded us, as Bob Ross says, in painting “there are no mistakes, just happy accidents!” Phew. We shook the pressure right off.
The more we painted, the more beautiful our mess grew to be. After lots of brush washing, we broke out a few more favorite products from the Rifle Paper Co. and L’Occitane partnership to wash and moisturize our hands: Shea Milk Extra-Gentle Soap, Shea Butter Hand Cream, Shea Butter Rose Hand Cream, and the Shea Butter Ultra-Rich Body Cream. Heaven!
We decorated our own store-bought madeleines by dipping them into pink and purple glaze, and drizzling white frosting on top. They looked gorgeous and tasted amazing, the perfect subtle nod to our very French day.
Hannah’s impressionist creation was the favorite from our painting party. How precious would this little guy look in just about any space? Scroll down to see how the rest of our masterpieces turned out!
It’s a blast spending every day with our work wives, but especially around Valentine’s Day, we feel the love for these girls more than usual. Recreate this party with your squad for the ultimate way to celebrate the loves in your life!
