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Valentine’s Day Gifts to Warm Your Home and Your Heart

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be the same without teddy bears clutching a heart-shaped box of chocolates or flower deliveries to the office. But this year, why not treat your Valentine to something that won’t melt or wilt—and that will make your home more roma

With this heart-shaped waffle maker from Williams-Sonoma, you can cook up a romantic breakfast in bed. One hot press of the griddle creates five connected hearts. Two-sided cooking plates let you make round Belgian versions other days of the year. $99.95 at Williams-Sonoma.

Forget champagne toasts. Press the I Love You Toast Stamper from Urban Outfitters into a piece of bread before toasting and voila: an original warm-and-crispy (and much cheaper) kind of toast.
$6 at Urban Outfitters.

You can’t help but spice things up with these salt and pepper shakers. Mint’s The Hug, a black-and-white ceramic pair, is shaped like two people hugging. Kissing Salt and Pepper, a sleek silver set by Nambe, features two shakers lightly smooching.
The Hug ($25) at Homebody, 715 8th St., SE; 202-544-8445
Kissing Salt and Pepper ($99) at Macy’s or online on Nambe’s Web site.

You could use Alessi’s heart-shaped, stainless-steel spoons for their intended purpose: to feed each other dark-chocolate ice cream. Or you could have a contest to see who can wear their heart on their, um, nose.
$39 for a set of six at Rckndy, 1515 U St., NW; 202-332-5639.

Those dozen long-stem roses you splurged for will never go out of style. Tabletop’s ivory-colored ceramic vases from Klein Reid will bring out the red in the roses. The minimalist, curvy vases come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The ten-inch Peep, with an oval base and straight neck, is best for long-stem flowers, while the shorter Scout is a good bet for smaller blooms, like tulips.
Peep vase ($98) and Scout vase ($68) at Tabletop, 1608 20th St., NW; 202-387-7117.

Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of National Condom Week. Coincidence? We think not. For those of you thinking about an office romance, make sure you have a condom paperweight handy in your cubicle. That’s right—a crystal weight that contains a removable condom. Feel even better knowing that one-quarter of the profits go to an AIDS foundation for children.
$16.95 at condompaperwewights.com.

Waterworks heated towel racks will keep you feeling warm and fuzzy all over—even after a steamy shower. Pair it with “His” and “Hers” towels for a great romantic gift.
Towel rack ($19.95) and towels ($55) at Waterworks, 3314 M St., NW; 202-333-7180.
Want more Valentine's Day advice and information—from where to dine, to where to go, to what gifts to buy? Click here for the Washingtonian Guide to Valentine's Day.