Our Coffee Nook (& A Last-Minute Valentine's Gift Idea from Keurig)

Our original house plan had a "servery" nook between the kitchen and the dining room. When I saw it, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it had to become a special little nook just for me - with COFFEE. I'm a huge coffee lover, and a dedicated space for a good coffee maker and a nice coffee and tea collection was a "must" for me.

This past week, I finally got to finishing the caulking and cleaning of my precious nook, and the lovely folks at Keurig sent me an early Valentine's Day gift to review - an adorable, red Keurig Mini Plus! Anticipating the bright red colour of the brewer, I decided on a whim to paint the inside of my coffee nook with black chalkboard paint. It sounds weird, but I thought the idea of having a place to scribble notes to my hubby or decorate seasonally would be fun. Plus, it's such a small space that a pop of the unexpected was in order!

I've wanted a Keurig brewer for a while because of the massive selection of coffees and teas I knew I could brew in it. I'm the only coffee drinker in my house, so a one-cup machine is the perfect thing for the coffee nook.

The Keurig Mini Plus is a nice, compact size that I can slide under the upper cabinet in my nook. It brews coffee that's piping hot - just the way I like it! You can add either 8, 10 or 12 ounces of water to the brewer depending on the size of coffee you want. You do have to add water each time you want a coffee, but this ensures that the water is always fresh!

To celebrate Valentine's Day this week, I drew hearts on my new chalkboard wall, and illustrated a couple of my plain white mugs with a heart and arrows (with a gold Sharpie - here's how to decorate mugs with sharpies). I placed some gold chevron straws in a heart tin to use as stir sticks.

I also had the absolutely yummy pleasure of sampling the Van Houtte Raspberry Chocolate Truffle coffee K-Cups with my new brewing system, and they were so different and decadent!

Need a last minute Valentine's Day gift idea for your main squeeze? Colour a mug with sweet and personal V-Day illustrations, fill the mug with some special K-Cups (like the Raspberry Chocolate Truffle ones) and give it to your sweetie! And, if you need a compact coffee brewer in a brilliant colour, the Keurig Mini Plus in red would also make a nice Valentine's Day gift.

I know I'm going to enjoy my special little Valentine's Day coffee nook just for me - everyone knows a mama needs and loves her coffee!

Do you have a dedicated coffee or tea area in your home?

Disclosure: I received a Keurig Mini Plus and some K-Cups for free to review. The views and opinions expressed here are purely my own.