Look like Lana

Even before her album release, Lana Del Rey had already made it onto the covers of Billboard, Vogue UK and Russia’s Interview magazine, in addition to performing on Saturday Night Live. It took me months to warm up to her. Once Video Games came out, I couldn’t bear listening to Lana’s voice, it was just too haunting, so I opted to listen to Bombay Bicycle Club’s cover instead. All I would do was compare her to a Bond Girl. Every day I would question why I’m not as amazing as she is. Then, I heard Lolita, and I just fell head over heels for her; her voice finally made sense to me. Thusly converted, when Born to Die was released last week, I left school early to get myself a copy (yes, that’s how much I like this album, I actually bought it). Now whoever rides in my car will be serenaded by my accompaniment to Radio, and at that moment you may just fall in love with me, I’m warning you now.

In celebration, I’ve created a DIY of Lana’s famous flower headband. I’m not sure how practical this headband is (right), but it certainly evokes the romance of Valentine’s Day. Or, maybe prom. Or, okay, maybe a Halloween Party, where I can go as Lana. — NICOLE  ZAKRZEWSKI

You will need:
At least two bunches of silk flowers
A headband that is at least 1/3-inch wide
A hot-glue gun and glue sticks
How to:
1. Pull each of the flowers off the stems.
2. Take flower petals off their plastic anchors and sew them back together. This is the most time consuming part, but it requires the most minimal sewing skills.
3. Glue the flowers onto the headband, working from the center outward.
4. Put your headband on, start singing Blue Jeans and watch as you transform into Lana Del Rey.

Valentine's offerings

His heart was in the right place
In ancient Rome when Emperor Claudius II was in power, he saw that married men didn’t make for good soldiers, so Claudius banned marriage altogether. Valentine was a priest who defied the emperor’s demands and continued to conduct the sacrament of matrimony. Once captured, Valentine was charged with treason and beheaded on Feb. 14. How romantic.
Just watch them gravitate
A few years back, David Friedman, photographer and creator of the blog Ironic Sans, offered up the most creative Valentine’s Day cards: scientist valentines. Our favorite: “I select you. Naturally!” (Above a drawing of Charles Darwin, red hearts floating around his head.) They are available at bit.ly/5Wt12, where the author urges you to email them to the ones you love.