Valentine's Day Decor & More
People decorate for Valentine's Day? Well yes, yes a few do. And now I'm jumping aboard the Valentine's Day train!
Decorating for Valentine's Day never used to be on my radar... until I had kids. And until I had a particularly rough month where I needed a little extra cheer, so here we are! I mean how can you not love all these fun Valentine's Day prints and patterns?
Since I didn't finish decorating for Christmas until 11PM on Christmas Eve (yep, that happened, it's been a crazy year!), I thought I would try to redeem myself with Valentine's Day decor... so down went the tree January 14, and up went Valentine's Day decor! Well... one tree (and the fireplace garland) did stay up, more on that soon.
I had great plans to have this post ready a month early, but life happened along with starting a new adventure that has been quite time-consuming (details to come soon), so now I'm jamming out to 90's hits during kids' nap time, trying to pull together a quick blog post before Valentine's Day comes and goes!
Nothing like some good ol' Backstreet Boys, N'SYNC, Britney, and KCi & JoJo to get the energy flowing and bring you back to the good ol' days! Thinking these bands are now our kids "Oldies" officially makes me feel old. #dontcare
Ok, time to get started! Read on to learn how to create a fun festive tablescape, DIY wreaths, and napkin rings, and for fun and cost-effective decorating tips along the way!
FRONT DOOR - WREATH:
Let's get started with the front door! I have been the lucky [...?] recipient of many of my mother's decorations throughout the years which found their way to the garage in boxes labeled "sort through when time." So here we are. I also have to admit I found some treasures on clearance at the end of the season last year along with some new finds at Hobby Lobby this year.
One of the gems I "inherited" was a box of heart ornaments. Many moons ago, my mother had a Christmas tree decorated with these hearts and I just couldn't let them all go without using them in some sort of craft... So my first thought was a wreath... Crazy enough, I had all of the things I needed to create this wreath in my craft totes... Clearly I have way too many crafting items (my hubs jokes the craft closet is a mini Hobby Lobby), and I need to sort through my garage sooner than later...
Hopefully the delicate OWC ornaments will hold up on the door, time will tell. At least they are bringing us cheer each time we arrive back home! I started with a basic white wreath (Christmas clearance the year before for $4), then found some greenery, red berries, and ribbon in my extra "decor/project" totes. I cut the greenery into smaller pieces, then hot glued them 2/3 the way around the wreath. I then hot glued the red berries sporadically throughout the greenery. I then hot glued (and used wire ornament hangers as backup) and secured the ornaments on the greenery. Lastly, I created the bow.
Here's a quick tutorial of the process!
Even though I like to leave some of the wreath bare, my hubs commented soon after I was done, "I think you forgot to finish part of the wreath..." Art is subjective dear hubs. :)
To make the bow, I used 3 different ribbons simultaneously and weaved "bunny ears" back and forth until I had about 5 loops on each side. You can see this in the above video tutorial. I then used floral wire to hold the ribbon in place, then separated and fluffed the ribbon out. I actually ran out of white ribbon so I strategically cut a few pieces and made some small loops that I hot glued onto the ribbon to give the appearance of a full bow. I then used floral wire to attach the bow to the wreath.
My favorite part are the additions from my 3 year old daughter as she was "helping mama craft". She added smaller random ribbon pieces around the wreath, concentrating most of it in one particular place in the back. I'll call that her special signature touch. This wreath is definitely one-of-a-kind thanks to her help!
For a quick tutorial video on another Valentine's Day wreath, keep reading! But first, the kitchen!
KITCHEN - TABLESCAPE:
To say I love the holidays, is an understatement of the year! From the decorations, to the fun holiday-themed activities, to the actual day of celebration - I love it all!
Creating a holiday or season-inspired tablescape is one of my favorite things to decorate as it's an easy, fun, and cost-effective way to switch up the decor and keep things interesting.
To create a tablescape, first decide on a theme and then determine your color palette. Next you'll create your centerpiece which can either be one main focal point in the middle of the table or be continuous and flow from one end to the other.
Since I had quite a few hearts left over, I had an idea... After I took the majority of the Christmas decor down, our Jesse Tree was still hanging out in the kitchen. Feeling inspired, I decided to use our tree to be the focal point of the kitchen tablescape and switched up the ornaments to make a festive Valentine's Day tree.
I added a few extra rustic checked hearts to the tree along with some of the inherited collection of hearts and Voila, centerpiece tree done!
Creating a taller centerpiece with varying heights on each side is visually and spatially appealing.
For this Valentine's Day inspired theme, we used these versatile Pottery Barn Lanterns and filled them with pink, red, and grey checked hearts (from Hobby Lobby) to keep the theme fun, relevant, and whimsical. You could also add something like these Wicker Rattan Hearts to give a similar feel. I love using lanterns for decorating as they provide interest and height to your tablescape, and you can fill them with so many season or holiday inspired objects and create completely different looks just by switching up what's inside! I've used these lanterns for 3/4 of the tablescapes I created last year as they are so versatile!
You can use a table runner as your base and then build on top of that, or do without. I also love this Pink and White Buffalo Check Farmhouse Table Runner and just realized it would go perfectly with my hearts! You could also weave a Faux Eucalyptus Garland along the table for a different look (which I did for Easter - check out my Easter post HERE). If desired, add a few branches of other greenery to make it even fuller or add more dimension.
Incorporate different textures, colors, and patterns with your placemats, linens, chargers, napkin rings, and dishes to make the different elements pop and stand out from each other. We love these Silver Galvanized Steel Charger Plates. For a more natural look, these Natural Hyacinth Charger Placemats work great year round too!
Incorporate the theme with the napkin rings. I actually made these floral napkin rings for around $8 total for all 6!
How cute are these contrasted with the Striped Grey & White Napkins?
I bought 6 pink roses from Hobby Lobby for $2.50 total. I then found natural wooden rings from Hobby Lobby for $3 which I spray painted white. You can also find the wooden rings HERE. I found the greenery stems at Hobby Lobby for $2. I hot glued the leaves to the ring, followed by the roses and Voila!
Add varying shapes and height to add interest and dimension to your table. Using different size candle holders, faux plants, lanterns, signage, and other decorative pieces accomplishes this easily. We found many of the smaller decor pieces and signage at Hobby Lobby.
Tie it all together with some fun festive dishes, a dish set with a pop of color, or keep it simple with white dishes and an accent charger if there's already a lot going on (which was the case on my table!)
I think I'll be keeping this up a little after Valentine's Day as all the fun colors bring me joy in this extra chilly winter we've been having!
KITCHEN - ISLAND:
Next up is the kitchen island! I absolutely love having a 2-tiered display tray and switching up the holiday-inspired decor each season. I just added a few Valentine's Day decor pieces and cute signage from Hobby Lobby and TJ Maxx to complete the look! If you're in the market for an adorable tiered tray, I am obsessed with this Distressed Wooden Tiered Tray that could be used with fresh fruit, delicious food or drinks for entertaining, as a coffee bar staple, or as the perfect rustic touch for every day decorative items. The options are endless!
In hindsight, I meant to remove the pitcher with eucalyptus as it definitely looks a little too busy, but who knows when the kitchen will be clean enough to take pics again, so just use your imagination!
I loved these sweet pieces from Hobby Lobby. I added a little eucalyptus and a leftover heart from the wreath and called it good.
I found the bottom pieces from TJ Maxx. If I had more time, I might fill the cup or vase with some cute florals, but that's for another day. You can also check out some of these other Rae Dunn Valentine's Day Decor pieces for more ideas and inspiration.
Don't forget to use decor pieces from around the house (or from other holidays) and just give them new purpose and a new home as you rearrange! This sign below stays up year round and just moves around the house depending on the holiday!
I combined this festive vase filler with these rustic hearts from Hobby Lobby to add a little whimsy and fun to the island. Vase from HomeGoods.
Don't forget the most important part, holiday M&M's! This sweet little truck (from Hobby Lobby) was the perfect makeshift candy bowl. I think the M&M's lasted all of 2 days at our house. Thankfully we have a few backup bags ready to go...
Don't forget to display your favorite Valentine's Day kitchen towel! I'm a sucker for cute, cheesy, or funny tea towels. Check out some of these Valentine's Day Tea Towels - there are some pretty cute ones on there! I also am a fan of gifting tea towels with some candy, so when I find cute tea towels, I always buy a few for neighbors, teachers, friends, etc. They always make a simple yet thoughtful gift!
BASEMENT:
I love sprinkling a little holiday decor and cheer in each of the rooms where we spend the most time. It makes those cold wintry days much more cheery! We just finished getting this mantle up, and I couldn't be more thrilled!
Sometimes you have to think outside the box when decorating, especially if you like good deals! When browsing Michaels, I came across the "Christmas" florals section which meant they were 80% off! I grabbed a few stems that looked like they could double as Valentine's Day stems and there you have it! One beautiful Valentine's Day faux bouquet for less than $15!
I couldn't decide where to display this beautiful bouquet so it is now the traveling bouquet and goes wherever it pleases.
LIVING ROOM:
For the living room, we kept it simple by sticking to the fireplace for our main decor purposes. Using an old window is always a fun background base that you can build on. I added a few Valentine's Day decorative pieces, wreath, and the "gather here" sign which I borrowed from our Fall/Thanksgiving decor. I wasn't quite ready to part with our lighted eucalyptus garland since it had only been up for 2 weeks, so I kept it up for awhile more. My husband thought it was a little "busy", but I enjoyed a few more weeks with the lights! Make your own garland by stringing lights on a Eucalyptus Garland or keep it sans lights to be more versatile year round!
I started with the wreath as my inspiration piece. Again, thanks to my overflowing craft closet, I had everything minus the hearts to make this wreath.
I just hot glued small pieces of faux eucalyptus leaves and garland branches to 1/3 of the wreath. I then used floral wreath to tie the middle of the festive red and white filler and hearts together and then attached it to the wreath. I had the "love" wooden sign from another room in the house (that looked a little too crowded as is so it was time to make a wreath donation), and hot glued it to the wreath. And that's it folks!
Check out this short video for a quick tutorial!
I then incorporated a few decorative items on each side of the window/wreath. Displaying items in odd numbers makes it look balanced (which I don't always follow, but still a good rule to keep in mind).
Again, following the same rules as the tablescape, add varying heights, textures, colors, etc. adds interest to the setup. I actually created this beaded heart. I used 14 gauge wire, bent it into the shape of a heart, and then added wooden beads from Hobby Lobby. I hot glued one bead in the center and at the bottom to complete the heart look. You could also do this and hang it on your front door for a simple yet sweet welcoming piece. I carried the heart-filled lantern theme into the living room and added the signage and florals from HomeGoods.
For the other side, I loved how the Valentine's Day Gnome added an element of whimsy to the mantlepiece. The xoxo picture came from PopShelf for $10 and added the perfect height. I used a faux "traveling plant" from another room to complete the mantle.
This adorable "Be Mine" banner came from Hobby Lobby. I LOVE this charming Valentine's Day Wooden Bead Garland as it would be perfect to hang from the mantle (you may need 2 if you want to have it swagged across). You could also use it on a tree, on a tiered tray, to make a wreath, wooden bead heart, or anywhere else your heart desires!
After a few more weeks with the garland, I finally took it down. It definitely gave a much more simplified look. Which look do you like better?
Don't forget the cozy blanket(s) in a fun basket or some decorative pillows to complete the look.
I also added a few pictures of 2 of my special Valentine's to these festive frames.
Don't forget all the fun crafts If you have littles! Check out Michaels and the $ Store for fun mini crafts like these! My 3 year old painted this, and it will now be a staple decorative piece we get out each year!
Having children brings out the inner kid in me and amplifies my excitement to an entirely new level for the holidays. Seeing life through a child's perspective brings us back to our childhood days and somehow makes time stand still, even if just for a moment.
Thanks for checking out our Valentine's Day decorating ideas! Subscribe and keep checking back for more projects, decor inspiration, recipes, kids' activities, travel tips, and parenthood tips and tricks! Follow my new page on IG, LifewithLittlez (with a z) for all the fun!
