all we need is LOVE

I can’t believe how long it has been since my last post….wowza.  I was hoping 2012 would come in easy breezy, but so far it’s trying to compete a little with crazy 2011.  

Still so much good in my life…I feel truly blessed. 

Oh, and I want to say hey to all my new friends!  Thanks for coming along!! Wishing all my friends a Happy New Year! (better late than never, right? ;)

I really enjoy this time of year…a nice refreshing start after the rush of December, my birthday month and then Valentines Day and our wedding anniversary! 

I feel full of LOVE!  So, I am making the jump onto Valentines Day…

 

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you may have seen what I was playing around with last night.  I changed up my first Thanksgiving, then Christmas, now Valentines Day vignette.  I am either sharing ideas on how to be really lazy in your decorating, OR how to be really creative and resourceful by using what you already have in every holiday throughout the year. ha! ;)  Either way…I am quite pleased with this LOVE-ly  display.

I changed up my GIVE THANKS sign by removing the sharpie with rubbing alcohol (it did work!) and then adding in this sweet love phrase(which carries so much truth) in the same way…you can get the instructions {HERE}.  I really love the simplicity of this.

      

The iced cherry blossoms transition perfectly into Valentines Day.  I replaced the little Christmas signs with my heart cut outs… made from tracing a heart cookie cutter onto a Starbucks Christmas bag.  The red and white work perfectly.  I just made sure to not get any one part of the design that looked too Christmas-y.

 

I added in a couple more red accents… my garage sale books, a wood heart, and the gorgeous ribbon I used {last year} wrapped around my lamp shade with jute twine. 

Oh, and some love birds of course:)

 

Do you decorate much for Valentines Day?

 

Valentine Wreath Tutorial

It is a little late, but I am going to keep my word.;)  Here is a simple way to create a Valentine wreath like the one in my Valentine Vignette.

You will need:

• a wispy wreath base
• berry garland
• burlap ribbon
• decorative heart
• faux greens

 

I started with a wispy twig wreath base, to which I added in a pip berry beaded garland.   I just formed it around the center of the wreath and attached it with wire.  Once it is attached you can pull out the pieces and berries to sort of ‘fluff’ it or fill it out.  This little step makes a big difference.  I then took my burlap ribbon and looped it around the back of the wreath to anchor my wood heart.

I placed the heart where I wanted it and tied the ribbon around with a looped knot.  To do this I just tie a knot with out pulling one side all the way through.  This heart has a wire hanger which I attached to the wreath base as well to make it more secure.  You could use some hot glue as well or more wire behind it. 

And finally, For a pop of color and to put a little ‘spring’ in the wreath I tucked some greens into the ribbon.

There you go:) 

An {easy} sweet and simple Valentine-y addition to your home.

Feeling the LOVE

I don’t do a ton of Decorating for Valentine’s Day, but I do like to give it some recognition.  January is always kind of blah and it feels good come February to enjoy another Holiday and brighten up my home with maybe some hope for Spring to arrive soon!  I know there are cynics out there who are not fans of this holiday, but I have many fond memories of it.   Why not have another reason to celebrate and spread love, right?  Plus our wedding anniversary is the 16th so it makes it even that much more special in our home. :)

 Here is a simple display that I quickly put together.  I kept a few pieces from my Santa vignette and added to them.  I ‘loved’ up a twig wreath to hang above the cabinet and added a rose picture I had in my stash.  {watch for the super easy tutorial!}

I also changed out the shade of my lamp with a $2 thrift store shade to which added the beautiful ribbon my aunt gave me.  Do you remember the ribbon from my July 4th decor?  I love it!  & added in with all this, it screams Valentine’s Day.

A few love birds on my vintage scale and some more green to encourage the Spring feeling.  I shaped my little berry wreath into a heart as well.  I also kept my thrift store candle stick trio from before…think romantic candlelight….minus the candlelight…but it implies an idea, right? lol ;)

By simply combining your everyday decor of “Valentine” colors or theme, you can create a subtle touch of the LOVE  it your home.  Don’t be afraid to move things around in your home and use them in a different way. 

**For some tips on creating a balanced display, go check out my Spring Vignette from last year.**

Joining in the fun…

Quick Change Valentine Decor

I  have shared with you my love for turning Christmas clearance into inexpensive Valentine Decorating.  If you think outside of the box a bit, you will find how often this can be done.  I love this one!  ;)  So fast, so easy!

I found this cute frame in the Christmas clearance at Michael's.  I think at 70% off it was like $2 or $3.  They had ones that said believe, joy etc., but this one said LOVE!

It had cute little bells attached to it which made it quite

Christmas-y.  So I thought to myself, "Self, if you just attach something more Valentine-y to this, it would be Valentine decor!"

I had these little acrylic vase fillers I was using for another project and they worked perfect!  They already had holes i them for me to thread the wire through! YAY!  The little red one I had to loop wire through, but it wasn't hard at all.  It literally took me all of 2 minutes to change them all out!

I think it turned out pretty sweet.  (Even Mr. Husband was impressed.)  I hope it inspires you to use your creativity and repurpose!  Loves! 

I'm sharing at The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday!  Check it out. :)