I finally got myself to take down my Christmas decor , as sad as it was. I always feel a little blue when it's time to pack up all the Christmas decor and return it to it's basement home. The glitter loves to hang on for a few more weeks however, as I am still vacuuming that off the carpet and furniture.
I felt this year we need a little LOVE more then ever and wanted to challenge myself to transform my mantle for Valentines without buying anything new. So I shopped my closet to see what I could find. I found the large red hearts first, I love these because they sparkle and there the perfect shade of red. I bought these a few years back at The Christmas Tree Shops for $1. I also found some smaller hearts that had a similar look so I knew these would work just fine.
I knew I wanted to have a focal point in the middle of the mantle to draw the eye in, I found the tin container in my garage from last year , this was a Savers find for a few dollars. I love the garland of florals raised on the front of it, it gives it a classic feel. I placed a foam floral block in the center of the planter so it would be easier to arrange the greenery and decor items. I always keep a mix of faux greenery on hand to help style with, I find mixing a variety of textures and different shades of green makes for a more realistic look. I was hoping I had two small white birds to act as lovebirds but unfortunately I only found one in my stash. I did have some white feathers so I decided they would work as an extension of by little white bird.
It's difficult to see in this photo but I also added red fairy lights that are strung thru the centerpiece and across the fireplace. I used two heart garlands one was all red and the other pinks and reds to drape across the front of the mantle and one clustered together to drape out of the planter these were from the Dollar Store a few years back.
One of my favorite decor items on my mantle vignette is the picture of the little boy carrying his sister. This is a vintage item, and I love vintage decor, it's an illustration from a children's book from 1887. Thanks to my cousin I have several of these illustrations from the same book and have framed them, chaulk painted and distressed the frames. I then added one of my vintage gilded frames to frame a picture within a frame giving the picture more substance and width.
Valentines wouldn't be complete without some form of roses. I found these potted preserved sweet pale pink roses at my local flea market for a few dollars a piece.
If you struggle to make your displays look appealing to the eye, try using a few design principles to help achieve a professional look . Group items in odd numbers, here you can see that I have three main focal points, the large gold frame, the book illustration, and the planter filled with hearts and greens. Another design principle is having items at varying heights, high, medium, and low , as pictured here. For visual interest add texture to your displays.
I am obsessed with candles and love mixing them with my vintage brass candlesticks. I also love that these look like real flames and bonus points for being on a timer and coming with a remote control!! These were a new purchase at Christmas after seeing them in one of my local home decor shops. I searched the internet for them and found them on the internet after the shopkeeper said she couldn't get them anymore thru her wholesaler.
Happy Valentine's Day...let love be in the air!!