Valentine Vignette

Unlike Christmas, my Valentine's Day decor is fairly minimal, mostly accumulated or crafted when my daughters were younger and enjoyed seeing all holidays decorated and celebrated with exuberance, and often initiated the crafting and decorating themselves.  Valentine's Day always was a welcome diversion to the dreary homeschool routine of the long haul from January to when spring weather would settle more reliably.  Our homeschool group would make and decorate candles for Candlemas/Brigid on February 1, have a Valentine exchange and skate party on February 14, and often do something for Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras, making the time from mid January to mid March more eventful.

However, this heart on my front door is a new addition.  I got it for just a couple of dollars at Hobby Lobby, in the Christmas clearance.  It is metal and was painted a red, with black shadowing on the edges.  I liked it as it was, but it simply did not show up very well when viewed from the street and sidewalk.  I painted it with some craft paint I had on hand, and I think contrasts very nicely with the blue door and shows up better behind the screen door.  After Valentine's I may hang it up somewhere on the brick outside.

In my kitchen, some hearts hang over the table from the light.

And a wooden heart garland frames the eating area.  The garland was another Christmas clearance item from years ago.

In the dining room, I have a few candles, my little tea tray, and a Valentine's Box that we crafted.  The box holds old Valentines from the various exchanges and skate parties we did when the girls were younger.

There are several small clothespins hot glued on to the back, so that some Valentines can be displayed.  The feet of the box are tiny painted clay pots, with felt on the bottom so they don't scratch the furniture.

A bit of Valentines paper craft with the tea items.

Leaning against the candles, a Valentine's pin made by one of the girls from hand made paper she made at a Botanic Garden homeschool class one year.  And a simple mouse Valentine, left over from ones the girls made several years ago to exchange.  Cut hearts from red construction paper or card stock (by drawing half a heart on the folded paper), draw a nose and whiskers, eyes, and ears on the outside of each half of the folded heart, tape or glue a finger crocheted length of thin yarn for a tail, write a sentiment on the inside.