I HEART Valentine’s Day (pt 2)

The Valentine’s Day decor is finally all out and ready to love on each and every person that comes to visit our home for the next month. If you come over, be prepared to have a paper doily wrap its lovin’ arms around you and welcome you with a big, wet kiss.

Oops. It seems that I’m losing my mind.

Or it could be that the cuteness of my home has gone to my head. Plus I might be on a sugar high from eating too many nasty, chalk-like conversation hearts. I don’t know why I eat them. I can’t stand the taste, but I feel some sense of obligation that started in childhood. I think I need therapy.

“Doctor, thanks for seeing me on such short notice. I need to figure out why I feel compelled to eat those horrible conversation hearts even though I don’t like them. Where did I get them you ask? Well I took them out of the little jar that I decoupaged with paper from old books and wrapped in red rick rack then printed out a vintage seed packet to add to the front. What doctor? You want to see me twice week? OK, but if I’m coming that often I will have to make you a pillow with hearts on it for you psychiatrist couch.”

Here’s the proof that I am not normal……

Remember the mantle that I made last year? Well here it is all decked out for February (my favorite month). Our newest family portrait, my little cages full of paper strips and candles, and tons of Valentine’s Day love.

I keep the cages there all of the time and just change out what’s in them. There’s always paper in them though. I love old paper. It makes my heart go pitter pat.

James + Lisa = LOVE. Are you gagging yet? No, well I’m not finished.

The other side of the mantle.

I thought you needed a closer look at the jar. It’s just a baby food jar (my compulsion to keep these occasionally pays off) that I embellished for FREE! Now you’re talkin’ my love language.

This one holds a chocolate heart on a stick. I use a lot of ribbon. Confucius say, “He who loves ribbon loves life.” It’s a fact.

I made several more of the jars. These I filled with baby’s breath. I will put roses in them when V-Day gets closer. But I love this look too.

On the main dining table are boxes I made a few years ago. I put heart playing cards on my printer and made the paper, then used it to cover the boxes. It’s playful.

The pot has “flowers” I made with old silverware and some vintage seed packets. There’s a similar centerpiece on the other table in the room.

The table runner was an afterthought. I had a piece of red canvas left over from another project. So I took a sharpie and drew hearts on it, wrote a few words and just set it on the table. No need to sew. It cost nothing. I can toss it out when I’m through with it.

Since you’re probably tired of my crazy decor by now, I’ll just show you a few of the things I did in the living room….

More candy. Here’s the thing with candy (let’s pretend that these m&m’s will still be here by Valentine’s Day)….it’s cheap, it’s colorful and it’s cheap. Did I say that already?

Here are the doilies that will welcome the guests. I added pages from the book to the center of the pink hearts. Here’s where I have to ask you a favor. Please don’t try to actually READ the paper. The book I used is an old nature encyclopedia and these two pages are about the kind of ointment you should use if you touch a certain fungus and get a horrible rash and you’d better do it before your skin falls off. Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

Some pillows I made last year. No embroidery machine necessary. It’s just wool felt, plain and simple.

If you’re still reading this and you haven’t gone into a sugar coma from all of the sweetness, leave me a comment letting me know your favorite Valentine candy. Maybe I’ll add it to my decor and put your name on it with a little heart.

Gotta go, I have an appointment with my shrink.