Happy 1 week until Valentine’s Day!

Do you decorate for Valentine’s Day? Have any special traditions? We don’t usually decorate – and we don’t have humungo traditions either.

BUT, now that I have a little girl…:)…I want to make things special. Making it special doesn’t mean you have to spend hours and hours on something, but just doing a little somethin’ extra. One thing I’m going to (or, rather, ask my hubby to ;)) start this year is writing a little love note to our daughter every Valentine’s Day. I’ll save them for her and she’ll have a little box of them when she gets older. I think that will be really special for her to have…especially as all the “girl insecurities” start piling up as she gets older.

Last year, my daughter and I made heart-shaped sugar cookies and took them to Daddy and all the teachers at our school. (Yes, that sounds really nice, but the truth is – most of them told me they were on a diet and didn’t take one. So, I came home and ate most of them. ha. you think I’m kidding…oh no. It was just the thing I needed after just giving birth 3 months before. perfect timing. ;))

Anyway, I don’t have a big stash of Vday decor yet, but here are some ideas that I’ve either done in my own home – or found. Take some inspiration from these pics and add a little somethin’ special to your home!

1. Valentine’s M&M’s.
Let’s start with something reallllll easy here. 🙂
I got these m&m’s and was going to put them in this heart candy dish I had, but then I thought, “hey – why not put them in a vase so the purty colors show through the glass?” And I couldn’t think of a good reason not to, so I did. And I love the way it looks! Now if only my hubby & I would stop eating them… 😉

2. Here’s a cool idea from A Little Hut. Do you know what this heart is made out of? look closely…yep, an egg carton. easy peasy!! Here’s how to make it.

3. Crayon Hearts
A nifty project you could do with your kids. Or with your dog. Or with yourself. From my dear friend, Martha.

4. Heart Mat
She made this using a free carpet sample! Sweet!

5. Heart Garland

And here’s another version of a heart garland from Pier 1.
I really like this one…it’s made of felt. You could make this yourself, but it’s only $4.95. Not a bad price!

6. Candy Lamp
This is a little more intense of a project, but you could definitely make it easier by just making it a “dummy lamp” – you know, just for looks. I think this would look cute in a girls’ room. 🙂

7. Heart wreath – this is not a DIY idea, but a “use-what-you-have” idea. This wreath was salvaged from my wedding decor and I love using it at this time of year. Brings back sweet memories. 🙂

8. One last tip: After-Valentine’s-Day-Sales!!!! Have your eye on something now, but don’t want to pay full price? Look for it on February 15!! Check the store after the holiday and you are bound to score some sweet deals! (And speaking of sweet, this is also a great time to stock up on candy. yum…another reason why I like colored m&m’s. As long as there’s chocolate in there, I don’t care WHAT color the m&m’s are.:))
Here’s my score from Kohl’s last year (I think I ended up paying $1.60):

I hope this has given you some inspiration to make Valentine’s Day a little sweeter for those around you! I’m sure there is someone around who could use a little extra lovin’ during this holiday. 🙂

~Christa

p.s. Here’s the recipe I used for my heart-shaped cookies last year.
Time consuming?
check.
Fattening?
check.
Melt-in-your-mouth good?
big fat check.