VALENTINE IDEAS AND PARTY DECORATING

Decorating for Valentine's Day is an absolute pleasure! WAY less work than Christmas and yet just as fun! Pink and red together are my absolute favorite! I refill my jars with coordinating “innards” for each and every occasion.  It is such and easy "go to".   For Valentine’s Day, I add some accent to the outside of the jar.   Hot glue will hold just about anything to the side or top of  a glass jar.  In small amounts, hot glue comes right off the glass with no problems.  Talk about an easy addition to an already great holiday! 

These layered accordion style flowers are the perfect accent to my filled jars and go great with the planned party.  One little drop of hot glue and these babies are good until after Valentine's Day!  Way cheaper than buying ribbon!  The puffy hearts in the center are cupcake picks.  I cut the pick off and glued the little puffy guy to the center.  I am in love with those puffy hearts!  

Recycled fabrics are another one of my favorite tricks.  I use old table cloths, sheets, pillow cases, and bed shams to make this swag.  Look for coordinating colors and crazy fabric mixtures. Stripe, checks, polka-dot, bold solid colors and even a sweet tiny floral makes this swag fantastic.  

I spent about $8.00 on fabrics at my local thrift store.  It happened to be half-off day so they were an exceptional bargain. I have enough fabric to swag my entire kitchen. A swag made with fabric ends up heavier than those made of paper.  I added an extra wreath hanger in the middle of the swag to balance out the weight.   NO BIG DEAL!  The wreath hangers work like a charm!

It makes a great backdrop for a serving table and all the other Valentine's Day goodies.  

I am sure you have seen an accordion folding envelope before...I think it is the smartest thing that has come out of the envelope world. Imagine movie tickets, gift cards, love notes, concert tickets or even cash stuffed into the little pockets.  

I like the looks of a wax seal especially when it is put on a secret Valentine love letter!  I don't have one and decided I could do something about that!  

So I got out a potato, a red crayon, and a lighter...it proved to be a perfect substitute!  It worked really well! 

You need a steady hand and a potato.  Don't worry if you mess it up a few times.  It takes a little practice if you haven't done anything like this before.  Just concentrate on taking away the parts of the potato surface you don't need. 

Once that is done, simply heat the end of a crayon to make a little pool of hot wax, and then place your stamp right in it.  Don't be in a hurry to take it off.  Leave it there for a few seconds to allow the wax to harden.  It happens pretty quickly.    Don't be scared...it is fun!