Love is in the Air

The big day is next week. 
Are you ready?


I like to get in the Valentine's Day mood by watching some of my favorites: 

• You've Got Mail - Love Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together again. Also, this movie always makes me want to open my own children's books store in New York City. F-O-X.
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - I think my sister and I (may have seen this a few too many times) can recite the entire movie by heart. "You let our love fern die!"
• One Fine Day - Two words: simply adorable. (Two more words: George Clooney.)

And if all of that wasn't girly enough, this year I resorted to decorating our fireplace mantle in pretty pinks and reds. My wonderful husband even let me leave up these pretties for our Superbowl Party. :)

I believe his direct quote was: "It's awfully girly, don't you think?"

First, here's a quick look.

Now let's dig a little deeper.

I found the window at an antique store in town last year and am always looking for different ways to display it around the house. It's one of my favorite finds because it adds so much character and is versatile too. 

The paper wreath hanging on the window was a Christmas gift from one of my friends. She (very patiently) used book pages and pretty scrapbook paper to put it together. It's so delicate and pretty - this was just the perfect spot for it.

To the left of the window is a large foam-board print of my favorite wedding picture. This simple black and white photo brings me back to that wonderful day, so naturally I used a few more wedding touches throughout this display.

Around the print I clustered together a blue glass bud vase from IKEA, an antique red lantern, a candle holder from Crate and Barrel filled with a silver bead necklace (does it get any cheaper than that??), and a ceramic red vase.

To the right of the window I have a blue Ball canning jar with a little red ribbon tied around it for color and another Crate and Barrel candle holder with yet another silver beaded necklace. Disclaimer: I did not earn these necklaces - they are from my mother-in-law. Don't ask! :) And that bright red peeking out from behind the glass jar? It's one my favorite Christmas candle holders. It's red, so why not use it?

I found the blue frame at TJ Maxx months ago and have been itching to use it, but couldn't quite figure out where to put it or what to put in it. I love its size and shape, and the look of the scuffed paint. It fits a 5 x 7 picture, but I decided to display our wedding invite instead.

Next to the frame is another red vase and a canvas print my sister made for us for Christmas.

Here's another closer look.

I have the photo displayed on a plate holder so that I could angle it in the direction I want. This wedding day picture was taken in the vineyard and I love how it turned out. Did I mention, my sister DIY'ed it?? It turned out awesome! (I love the blackened edges.)

So there you have it. 

And here's another shot of the finished project.

I had a blast putting this together, and I love that I was able to find and use things I already had around the house. Improvising was key and coming up with different ways to use pieces really paid off.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Oh, whoops! Did I forget to mention a little something? :)

Tutorial coming up in the next post!

All for now,

*~Ina