Valentine Mantel

 Let's face it: sometimes decorating your home has to take a backseat to being a mama, driving the carpool, cooking, cleaning, and all of the other standard business of maintaining a household. By planning ahead just a bit to incorporate elements that can transition well from one season to the next, you can streamline your decorating investment without sacrificing your sense of style!
As I packed away my stockings after Christmas, I realized many of the elements from my Christmas mantel display would transition very well into a Valentine motif. Instead of completely reinventing the wheel and starting from scratch for my Valentine mantel, I retained certain elements from my Christmas display (the framed silhouettes, the rolled rosette tree, and the feather boa "swag") and then put a Valentine stamp on things by adding a handful of other decorative touches, many of which I already had in my stash of seasonal decor items. What a time (and money!) saver! 
The only items I had to purchase to put together this mantel were a heart wreath form and the X and O papier mache letters. That's it! Everything else was in my creative stash. I love when I am able to do that!

In case you missed it, I shared the tutorial last year for how I create these silhouette images using Photoshop Elements. I knew the perfect way to really set them off would be to hang a heart wreath at the center of the grouping. I was incredibly inspired by these gorgeous heart wreaths Myra at My Blessed Life shared earlier this month, but because I didn't have any satin on hand in the color I needed in order to use her technique, I decided to refer back to my tutorial for how to create a simple ruffled wreath using my short-cut ruffling method (no gathering required - such a timesaver!) and scraps of fabric leftover from the Christmas stockings I made last month.

Guess what I used as a hanger on the back of this gem? You guessed it: a pop tab, a trick I shared yesterday in my 12 Why-Didn't-I-Think-of-That? tips!

By removing the green bow from my rolled rosette topiary tree and replacing it with a turquoise one, the tree instantly became Valentine-worthy. I replaced the silver candle holder I used to elevate the tree in my Christmas mantel display with a clear glass holder to lighten things up a bit.

These little felt bird sachets were some that I created for a bird-themed baby shower I hosted a couple of years go. I thought their little heart wings made them a perfect addition to this display! The felt heart box is a gift Matt and I received from a sweet friend at our Valentine engagement party eons ago.

For my quilted X and O letters, I used the same basic technique from my quilted chevron monogram tutorial, with a few modifications. I'll be sharing a full tutorial for exactly how I created this version soon, so stay tuned!

 A few weeks ago while clicking through Pinterest, I came across this tutorial for how to create this super-easy felt heart garland from Betz White. From start to finish, this project took me a half hour, and I absolutely love how it turned out! This would be a terrific project to help older kiddos hone their sewing skills.

I rounded things out with matching red and white plates and three pink and white striped bows. Bright and fun!

Do you do a Valentine mantel? Remember, even if you don't have a traditional mantel to work with, you can create a fun display on top of a shelf, hutch, piano, console table, or any other flat surface!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Linking this to...Home Stories A to ZTidy MomSerenity NowHoosier HomemadeThe Shabby Creek CottageNest of PosiesThe Idea RoomTatertots and JelloSkip to My LouDecor Chick