valentine's day decor

Hello and happy Tuesday!

With my impromptu week off and my quest to refresh a few spots in the house, I’ve been in and out of some of my fave stores – Aldi, TJ Maxx, Target, Home Goods, and Michael’s. I know every year these places must have lots of holiday goodies, but I just saw so many cute things, and I’m sharing those today.

Aldi:

My friend got me a candle from Aldi for my birthday, and now I’m putting it to good use.

So, the next time I went to Aldi, I made sure to go down the “Aldi finds” aisle…and I wasn’t disappointed.

There were other cute candles, various heart shaped bake ware and plates. I think the marble heart was my fave.

Home Goods:

I went to Home Goods to get new bed pillows for Hayden, and while I was there, I took a peek at their Valentine’s Day decor.

The floral heart is such a cute decorative piece…I almost bought it. If I had more storage, I would for sure buy a heart shaped Dutch oven to sit out on my stove top.

How cute is the heart kettle and the colander?! So many cute dish towels too.

Home Goods really had a fun variety of icon glasses…

…and coffee mugs.

I couldn’t help myself, and I did buy the cherry icon glass. I plan on it being a spring/summer glass for me.

Target:

Who doesn’t love Target?! I went to Target to look for a lamp, and while I was there, I scoped out their Valentine’s Day pieces…

I actually have two of the small red/white plates and the dish towels too. I bought them after Christmas, and now it’s been fun to put them out.

How cute is the polka dot ruffle pillow?! Also, I just couldn’t “say no,” and I bought the pink candle with a lid. I figured it would be perfect for February and even into March for a spring/floral color. I might get one of the white ones as well to use later.

The bedding is so cute for a little one…and who doesn’t love a plush heart shaped pillow?

Even the books that were on display and seemed to be love themed.

TJ Maxx:

I did find a lamp that I loved at Target, so I went to TJ Maxx to return a lamp I’d previously purchased. While there, I scoped out their Valentine’s Day stuff. To be honest, they didn’t have a ton, but the dish towels were cute, they had a few mugs, and their pink/red candle selection was strong!

I think TJ Maxx (and Home Goods) have some of the cutest paper products…and I loved the read floral/heart tote. I almost purchased it, but I showed restraint.

Michael’s:

I went to Michael’s to buy some tea light candles, and their Valentine’s Day decor was right when you walk in. They really didn’t have a ton of things, and I could tell they were shifting to spring. That being said, I thought the plates, heart candles, and icon glasses were so cute…as was the bow pillow!

In all my shopping I “only” walked away with the icon glass from Home Goods and a wooden heart from Michael’s…(as well as the two plates and hand towels, I’d bought previously at Target)…

…and one mug at Home Goods and one mug from TJ Maxx.

I’ll show you my few Valentine’s Day decorations later in the week.

‘Tis the season for love!

Hello! We’re home today due to the impending ice storm. The kids have an ortho appointment and then we will be inside for the foreseeable future.

It’s a perfect time for me to share with you some of my Valentine’s Day decor. I don’t go overboard with decorations, but I love to add a few things here and there around the house.

Outside:

I change my garden flag with the seasons, and the heart door hanger is one of my favorites!

I add this simple X O X O banner to the mantle every year.

It’s a cute little festive touch along with the wooden love sign.

The Hershey Kisses don’t last long in our house, but I refill the heart jar a few times. My friend made me the wooden heart sign a few years ago, and the conversation hearts are another family fave in the pink bowl.

The gold X O X O and white ceramic heart are TJ Maxx finds from a few years ago.

That’s about it for the Valentine’s Day decor.

Mix, Match, Move Things Around

Mid-September is when I put up fall decor followed by Christmas decorations. Every January I try to remember where my regular decorations go! I even take pictures, but then fail to look at them. I do kind of like moving things around until everything is “just right.”

I’ve tried to use what I have rather than purchase new when decorating. I’ve seen some decorate with a wooden tray to hold their cooking utensils. My friend gave us this personalized cutting board for our tenth wedding wedding anniversary in 2015. I use it often for charcuterie, but I thought it was the perfect touch for this corner of my kitchen.

I’ve had the “T” and “J” for years, and moved them to this little corner of our built in. Usually, I have a candle there, but decided I wanted these on display for now.

I also like changing out this frame of the kids. Usually, it includes a precious photo of them at the beach a few years ago. That being said, I will rotate seasonal photos as well to freshen up the frame.

If I buy something, even an inexpensive piece, I try to use it for a variety of seasons. I bought these these metal risers at Hobby Lobby in the fall, and have already used them to hold pumpkins and pinecones. I moved them to mantle and found these topiaries at TJ Maxx. I love the pop of green with spring right around the corner.

Lastly, I’m about to play “musical” wall art with a few pieces. I’ve had a family photo on this wall for years, but wanted something a little bigger for the space. This wooden arch has been on a wall in our office, and I’ve just propped it on our entry table for now. I actually purchased another one (on the half off week), and may hang both together somewhere. I need Travis for hanging things…otherwise, we end up with lots of holes in the wall!

I’m happy with how everything is put back together now that the big holidays are are over. I always feel better once I declutter after the first of the year, and I always feel like the house looks so much brighter once I get everything back in the right place.

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites. In the meantime, I’m going to hunker down at home.

The governor declared a state of emergency, and this was Trader Joe’s last night: