I love Valentine’s Day…and decorating for it. After Christmas and my birthday – it’s my favorite time of year. This year I will have an unusual Valentines – as I have to have some eye surgery tomorrow – and I will be seeing double for a few days. So – it’s a good thing I love my husband…because I’ll be seeing two of him!!
I had a tough time with this mantle, I usually don’t have trouble decorating our mantle but this time I did and I’ll tell you why. I started with a smaller than usual center piece. If you get the center of your mantle right – the rest is a piece of cake. But, I had it in my head that I wanted to use this mirror I had bought over 30 years ago in Laguna Beach CA. It was my first truly shabby piece I had ever bought and I always loved it. I haven’t used it in ages because the color wasn’t right with how my home is decorated now. So – I painted it. I gave it a quick wash of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White – and the once dirty pink mirror was lightened up a lot.
To balance things out, I added some extra artwork. To the left and in front of the mirror , I added an antique framed ”bill” from England that I always loved. I added some other items – the “LOVE” letters, some books, hyacinths, a painted candle holder – and I made some burlap heart wreaths to drape on the mirror and the antique bill.
To the right I added another art piece partially behind the mirror and I added a dark book also – to balance out the visual weight. I painted some other pieces I had to keep the pink color scheme going. The lantern and the frame on the right were ugly when I got them. The lantern was a drab gray and the frame was a dull, dark green. A little Annie Sloan Chalk paint perked them up (Scandinavian Pink and a dusting of Old White).
This pic of us in Paris looks much better in pink!
I also added one of my favorite photos of my husband and I – me feeding him the cake at our wedding. Little did he know then that he would be doing most of the cooking now that he’s retired. So – tables have turned…he’s feeding me!
Here’s a full view of the mantle…
And a few more closeups…
Have you decorated for Valentine’s Days? Let me know in the comments below.
