Valentine's Day Vignette

I suppose all the new blogs I've found and the linking up has made me giddy for decorating a wee bit for the season.  Yep.  Wee.  In the entrance to our home I have a  favorite piece of furniture and the lovely lady Isabella(my mannequins all have names, yes they do).  And well, this area just seemed a perfect fit for a little Valentine's Day sprucing up!  You'd a thunk the PINK dining room would have been the perfect spot.  Well, it will be for our special dinner!

So onto the decorating.  I really have to share what was made and where I found some of these puffy heart goodies!

 1.  the banner:  Michael's has the new $1ish bin area at the check out and well, that is my new favorite spot to check for little crafty ideas.  Low and behold they had colored crocheted doilies!!  I had been wanting to do something with those, I don't really know why, but just have.....and so I bought pink for V-day.  I also bought that day a lovely patterned paper and the most amazing glitter paper to layer on the doily.  At school I used our die cut machine to make the LOVE letters.  Then back home Mailey and I cut large circles from the paper and ran the sewing machine around and around connecting the doily and the paper.  We used double stick tape to attach the letters.  To string the letters together we simply sewed the doilies to the velvet ribbon.  Voila!  Instant banner.  Add a vintage U to the display and it's just about perfect!

 2.  the hearts:  Always on this dresser are our sweet heart collection of leaves and rocks.  I love to display them in the bottles we've found at Pawpaw's house.  The puffy heart on the wall I made using a fabulous technique.  I'll share that later.

 3.  Lady Isabella:  I was piddling last weekend in an antique store when I came across the pink satin apron....ok....seriously satin for cooking?  This was some fine lady's apron I suppose.  You think she also wore her white gloves while baking?    And the 4 stranded pink beads....OMG....I had....to....buy.....

 4.  the ultimate love letter:  So the white card above with the heart embossed on it is our wedding invitation.  I was a printing major in college.  In the intaglio class I made a series of probably 8 small heart plates and used them to create many prints.  When getting ready to make our invitation I decided to not go the traditional creme with raised black letters invite, nope.  Instead, the printers used my plate to emboss the front on an amazing deckle edge white paper, with the inside a letter from mine and Billy's parents asking the guests to attend our wedding.  I puffy heart that we did this. 

 5.  the little wreaths:  As a child, my mother made little curtain ring ornaments for her tree at Christmas time.  She painted the rings red and green, attached her favorite plaid ribbon then placed a photo of my sister and I in the opening.  I loved looking at them every year to see how much we'd grown.  This Christmas I had intended to do the same for my kids, but alas time slipped out from under me and I didn't get it done.  But ever clever, I decided to make them for the Valentine's tree!  I love, love the way they turned out.  And seriously am thinking of making a family tree soon.  I just have to track down the photos of everyone.  I used my camera+ app to take and edit the photos in the grunge mode.  The kids look a tad scary ghostly, so I may change the photos out before I put them away!

Overall, I just love seeing this vignette when I walk into the house.  It makes me smile.  And yep, in case you are wondering, I have already begun the Easter vignette in my head.  teeheeeheeee....