Be Mine

I have always been a Valentine's Day fan. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my parents always made it a fun day for us growing up and I loved the parties in elementary school. I loved decorating my little shoe box, picking out the perfect valentines at the grocery store, saving the "special" ones I cut off the back of the box for my friends and then counting all of the fun cards I got in my box.

As an adult I still love Valentine's Day. And now that I think about it, my parents still give us little presents. I love it. And them. But that's not the point. I've been feeling super crafty lately and wanted to show you my mantle. It's a little cluttered, and usually I'm a mantle minimalist, but I just couldn't choose what I wanted to keep up there and what I wanted to move. I'll take a better photo to post the details, but what you see from left to right is an old (legit) church shutter my mom found for me several years ago. It stays year-round. A small heart I decoupaged last year. A photo of my grandparent's at their high school homecoming. It stays year-round too. The chalkboard "Be Mine" sign is new. Well, sort of. I recently discovered my love of chalkboard paint. I bought some on sale at Joanne's ($2.50) and searched for the perfect first project. I found an old Anne Geddes print that I used to have in my college apt. that has survived countless garage sales since. I just repainted the cheap wooden frame and painted over a chubby baby laying on a stack of towels to get my "chalkboard". Done. It took about 20 minutes. And the best part is I can erase and make a new sign with each season. Love. The item to the right of the chalkboard is a letter I found in my parent's garage from 1837! It's from a great great great great something to another great great great great something and I love it. It's not a love letter, but I thought it went with the Valentine's theme. On the end is a vase full of metal heart shaped cookie cutters. It's a little modern, but I like the way it looks. Breaks up my vintage obsession.

So there you have it. My Valentine's addiction summed up in a couple of paragraphs. Any suggestions for the mantle? Remember, I'm not one of you crafty bloggers. Just a wannabe. Suggestions welcome.