simple valentine’s day decor & true love

I’ve never really decorated specifically for Valentine’s Day, with the exception of when I had littles about. It was more about construction paper hearts and special pencils for school work back then.

My Christmas and winter decor kinda meshed at that time. Lots of snowmen and sleds mingled with the more Christmas-y items. The diminutive size of our current home doesn’t lend itself to much seasonal decor, so I generally keep it pretty simple. I confess that my Christmas decor, save the tree, stayed up all through January. When it came time (or past time for some), I thought I’d keep it wintery, with a few “love”-ly touches that are not overtly Valentine’s themed.

I love silver and mercury glass for Christmas, but I decided to swap it out with milk glass for the rest of winter. I have a small collection that I’ve enjoyed using here and there for various jobs. Most recently a couple of large vases rounded up loose items on the dresser in the bedroom.

I’m not loving the display here, perhaps something in behind and editing the vases? I always arrange and re-arrange several times before I’m satisfied. The small dish holds guitar picks. If I don’t have a catchall, my Love and my df girl leave picks all over the place. As you can tell, I’m drawn to the hobnail design, but the geometric shape of the vase in back also speaks to me. There’s a tea light candle in the squatty vase on top of the books.

In the kitchen, I have a few more vases; I love the large-mouthed ones for arrangements. I added some white-floral greenery to one. In the eighties, I did a lot of cross stitch. This welcome sign was one of my projects.

I also like to switch up artwork for the seasons. I have several sizes of frames in black, white, and dark wood that cover most of my bases. As well, there are some display-type frames with wire or cork that make the switch super simple.

Every time I take a photo of this area, I wonder why I still have not replaced the picture stand. Some day. This is one of my first watercolour paintings. It was inspired by one I found on Pinterest while I was getting my bearings. Winter scenes are just so serene, aren’t they? You can see what’s in the apothecary jar here.

You can find this printable at my Etsy shop.

A cross stitch sampler on linen from 1998. My eyes must have been sharper back then!

And another sampler. I love the vintage-y feel these pieces lend to the decor.

Simple, yet a hint of love in the air.

Don’t look too closely at my kalanchoe…it’s white blooms have seen better days.

Isn’t the orchid lovely? When I spied this mini beauty at the supermarket, I couldn’t resist the ten dollar splurge.

Now that you’ve had a peek around my place, let’s talk about love–true love.

While it’s nice to have a day to spoil your loved one, it’s not so nice for those who feel alone. There is good news, though. Even if you feel left out on love day, you should know there is One who loves you more than any human could. This One is true love epitomized.

…God is love.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [satisfaction of payment] for our sins…And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him…There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. ~1 John 4:8-19

Though mankind wanted nothing to do with God, He reached out in love to bridge the gap created by man’s disobedience. God gave His own Son to cover this gap for all time. Why? Because He loves you.

Reach out to Him and accept His gift of true love and you will have someone to love, too.

Want to know more about God’s love and gift for you? Read ‘You can have a home in heaven‘