Simple Valentine’s Day Mantel

Hey guys! I wanted to quickly share my Valentine’s Day decor with you before it was too late! February is going by so fast, for some reason I was thinking that Valentine’s Day was next week. Nope, try two days away! 🙂 This year I channeled the minimalist side of me (not 100% sure there is one though) and went with a very simple Valentine’s Day mantel.

Last week I shared my heart weaving wall hanging with you and I wanted that to take center stage on the mantel. So I used neutral colors and left the other decor simple. I LOVE the pops of red from the heart in the weaving and the hearts on the garland. It really stands out against the whites, creams and tans.

Speaking of the garland, I made this adorable braided yarn heart garland and will be sharing the tutorial with you tomorrow! I realize it is a little late for you to make it for this year but you can pin it for next year. 😉

To coordinate the garland with my weaving, I used yarn again. I have used yarn on my multicolored heart garland previously but I wanted to try something different this time. This was a bit of an experiment because I have not seen anyone do it this way before. I really like how it turned out. How about you?

I love using books in my decor. Maybe it comes from my love of reading? These books have made some appearances on my mantel before but they are nice staple pieces that can be used over and over again. Without the covers, their neutral color lends them to be used with all color schemes. You can also see them on my St. Patty’s day mantel last year and my fall mantel.

I stacked the books higher on the sides to try to fill in the space on either side of the weaving. Then I put some candles on top of the books. Don’t worry, they are battery operated candles. The candles give off a nice soft glow when they are turned on at night. Also, did you notice how the candles and books form an inverted arch that mimics the arch of the garland. I don’t know about you but that is very pleasing for me to look at! Ahhhh… symmetry! 😉

Of course, I had to include a vignette on the coffee table. It just looks naked to me without one now! I used a white tobacco basket as the base and added some faux ranunculus flowers in this antique handled bottle. I bought the flowers last year at Hobby Lobby, they look so realistic! To go along with the book and candle theme, I added some books and candle holders. These also helped to bring in some red color.

I dug out this ‘Follow Your Heart’ pillowcase to use again. It just works so well for Valentine’s Day. I made these farmhouse grain sack pillow covers a couple years ago and use them all the time. They are great for year round pillows. Check out the tutorial if you want to make some for yourself!

I think my boys are getting used to my more heavily decorated mantels because they thought this one looked a little plain. Ha! I told them sometimes simple is better. They disagreed on this one. 🙂 What do you think… too plain? Or just right?