Eco(nomical &)-Chic Valentine's Decor

A few years ago I helped some friends out with their Valentine's Day wedding.  The couple loved old movies and hearts, especially conversation hearts.  We had a very small budget to work with but lots of tables to decorate!  (does that sound familiar to anyone else?  It's the story of my life!)

I found images of vintage hollywood stars and printed them out in black and white (on recycled paper of course!).  A friend placed them in random fashion on an 11"x17" sheet of paper, then attached them with a glue stick.

Next, she cut single-faced satin (florist) ribbon in strips and used it to trim the outside, leaving an overlap for extra interest. These became "placemats" for the table centerpieces (did you notice the candy conversation hearts in the candle holders?  They were the bride's favorite candy - we just had to include it somewhere - it WAS Valentines afterall!)

This candle holder is an "ivy bowl"" glued to the top of a candlestick, both from the dollar store.  Not bad for 2 bucks eh?

I was fortunate enough to find a whole collection of red and orange/yellow silk flowers on clearance at MJDesigns - 90% off!  I bought everything they had, even though I wasn't sure what I would do with all of it!

You've seen the pomanders with the pearl handles use in 2 different ways, as well as the small candle rings.  But take a look at this:

It's a wreath, suspended with wire from the ceiling!  I attached glass votive holders with floral adhesive to the "back" (now the top).  I also added gold and red rhinestones to the arrangement, foor a little extra dazzle!

I also suspended several of the pomendars from the ceiling (shown in the background).

The groom's cake featured color prints of some old movie shots and I tucked film from a movie reel all round (even in the frosting!).  More vintage hollywood shots covered the table.

I was able to splurge on fresh flowers for the ceremony; red roses, white lilies and eucalyptus (mmm, it smelled heavenly!)

So, thats an easy way to decorate for a Valentine's Wedding (or just a party!) using what you've got, what is free and what you find on super-great clearance.  The entire decor budget was less than $150, and that included the fresh flowers for the ceremony.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't forget to check out my current gveaway:

Eco-Chic Valentine's "How To Make a Book Page Wreath"

I love Fawnda's tutorial over at Fireflies and Jellybeans. 

You could make an Eco-Chic twist on it by substituting a previously loved wreath from a thrift store and repurposed ribbon from Christmas.

Way to go Fawnda!  visit her tutorial for complete instructions and more great pictures:

Fireflies and Jellybeans: How To Make a Book Page Wreath

Don't forget to check out my current gveaway:

Post-It Tuesday - #4 Talking to myself

(Free $25.00 CG & free shipping when FB Fan page reaches 350 fans - only 17 away)

(Free $20.00 GC when Blog reaches 100 followers, only 27 away)

(Free $20.00 GC to the person who referred winner of blog giveaway)

(Free piece of artwork & free shipping to the winner of "Inspire your Heart with Art", ends 1/31/10)

the neglected Etsy shop

Visit SupahMommy's blog for more!

Attitutude Adjustment

2 Thought provoking thoughts from Corrie Ten Boom and Charles Swindoll:

In one of Corrie and Betsy’s early Bible studies, they read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Betsy said, "Corrie, we must thank God for this room." Corrie was indignant. "Why? This room is small and crowded, and it smells!" "Yes," Betsy replied, "But it keeps us warm and dry, and we should thank God."

"We should also thank God for our food," she persisted. Corrie was incredulous. "Why? It smells terrible, tastes worst, and isn’t fit for dogs!" "Yes," Betsy replied, "But it keeps us from starving, and we should thank God."

"We should also thank God for the fleas," Betsy suggested. Corrie was now livid. "Fleas? Fleas? They bite me and itch, and I dare you to tell me one good thing these fleas do for us!" "You’re right," Betsy allowed, "But I still think we should thank God for the fleas."

And so, each night, the young ladies studied their Bible, prayed, and thanked God for the crowded room, pitiful food, and legions of fleas.

Finally, the camp was liberated, and it occurred to Corrie that no guard had ever searched their room for contraband Bibles or caught them during their long Bible studies. She asked a guard why. "I’d have to be crazy to go into that room!" he asserted vehemently. "That room was infested with fleas!"

And so Corrie learned that her faith had been protected by a legion of God’s soldiers - fleas - and she learned at last why God wanted her to be thankful for them.

I don't know about you, but I am way more inclined to tahnk God for a FLEA MARKET!  It is much more difficult to be thanful when things are not the way we want them to be.  It's days like this that I am gently reminded of a great quote from Charles Swindol:

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it" - Charles Swindoll

I made a Powerpoint slide (back in tha' day) and posted this in my cubicle - I was amazed at the number of people who where inspired by this quote!  It stayed with me through several job changes.  Now, as stay at home mom with a burgeoning art business, I need it more than ever!

So, I updated my reminder - please feel free to download it or share it with others!

Or click here to order a notecard from my Zazzle store. :)

And I can't do just one - here's a retro-vintage style for you too!

Note cards

Which one do you like best?

I'm Feeling Creative! (&Friday Follow!)

I've had a lot of fun thriftin' this week.  I found tons of great things to [ReDeem]  I even got a 15  pound box of vintage jewelry, some broken, some wearable - that took 2 days to sort through!

I'm also working on updating my Etsy shop - it got kinda bare over the Holidays (not that I'm complaining!)

So, I may not blog this weekend!  But, before I lock myself in the studio - it's time for Friday Follow again!

Don't forget to check out my contest too - you could win your favorite piece of artwork!