It's Almost Valentine's Day

My Valentine Decorations have been up for a week or so.  I know that when I show my decorations people always ask how I have time to put it all out and where do I keep it all.  Some holidays take up massive amounts of room (Christmas, I'm talking to YOU!) and others are neat little boxes. My Valentine decorations fill up one plastic tub.  Most of it is small and made of cloth and paper so it is flat too boot.  Easy to store on a shelf in the garage.

And so begins the tour.

Whenever I post a photo on IG of this setup everyone tells me they love my mantle.  Well, it isn't a mantle - just an old window and a shelf on the wall above the couch.  Old windows have come and go in decorating, but I have had my windows on the walls since about 1995 and I could never take them down since all my holiday stuff fits on them perfectly.   This is a mish-mash of Heart to Heart swap items and a few things I have found and added to the Valentine display.  

Someday I will find a stash of pretty old candy boxes at a sale.  I will, I tell you, I WILL.  Until, then the one and only candy box The Breadman ever bought me will have to do.  

Obligatory Annalee doll and a few other fun things.  Love that new book of Valentines.  I bought it new so I could use it in crafts, but I couldn't bear to cut it up either.  There is something wrong with me, people.

My chocolate covered cherry boxes are still one of my favorite collections.  Hate the candy, love the boxes.  Although, I will admit that a good quality chocolate covered cherry is good.  Just not those cheap boxed ones at the grocery store.  They make my throat itchy.  

This long window holds a glittery L-O-V-E, a giant vintage flash card and some old German bears (that I need research and maybe sell).  

One of my favorite Heart to Heart swap items from the past years.  

The big wreath I made for the show last week didn't sell, but that's okay.  I like it just fine.  More swap items and some of my favorite cards.  I keep my old stampers and my "11" collection on this shelf normally, so I just added in the Valentine stuff.  That's why you see "11" and not "14".  :)

The thing I did this year that was new that I LOVE is this:

I have so many wonderful handmade Valentines from ten years of swap and I had no way to display them all.  I took a string of Baker's Twine and strung it across the bay window.  Then I used baby binder clips and strung them all up one after the other.  I love the way it made one big happy bunting across the window.  The best part is - I have a b ox of fourteen more Valentine's coming tomorrow! Woot!

I figured out how to use the Panorama setting on my phone.  I like it, but you can sure see my messes that I like to hide.  Like the Minions we won in the claw machine but haven't homed out yet, my pile of crafting crap by the couch and so one.  We'll just look at the pretty decorations and the pottery and not talk about the messes okay?  Besides, Minions are happy and fun too!