Friday, 14 February 2020

Valentine’s Decor 2020 : Thrifted and Handmade

Hello and wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day if you’re into it. It’s also a three day weekend here, as Monday is “Family Day”, so extra reason to celebrate.

Here is a peek at our seasonal decorations this Valentine’s.

I’m making it a goal this year to encourage anyone who doesn’t usually shop secondhand at thrift stores to get out there and give it a try. Those who are already familiar with the thrill of the thrifted treasure hunt, need no motivation, but I hope this type of posts will still be interesting to you. Personally, I love seeing how people incorporate thrift store items into their home decor and wardrobes.

So, on that note, I previously posted a story (found here) about a selection of recent thrift store finds, that, although there was only a tiny hint of a heart print on one item, I thought would go well in Valentine decorating. Therefore you’ll see every item from that story somewhere amoungst the decor.

Here’s a refresher of those “Valentine-esque” thrifted items …

Also, I love making things and got right into it with the hearts this year, so you’ll also see the newly crafted items amoungst the decor, as well as some things I’ve made in previous years.

Here’s a refresher of what I made this year and here’s a post discussing the pieces …

And now, a tour of our decorations …

↑ Recently made Wooden Heart and Arrow Wall Hanging. Previously made Felt and Sequins Heart Ornament.

Valentine-esque Thrifting Post : Round Portrait. The square one came from Smart in Kensington Market, purchased during this shopping trip.

↑ Valentine-esque Thrifting Post : Two Silver-tone candle holders and snuffer. Previously thrifted : Glass candle holder , Plant pot , Chrome Tray.

↑ Handmade Cotton Heart on a skewer. The wooden blocks are ones my siblings and I had as children.

↑ Valentine-esque Thrifting Post : Vase from West Elm. Previously thrifted Red Marble Apple. Previously handmade Cross-stitch and Sequins heart. The valentines are from the forties, previously discussed and shown in detail in this post.

↑ The book of vintage Valentine Cards was previously shown in detail in this post. The handmade wooden heart in the cabinet was discussed here. Previously thrifted green planter dish.

↑ Handmade wooden heart scatter. Previously thrifted milk-glass plant pot , previously thrifted glass heart. The dishes are vintage Hazel Atlas that I found on ebay a long time ago. The runner is a piece of cotton from Affordable Fabrics on Queen Street West.

↑ There’s the carnival glass dish I received from my sister-in-law during our recent “Thrift Store Gift Exchange”, discussed here.

↑ Items from the recent “Valentine-esque Thrifting Post” : Black Cornucopia Vase and Girl and Dog Figurine. Previously thrifted vase and jug. Previously handmade wooden heart decoration.

↑ Valentine-esque Thrifting Post : Kitten Figurine.

↑ Handmade this season.

↑ Dining table set with 100% thrifted items, except for the dinner forks and the candles, which are all pure beeswax, made by small independent Canadian companies. ↑

↑ Valentine-esque Thrifting Post : All the dishes, place-mats, runner, napkin rings and two of the candle holders. The cutlery, napkins, tablecloth, trays and small silver bowl were thrifted at different times.

↑ One of the very first diy project tutorials I posted here, back in 2012! It still hangs on our walls, modified with different decorations to suit the season. Today it holds some vintage chandelier crystals and heart ornaments made this season.

↑ Valentine-esque Thrifting Post : Figurine. Previously thrifted blue vase. 1940s Valentine cards from ebay previously discussed and shown in detail in this post. I was able to track down exactly who these cards had been given to back in 1945. As far as I know, she’s still alive and living in California.