Valentine’s Day | Design Happens

ALL POSTS TAGGED "[valentine’s day]"

HGTV How-To: Create a Hand-Dyed Bouquet

by Kayla Kitts February 14, 2012 3 Comments

So, you have your heart-adorned decor, the perfect cocktails and enough lovey-dovey goodness to keep you all warm and fuzzy for a while. What more do you need this Valentine’s Day? Well, I don’t know about you, but my neck of the woods is cold, rainy and just downright blah. This fun and spring-inspired project is the perfect pick-me-up to help get rid of those winter blues. Our favorite spring elements – fresh flowers and bright hues – have come to the rescue! And the best part of all? You create the flowers’ pastel hues with a little handmade touch. It’s like magic (thanks to a little food coloring).

hand-dyed rainbow bouquet roses

For the most dramatic change, use carnations or roses. The flowers will soak up the water and food coloring, which will cause the blooms to change color. And sometimes, all it takes is a few hours!

Add a few cups of water to a tall glass, and then add 20 to 30 drops of food coloring to the water (the darker the better). Use a clean jar for each new color. Drop your freshly-pruned stems into the colored water, and let them remain in their color baths for at least 24 hours. Color changes may take up to 48 hours. When you’re happy with your colored flowers, remove them from the food coloring, add water to a fresh vase and arrange your new rainbow bouquet. Lovely! Get the Full Step-by-Step Instructions >>

hand-dyed rainbow bouquet roses

What colors would you make your blooms? Would you stick solely to primaries or throw in some orange, purple and pink? Tell us below!

For more fun family projects each month, check out the HGTV Family Gardening Club.

Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Ideas

by Kim Stoegbauer February 14, 2012 3 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are a few last-minute ideas to celebrate the sweetest day of the year. Bake a batch of cupcakes and top with cute cupcake toppers. Download Cupcake Topper Designs A doily garland is super easy to make with just a few supplies from a craft store. View Doily Garland Tutorial

Daily Delight: Love Print

by Briana Mowrey February 14, 2012 3 Comments

I kinda punted on Valentine’s Day this year. Sure, I got my boyfriend a heartfelt card and stuff, but it’s not quite the expensive restaurant reservation or romantic bed & breakfast extravaganza that it used to be. Time is an issue (we’re both busy!), as is money (hey, taxes are coming up!), but the sentiment is still there, which reminds me of this Love Print by Katie Daisy on Etsy.

love print

I like the energy and whimsy the print has, and the feeling it gives me when I look at it — it just makes me feel happy. Not unlike the feeling I get when I look at the man I love. So, Happy Valentine’s Day, Buzz. Here, I got you a blog post!

Featured

Hey, Valentine: Have a Heart (or Two)

by Liz Gray February 8, 2012 5 Comments

Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Most people fall in one of two camps regarding all that is February 14: head-over-heels for the holiday or totally against it.

I definitely fall in camp number one, but even haters can appreciate that heart-shaped things are ridiculously adorable (Did you see Briana’s conversation heart soaps and Kim’s heart-shaped printables?). Celebrate the holiday (or just bask in the cuteness) with one of these creative (and in some cases, delicious) ways to say I <3 You. Which is your favorite?

Heart Interior Design Ideas

Clockwise, from top left: Striped heart pillow, JCPenny; Love portrait, room design by Elliott Kaufman; U Complete Me iron-on decals, Creature Comforts blog

Heart Shaped Foods

Clockwise, from top left: Valentine’s egg in the basket, Petite Kitchenesse; Heart-shaped whipped cream, Bellaimento; Conversation heart cheesecakes, Hungry Happenings; Valentine’s milk and cookies, Cookies and Cups

Heart Shaped Valentine's Day Products

Clockwise, from top left: Heart-shaped paperclips from Design*Sponge; Pizza My Heart card from BettyTurbo; Recycled heart garland from bookity; DIY elbow patch from Honestly…WTF; Heart-shaped balloons from Mignon Kitchen Co.; Apple art print from MarianneLoMonaco

Get more Valentine’s Day inspiration from HGTV’s Valentine’s Day Pinterest board.

HGTV How-To: Valentine’s Day Letter Display + Paper Garland

by Kayla Kitts February 7, 2012 3 Comments

If you can believe it, Valentine’s Day is exactly one week away. Since the start of February we’ve shared some of our favorite holiday-related finds from across the blogosphere, which has turned me into a bit of a sap this year. (Did you see Kim Stoegbauer’s brand-new red, grey and white heart decor? So adorable.) If you’re looking to add some l-o-v-e to your home, then we have the perfect projects for you. This pretty letter display and coordinating paper garland are both easy to make and will add a sweet touch to your home for Valentine’s Day.

valentine's day decorating ideas

Use chipboard letters to spell out L-O-V-E or any other special word, and then cover in patterned paper. Stamp an ink pad around the edges of the finished letters to give them an antiqued look. When finished, you can use ribbons to hang the letters as a banner, or display them on the mantel. Get the Full Step-by-Step Instructions Here >>

valentine's day decorating ideas paper garland

Complement your “love letters” with a strand of colorful paper garland. Use pieces of scrapbook paper and a three-inch scallop circle paper punch to create six flat circles per rosette. Attach folded circles and thin ribbon to create a garland of your desired length. Get the Full Step-by-Step Instructions Here >>

For more sweet Valentine’s Day ideas, check out these fun and simple paper crafts.

Daily Delight: Conversation Heart Soaps

by Briana Mowrey February 6, 2012 3 Comments

I feel like conversation hearts are the candy corn of Valentine’s Day, if you will. They’re this confection that’s become emblematic for a holiday through longevity, even though they’re actually kinda divisive. People seem to either love them or hate them. That said, I think candy corn and conversation hearts do have at least one thing going for them that we can all agree on, and that is style. Like these charming conversation heart soaps from SoStinkingSweet on Etsy.

conversation heart soap

These would make cute gifts — you know everyone else is just going the chocolate or flowers route — or a fun little holiday accent in a powder room. And they’re emblazoned with some classic romantic phrases. None of this newfangled “Tweet Me” business, thankyouverymuch!

BONUS: Feeling crafty? Try your hand at this conversation heart banner. It’d be a fab way to show your mantel a little love.

Daily Delight: Valentines With Cute Designs

by Briana Mowrey February 3, 2012 3 Comments

Just a friendly reminder that Valentine’s Day is around the corner, so if you’re planning to send a little love through the USPS, now’s the time to do it! Of course, I’m in a long-term relationship, so the days of planning elaborate candlelit dinners are a bit behind me, but I still picked up a card or two from this roundup to give to my boyfriend. (Don’t worry — I’m almost positive he doesn’t read this.)

valentine cards

Top row, from left to right: French Octopus, Downton Abbey, Love Rock Ticket, You’re a Hottie. Middle row, left to right: Let’s Be Frank, Lookin’ Good, I Love You Like BISCUITS and GRAVY Oversize Postcard, Boy Girl Big Heart. Bottom row, left to right: Pepé Le Pew Valentine’s Day Card, Sealed With a Kiss Cards, I’m Nuts About You, Valentine’s Sweethearts Card.

They’re all pretty adorbs, I must say. And I like that they all have a certain child-like enthusiasm and sweetness that reminds me of exchanging Valentine’s Day cards and candy in school. I think the Sealed With a Kiss cards would be best if you want to write a longer love letter, though my absolute favorite this year is Foxy & Winston’s “I love you more than Downton” card. I do love my boyfriend more than the surprise Brit hit TV show. But that’s saying a lot!

Featured

Daily Delight: Lovely Love Prints

by Lili Zarghami February 16, 2011 5 Comments

This past Valentine’s Day I decided to take the day off and spend it with the people I love the most: my family. I don’t know why I never thought to do it before, because it turned out to be my best Valentine’s ever. I was still filled with a sweetness from the beginning of this lovely week when I stumbled across these prints by Merrilee at tuesday mourning.

lovely love prints

Not only are these Yo-Gabba-Gabba!-inspired prints endearing – they would be just as nice in a kitchen as in a bedroom – but the proceeds from their sale are being put towards a great cause. They will be helping to pay the medical bills for a beautiful little girl named Davy. You can read her story on her mom’s blog. As an added bonus, Merrilee is giving away one free print with every purchase this week.

Beautiful Prints You’ll L-O-V-E

by Jeanine Hays February 14, 2011 4 Comments

I love decorating with independent art. Sites like Etsy are my go-to place for unique prints. Since today is Valentine’s Day I thought I would share my favorite prints that will bring a little love home all year long.

Domino Magazine

Who can forget the now famous Domino cover featuring this modern For Like Ever poster above a traditional white fireplace?

Spread a Little Love

Valentine’s Day Card Inspired Designs

by Karli Sanders Cook February 14, 2011 9 Comments

“Single”, “In a Relationship”, “It’s Complicated”…no matter my Facebook relationship status, this girl loves her some Valentine’s Day. I go all out with cards, cupcakes, gifts and decorations. In fact, if it was up to me, I’d have one room in my home decorated as a year-round homage to the sweetest day of the year. I must not be the only one, because I keep coming across designs that look like they’re straight out of a Valentine’s Day card. Here are five of my favorites:

Pink Feminine Girl's Valentine's Day Bedroom

Isn’t this the most fantastic girl’s bedroom you’ve ever seen? This makes me wish I could be a tweenager again, maybe. I love the wide range of pinks incorporated into this design. And the orange and green poufs keep this space from looking like a Hollywood Barbie dressing room. If this room were a card, it would be the one that makes all of the kids in class jealous. That giant headboard! That glitterific vanity! That cute deer! So many whimsical touches to ooh and aah over. Image from Little Lovables.

Pretty in Pink Meets Red Hot