i heart the hearth
now that the birthday cards have been cleared from our mantel, we gave our hearth a fresh (and heartful) face for valentine’s day!
just a simple one, really. i created these LOVE letters like some i saw on this super-awesome crafty malaysian blog i found (via pinterest) called bloesem kids. it’s so easy… just twist together pipe cleaners and bend them into cursive letters in a word of your choice.
they looked pretty cute even like this, yet kinda crude where the pipe cleaners twist together. i’m not a huge fan of the cadmium red color of the pipe cleaners, so…
the next step is to yarn bomb them! i wrapped them with a lovely nubby alizarin crimson red yarn i’ve had for ages. (seriously, i knit my first scarf ever with the rest of this yarn in autumn 2002.)
then i strung the LOVE sign up on my trusty salvage yard window pane using white thread.
just adding a touch of red glass votive candles and some red berries from the tree outside gave it all the valentiney punch it needed.
i was tempted to bring in the paint chip heart garland and these candy jars…
but less is more, and 2012 is all about simplicity for me.
N is making “mini-mantels” in her bedroom for each season or holiday, as well. here’s her valentine one so far…
for more valentine mantel inspiration, check out my friend, beth’s, awesome valentine linky round-up on her blog. do you and your kids create a valentine mantel? if so, i’d love to hear about it!







































