Valentine Decor 2018

I love Valentines day! (Along with every other holiday that comes along) But Valentines is special, because it is just about showing some lovin'. Making Valentines has always been a favorite seasonal treat. And so is eating all the candy! ;) 

All the Valentines under my Occasion tree are my favorite vintage ones. I especially love the honeycomb one below. For some reason it makes me think of Betty Boop cartoons...

Am I the only one who has noticed that Conversation hearts have gone soft? I mean that literally, they have no snap anymore. In both texture and flavor. The clove flavor used to be so lovely and intense and now it is subdued. Some of the hearts don't even have text, others are misprinted so they can't be read. And half of them I don't understand! TTYL??!! Whatever happened to Marry Me and Sweet One? Sigh. It's pretty bad when you get so upset by chalky little candies that everyone else professes to hate. I guess I love them because I used to get my moma and daddy "special" candies for Valentines. This was back when they made the plastic clamshell type containers that were heart-shaped, red bottom, clear top. I would get a Red Hots filled one for Pop and a Conversation Heart filled one for Moma. And I would run in there first thing in the morning to gift them so we could start eating them. But wait! It's nearly about a sin to eat a Heart without reading it! We would take handfuls and spell out messages. The longest one that made some kind of sense was the winner. Example: Dear One, Hello, Love Me, Marry Me, Soul Mate, Hugs. Yeah, they were the stuff that poetry strives for...

This handmade board came from the Gentry VFW where they once held a viewing of antique Valentines. It got water-damaged in their old storage building, but I still love it. In front is a cheery red cake holder from a dear pal that just suits the holiday perfectly!

I still make Valentines for all my family and friends. And it is non-negotiable that my boys make 'Tines for me. After all, I birthed them, and I make them a big Valentine Supper every year. All it has to do is say "I love you" somewhere on it and the rest is gravy. Below is one that my sweet Daddy gave me years ago, sitting on a cherry cordial box that my hubby's Grandma Doss stored sewing notions in. The flowers are a vintage velvet corsage with the original price tag- 15 cents.

First given in 1923, then to me in 1992. Perhaps I'll have a grandbaby to pass it along to some day...

I can't wait for our Valentine's Supper this year; it will be as much a gift to myself as to anyone else. I'm making a French Feast complete with----. No. I'll just wait and maybe there will be pictures. If it doesn't get ravaged so quickly that there is no chance till the plates are licked! The table is set simply so that everything can be removed in a moment for things like Biology class.

Fluffy is feeling the love this season, and Squeaky is posing as Cupid while clutching the Valentine to his "squirrel-friend."

Here's to hoping that you have a beautiful Valentine's Day and that you are able to say the magic words "I love you!" to many special people this year.