If you have been around for awhile, you will remember I would go all out for Valentine's Day. And while part of me still would like to, I am craving more minimal decor these days, especially since we don't host many people in our home and I am constantly tidying up toddler toys.
So I got out my Valentine's bin (yes, I have a bin!) and started putting stuff up. I lived with it for awhile, even took pictures, edited them, and uploaded them into a blog post. But it just didn't look or feel right. I thought, what is wrong with me? Why can't I just be content with what I put up?
I went all deep and started wondering if I was living for perfectly styled photos and having my home appear a certain way. I did not want to be that person.
But then I remembered that decorating is a process. Even simple things like Valentine's Day. And that we are in a different home and in a different season of life and I am allowed to change my mind and try new things. And to remember that I lived in our last house for seven years which got lots of practice of changing things up. We are only going on year two right now and it may take more time for me to figure out how I want to do things differently.
So I stopped and looked around my house. I took note of what I liked, thought about Christmas and the type of decorations I used this last year (more minimal, natural, and neutral). And I took to Pinterest for white Valentine's Day decorations. There is not a lot out there but I found three photos I was really drawn to and went from there. I remembered I had extra white doile hearts in my Valentine's bin and decided to start with that.
So I went around the house "sprinkling" it with little white hearts and suddenly all felt right again. I wanted a gentle nod to the holiday without feeling like it was taking over or taking away from our existing decor.
It feels sweet and handmade - similar to my own nostalgic love for Valentine's Day of homemade Valentine's and elementary school parties. A little tape and some string and I was all set.
I also recently hung a piece of twine in our kitchen window to hang up pictures and our one piece of art that our son has made. It frees up the refrigerator from being too cluttered and makes the collection feel more like an art piece.
We are at just the beginning of having things from our son that are worth showing off and I am really loving it. I am sure the day will come when there are too many crafts but for now I am savoring our one little Christmas card he colored, photo cards Brent made me for Christmas, and his first haircut certificate!
I keep coming back to this same longing for our home - simple yet stylish in a way that we can enjoy but not feel burdened by. It took a little longer that I would have liked this time with the Valentine's decorations but I am happy to have learned from the experience. Each setback is a step forward towards the focus of how I want our home to feel. So if you don't get it right the first time, try, try again!
