MAKING VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL FOR YOUR FAMILY
Valentine’s Day is not just for lovers. In fact, when you have a family you can’t help but include your kids in the celebration of love. It is a perfect day to let your spouse and kids know how much they are treasured and to go a little giddy with “I-love-you” decorations and surprises. Who says you can’t get caught up in the silly extravagance of Valentine’s Day when you have a family?
Here are some ways you can make the day special without spending too much time or money. You too should be able to kick back and have fun on Valentine’s Day.
Use party plates: A simple way to jazz up the mood first thing in the morning is to swap your regular breakfast ware for bold red paper plates decorated with lacy hearts and hugs and kisses symbols. Even if you don’t plan on cooking something out of the ordinary, the meal will still feel special. No dishes to wash, and you can do the same for lunch and dinner. If you feel like it, dress up the table further with fresh flowers, heart-shaped confetti, and pretty napkins.
Prepare individual place markers: Show each family member how they are special to you and an indispensable part of the family by creating place holders at the dining table. These may look as simple as decorating a paper cup or a votive candle holder with their name, using sticky foam letters or inserting a toothpick attached to a place card. Fill the container with candy, crepe paper, or glass beads. Stick little love notes in the containers that say what you appreciate about them. Get your spouse to chip in on this one.
Decorate with balloons: One of the easiest ways to create a celebratory mood in your home is to decorate it with balloons. Heart-shaped balloons in red, white, and pink unmistakably scream Valentine’s Day. Tie them to doorknobs and let them float loose all around the house. If you have older kids who enjoy decorating, leave the job to them and let them be creative.
Make sweet healthy treats: If, perhaps, the one thing you don’t like about Valentine’s Day is the overabundance of chocolate and candy, there are sweet alternatives to these treats that you can prepare. Strawberry smoothies, grilled pineapple, frozen yogurt with nuts and dried fruit, and sweet potato fries are just a few of the healthier alternatives. A heart-shaped cookie cutter is always useful to have around in shaping anything from a small portion of sticky rice to flour tortillas.
Plan a family activity: Book your spouse’s and kids’ time for a few hours in the evening to enjoy an activity together. It may be playing a favorite board game or watching a cherished movie like Beauty and the Beast or Charlotte’s Web. Another meaningful activity is to make a card or a short video clip that you can send to the grandparents or family members living far away. Encourage your family to love and care for one another a little more, and you will have a successful Valentine’s Day this year.
Working for years as a design consultant Veronica Smith has just joined AmericanArtisanArt.com where she plans to incorporate her decorating aesthetic for metal art wall sculptures and large metal wall art.
Create a Romantic Mood with Color and Fabrics
Valentine’s Day creates the perfect opportunity to do some romantic redecorating. Fabrics and colors can instantly create a feel of romance and love. For some easy and inexpensive ways to create a romantic mood with color and fabrics, try the helpful tips below.
Racy Reds
Red is the color of love. When creating a romantic mood, red is the obvious first choice. For serious redecorating, walls painted in a deep, rich red can create a feeling of warmth, mystery and primal appeal. If committing to red walls is more redecorating than you had in mind, try accenting the room with red curtains, red throw blankets or comforters, red accent pillows and candles. Choose fabrics that are lush and soft. Chenilles are especially good choices, as they have a raised pile that simply begs to be touched. Velvets are another good, soft, sexy choice for fabric accents. Flat, cold, scratchy fabrics will quickly ruin the mood, so opt for the slightly more expensive, but much more appealing soft fabrics.
Royal Purples
Purple is known for its association with royalty. For centuries, kings and queens have traditionally worn purple to show their wealth and power. In the home, the color purple creates an instant focal point with its deep hues and rich textures. For a romantic feel, choose purples that are warm and have more of a red undertone. Purples with more of a blue undertone appear colder and less romantic. Velvet fabrics tend to come in some of the most sumptuous shades of purple. They make accent pillows, throw blankets and bed curtains radiate warmth, power and romance.
Bold Black
Black may not be the traditional home color for romance, but it is a color common in sexy clothing and accessories. When using black in decorating, it works best as an accent color. A black throw on a white bedspread, a black curtain detailed with embroidered flowers, black silk sheets or black chair covers on dining room chairs are all possible ways to use black in the home without overpowering or depressing the space. Look for blacks that have sleek, sexy sheens. Taffetas, silk and even black lace can all add to the romantic feel of the accessories. Choosing black fabric that has natural appeal will help create a romantic ambiance in the room with little effort.
Warm White
White is a color that has a variety of tones. Choose a white that is warm, as opposed to stark and cold, when trying to create a romantic mood. Warm white faux fur blankets, white satin sheets and white chenille throws are all great ways to draw the color into the room. For a room that is painted white, accent the space with one of the other romantic colors above. White is sweet, innocent and entirely romantic.
Choose colors and fabrics that will naturally work well in the room to create a romantic mood. If the bedroom is painted pale green, reds may not be the most visually appealing choice for a romantic ambiance. By working with the colors already present, the accent colors and fabrics can help create a romantic mood with little effort or expense.
Award-winning freelance writer Jessica Ackerman works for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com and shares her wealth of knowledge on wall art and iron wall plaques.
Valentine’s Rendezvous at Home
So, you want to do something a little different this year for Valentine’s Day? A romantic dinner for two sounds just like the thing – but why not recreate your favorite restaurant right in your very own home!
The first thing every romantic dinner needs is a location that provides atmosphere. So, stop right here and pull out your imagination. Take a look around your house – inside and out – and begin to imagine what kind of restaurant you can create using any room in your house other than the dining room. Expand your imagination to include all possibilities – a porch, the driveway, hallway, foyer, garage, back yard, den, storage room – some place where your creative imagination can run wild.
Now that you’ve chosen your location, begin to consider what “kind” of restaurant you would like. Will it be an Italian Bistro, a French café or country diner? Begin to plan how you will decorate your restaurant as a reflection of the theme you have chosen and look around for items within your home that can be acquisitioned for decorations, props and accents. Make a list of inexpensive items you might find at a yard sale or dollar store – this doesn’t have to be expensive and $20.00 should be all you would need to spend to buy, borrow or make to use as decorations. Consider hanging a curtain or making some kind of a screen to enclose your restaurant space from view and make it more cozy and intimate.
You will want to consider what things you will use for a table – including the floor for a picnic or Japanese style dinner – and for table settings and table arrangements that coordinate with your theme. Include things like candles, tablecloth, napkins, placemats, baskets, flowers, confetti, balloons, ribbons, potted plants – or whatever else you have handy and whatever your imagination allows. This is the time to pull out your good dishes or fine china – or purchase some inexpensive table ware in colors that lend to your chosen theme.
A little background music would be nice to include during your dinner – and how about taking a spin around the dance floor afterwards? A cozy fire place for a cool climate or tiki torches in a warmer climate are things you can add for ambiance. You may want to retire for a bubble bath or sit in the hot tub together – be sure to have those things prepared in advance including candles, bath bubbles, rose petals, chocolates and beverages. Even sitting quietly on the porch or taking a stroll through the neighborhood are enjoyable after-dinner activities. This is your romantic moment, and you should consider every possibility for using the time to reconnect in your relationship.
Have children? Not a problem. Enlist them as entertainers, waiters and kitchen help. Ask them to serve each course of the dinner without speaking – to maintain the illusion of being in an actual restaurant. Have older children entertain the younger children in a back room or at a friend’s house – or have someone babysit the children for a few hours if they are too young to participate.
With a little love, creativity and imagination, make this Valentine’s a day to remember!
Susan R. Blaske Williams is author of “Making It Home: How to Run Your Household Like a Business… and Find Your Heart Along the Way” and is publisher of the printed publication, “Making It Home” Magazine, http://www.makingithomewebzine.com/blog She lives in the Georgia mountains with her beloved husband and family pets. She is a mother of four, grandmother, former home school teacher and currently vice president of a successful family-owned and operated home-based service business. She enjoys writing and speaking on topics related to work, home and family and how to combine all three successfully.
