“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Charles M. Schulz
Hello friends! We are about to enter the month of L-O-V-E. Valentine’s Day, the first holiday of the year, is coming our way. Truth be told, I’m not big on Valentine’s Day. It probably has to do with the fact that it sits right in between our anniversary (February 13), and my husband & daughter’s birthday (February 15). Three days of constant celebrating all the things is a LOT, but the kids love it so I try to make it as special for them as possible. Keep reading to see how we celebrate Valentine’s in our little casa.
Decor:
I know. You’re thinking, “We just put up all the Christmas decor!”. But hear me out, there are simple things you can do to bring in the Valentine’s spirit without going over the top.
My quickest and easiest suggestion for simple festive decor is to use holiday kitchen & guest towels. Who doesn’t love a cute, embroidered towel hanging on a towel rack or off the stove?! Not only are they cute, classic, and festive, but you take them out of the drawer, hang them, and bam you are done! We have a guest towel and a kitchen towel available at The Shop.
https://www.byvvcdesign.com/shop-vvc/p/lnw6nxek9nuss0t3lfjyowxi11eisf
https://www.byvvcdesign.com/shop-vvc/p/u7pzr4zp7ang1e8hkuulksey8fqj7a
Another quick and easy thing I do is hang Valentine’s wreaths in the kids’ rooms. Mine are a few years old and inexpensive. I use a satin red ribbon to hang them from their curtain rods. The kids love them look forward to seeing them hung. I can’t find the link to the ones I hang in the kids’ rooms, but here are similar options:
This year I decided I wanted a Valentine’s front door garland and a fireplace mantle. For both places, I was able to use pieces of the Christmas garland that were already there. For the front door garland, I simply added some inexpensive rose vine garlands in pink and red, that I found on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3u2K87U
It looked beautiful with the rose vines and greenery, but the kids wanted a little more shine so I added some red heart glitter picks. I think that next year I will add some pink ones as well. https://amzn.to/3SqfwXt
To create the Valentine’s mantle. I removed the Christmas bows and stockings, inserted some pink flowers and hung a Valentine’s wreath from The Shop in the center. Since both areas had a good base of garland from Christmas (more info in our Christmas décor blog), it took about 20 minutes to finish both areas.
Gifts:
Since it’s the day after our anniversary, we don’t gift each other Valentine’s gifts, but we do get the kids a few things. Every year, the kids awake to a heart shaped tin box at their breakfast seat filled with some small trinkets.
Here are a few suggestions I have for this year:
Our 6 year old daughter would LOVE this crossbody (on SALE): https://amzn.to/3HwNof3
I gave this as a gift a couple of years ago & it was a huge hit! (on SALE) https://amzn.to/3StmfzN
Who doesn’t love a unicorn Lip Smacker?! https://amzn.to/3ud7bgi
Add to cart for our 11 year old: https://amzn.to/3OcEzuH
Bath bombs with surprise dinosaurs for our son: https://amzn.to/47JqYll
Pretty sure I’ll also be playing with this foam glider: https://amzn.to/3vLh31k
Little ladies would love these initial necklaces:
Whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, I hope you have a lovely February filled with lot of love and laughter!
Until Next Time,
VVC
Happy New Year!
The holidays have come and gone, and we are now in the part of the year, where we’re equally optimistic about new beginnings filled with resolutions for a better you and annoyed at the fact that we must put up our holiday decorations. Those holiday decorations were glorious, weren’t they? But it’s time for them to go & time to get ourselves organized for 2024.
As you know, I am big on Christmas…like real B I G. There is a Christmas tree in almost every room, and let’s not even discuss the copious amounts of garland that we own. To say that I must be super organized with our holiday decor is an understatement. Throughout the years of my Christmas hoarding, I have learned quite a few things that have streamlined my storage process. So, if you are looking for ideas on Christmas organization, and how I keep up with seven Christmas trees and all their friends, keep on reading!
Tip #1: Separate things by what can be stored in heat (attic/garage) vs. what cannot.
Be careful with what you store in the garage and attic. Delicate ornaments and items made of fabric and paper or that are sensitive to humidity should not be stored in the attic and garage. If you accidentally store things that cannot withstand heat or cold, you will be sorely disappointed the following year when you take them out. I store lights, outdoor garland & decor, any wooden items, and any inexpensive items, that are easily replaceable in the attic/garage. Here are a few things that have made our life easier:
Christmas Light Storage: https://amzn.to/3NPAagO
This item has been a game changer! No more tangled lights & fights that result because of said tangled lights. This option looks pretty good as well & it has a 10% off coupon https://amzn.to/3RMhv6K
Storage Bins: https://amzn.to/3H5wi7N
These clear storage bins not only allow you to see what is inside of them, but they block out humidity (very important for safe climate storage) and they are stackable. I use them for both indoor and outdoor storage.
Label Everything
Normally I use regular name labels and permanent markers, but I decided to up my game this year with these smart labels https://amzn.to/3RMh8Jo
Tip #2: Organize things by room or type.
Organizing things this way not only simplifies next year’s decorating, but also makes it faster. I do a combination of organizing items by room and by type. The kids’ rooms, dining, and playrooms are organized & stored by room. The living room décor and garlands are organized by type.
Garland Storage:
I use this bag to store all our wreaths and garlands. I love them because they aren’t too big to carry and I can hang them on a hanger in our spare closet or on a nail, which means they don’t take up floor space. They fit much more than you think! I was able to fit all the garlands that I use on our stairs. That includes 3 lighted garland and the four eucalyptus garlands, that I intertwin with them. Depending on the size of your wreaths, you can typically fit 2-3 in each bag. I buy the large size. Garland Storage: https://amzn.to/48nXVF5
This option has over 4K reviews, is clear, and on sale https://amzn.to/48nY6QL
Christmas Tree Storage
I use this bag to store our trees. A BIG bonus is that it has wheels, which makes it super easy to carry! If you have a 12ft tree like our living room one, this bag is great.
Christmas Tree Storage: https://amzn.to/3S3qBNV
Ornament Storage
Storing each tree’s ornaments separately has really made our lives easier! Now all I have to do is go straight to the bins labeled “Dining Room”/”Living Room” and I have everything I need for that particular tree. It’s also amazing to not have to dig through individual ornament boxes!
Ornament Storage: https://a.co/d/cLIKuXK
We have an extensive Nutcracker collection. I’ve tried so many ways of storing them including standing them up on the top shelf of a closet (they got dusty) and using plastic bins (scratches). As our collection grows, I am slowly buying more and more of these bags to safely store them. Nutcracker Storage: https://amzn.to/4aIUFG4
That is it for now! Happy New Year and cheers to a wonderful & organized 2024!
That’s a Wrap!
The holidays are upon us and Christmas cheer is all around us. Everywhere you look there are glittering lights, shiny ornaments, and glitter. While I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and even secretly look forward to the crowds of shoppers, it can be overwhelming at times. We spend a lot of time and effort into selecting the perfect gifts and creating magical moments, but then forget about the gift wrap and grab whatever leftover gift bag is available. Listen I’ve done that too (more times than I care to admit), but honestly is there anything better than receiving a beautifully wrapped gift? Half the fun is seeing someone’s eyes light up as you hand them a beautifully wrapped package. The inside could be full of coal, but if the presentation is Oscar worthy, the packaging will always leave a mark. So why not end the season strong with beautifully wrapped gifts?
Gift wrapping begins with supplies. Here are some of my favorites for this holiday season:
a. Double sided tape: I’m not a fan of tape showing on my packages, so I always opt to double sided tape: https://amzn.to/47YBbeQ
b. Little Elf Gift Wrap Cutter: This has been a game changer for me! I spent years cutting wrapping paper with scissors often battling jagged or crooked edges. This little tool makes cutting easy and you always have straight smooth lines. https://amzn.to/3NmKlcF
c. Wrapping Paper: Every year I pick a color scheme for the presents. I just love the look of color coordinated boxes and bows under a glimmering tree. Or maybe it’s the tired mom of three in me that wants it to look pretty, not take a ton of time, and for there to not be a million decisions to be made when it’s time to wrap. It’s probably a little of both… anyway, here are my favorite picks this year:
This year I think I am going to stick to the traditional red & green with a few quirky pink touches.
Reversible Santa Claus wrapping paper gives you 2 options in one: https://amzn.to/41kSpjH
Reversible House & Candy Cane wrapping paper: https://amzn.to/3GEDF5O
Super excited to use this one on an elegant adult gift: https://amzn.to/3RCAjql
d. Ribbon: The world is your oyster here! There are so many options-glitter, velvet, wired, printed, satin. I normally opt for wired glitter ribbon, but this year I am sticking with velvet ribbon. It’s a very easy ribbon to work with for beginners and the texture is just divine. Lots of color options here: https://amzn.to/4agzb2L
e. Embellishments: You can use anything your heart desires! Ornaments, flowers, cinnamon sticks, and candy are always great options. Just tie them in with your bow and voila! You took a pretty wrapped package to the next level. This year I am going to use jingle bells: https://amzn.to/3GEECuU
And plastic candy canes (because Atticus…): https://amzn.to/3v1J6Jn
Don’t forget to pull that paper tight and whatever you do, have fun! And if you find that this season is just to busy and you want us to lighten your load….
Decorating is Always in Season
In the busy-ness the holiday season tends to cultivate, it’s often challenging to make time to order new decor. Even though you ended the previous year packing ornaments away swearing you’d have a new theme by the next. Trust me, I get it!
If you’re just beginning to decorate this year or even if everything is out, there is always time to freshen up the holiday look in your home and/or workspace.
First thing’s first.. Keep your old decor and incorporate the new. Don’t feel obligated to buy all-the-things every year and overwhelm yourself with a complete do-over when you can add to and enhance what you currently have. (Hey.. if you’re set on clearing out the old and starting with new, I can help you there, too!! Don’t feel forced to do that every year.)
I will also help you reinvent your decor and add magic to it ✨
Let’s start with garland. And don’t worry, all of these items arrive super fast from Amazon!
Begin by selecting a doorway, mantle or top of a cabinet. Measure the length of your wall, furniture piece or mantel of preference, then calculate one-and-a-half times that dimension. (Example: 6-ft. wide mantel x 1.5 = 9 feet of garland.) I always add 2 extra pieces of 6 ft of garland to my cart for the side pieces hanging down.
Make sure to order the same length of both the evergreen AND eucalyptus to achieve the full, natural look you see pictured.
Select 3-4 of your favorite ribbon (links to my personal favorites below).
XO-VVC
Garland:
This one is for 1-6ft piece. They have options for different packages!
This is for 2-6ft pieces.
This is the one I actually bought - a box of 4 pieces. I thought it was the best deal!
Eucalyptus Garland
This is the eucalyptus garland that I use in all the garlands. I wrap it around all the base garlands.
Ribbon Recommendations:
Green Ribbon:
Blue Ribbon:
Tartan Ribbon:
My trusty design assistant, Atticus! He likes to accompany me to holiday installs and prefers to (demands to) dress for the occasion! 😉
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