Cheap & Cheerful Valentine’s Day Decorations

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Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the love you have for your spouse, your children, your pets, your family and your friends.

When I was a little girl, my mom would put a Valentine’s Day napkin in our lunchbox and use a heart cookie cutter for our sandwich.  We always received a small, yet special, gift from our parents.

I love decorating my home with hearts and adding splashes of pink and red.  These decorations make me smile and remind me of Valentine’s Day as a child.

Decorating your home for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time. 

In this post, I will show you how I decorate my home for Valentine’s Day with items found at the Dollar Store, purchased on clearance at the end of the season or found in the Target $1 bins. Every item I display in my home for Valentine’s Day is cheap and cheerful.

Using Glass Jars & Vases

I’ve collected different glass jars and vases over the years. A few of these decorative glass items were gifted to my husband and I for our wedding. What I love about glass jars and vases is they can be repurposed for each season or holiday. I simply change the filler to match the current season or holiday for which I am decorating. Here’s a list of the fillers I use for each time of the year:

• Winter – Fake Snow, Pine Cones
• Valentine’s Day – Bead Necklaces, Tissue Paper, Crinkled Paper, Shredded Paper, Glass Stones
• St. Patrick’s Day – Green Bead Necklaces, Glass Stones, Pebbles
• Easter – Plastic Easter Eggs, Jelly Beans, Blue Robin’s Eggs
• Spring – Natural Looking Vase Filler, Moss
• Summer – Natural Looking Vase Filler, Seashells, Rocks
• Fall – Mini Pumpkins & Gourds, Glass Stones
• Christmas – Gold & Silver Christmas Balls, Fake Snow & Pine Cones

Most of the vase fillers listed above are inexpensive and can be purchased at Walmart, on Amazon or, at my favorite store these days, the Dollar Store.

I never realized how many items can be found for decorating your home at the Dollar Store! The pink, red and silver bead necklaces and red crinkled paper were purchased at the Dollar Store. The pink shredded paper is something that was already in our home. It is from my days as a teacher. I simply took several sheets of the pink paper and ran it through our paper shredder. So easy and inexpensive!

When I am decorating my home, I like to go “shopping” in my own home. I will look in other rooms and come up with creative ways to decorate without spending a dime. I get so excited when ideas come to me while I am “shopping” my home.  In fact, I send pictures to my husband and immediately tell him all about it 🙂

The candle pictured above was a gift from a friend at Christmastime. I thought the pink label and name of the candle fit perfectly with Valentine’s Day.  My husband loves when my creativity with house decorating does not break the bank!

Table Centerpieces

There is always a centerpiece on our kitchen and dining room tables. In my opinion, a simple centerpiece gives the table charm, is an easy way to add decorations to your home, and can tie in with the theme of the room. You don’t need something elaborate or expensive. Time for a shopping trip to the Dollar Store!

The glass bowl pictured above was an anniversary gift from my husband. He ordered this personalized bowl from Shutterfly.

We give each other the traditional anniversary gifts. This past November we celebrated 4 years and the traditional anniversary gift was fruit or flowers.  He did not get me fruit or flowers, but he gave me this glass bowl, which could hold fruit or flowers. He also thought it would be a good decoration for our home and something we would be able to enjoy every day. So this became the centerpiece for our kitchen table!

For Valentine’s Day, I chose to fill it with red flowers and glass stones, which I found at the Dollar Store. The flowers are in a round Styrofoam piece covered in a piece of red ribbon. I didn’t like the green Styrofoam being visible so I decided to use red ribbon to cover it up. The round piece fit perfectly in the top of the bowl and I love how the flowers looked.

Wine glass candle holders are the perfect centerpiece for our dining room table. I use them year round for our table centerpiece. I just change the candles and the filler.

For Valentine’s Day, I fill them with red and pink tissue paper. It is a simple and inexpensive way to add color to my dining room table. This whole centerpiece (minus the black base) cost $5.50. The heart candle holders were a gift from my mom when I lived in my first apartment. The table runner was a Kohl’s purchase and did not cost much (I don’t remember the actual price, but Kohl’s Cash and coupons were used on it!). Kohl’s is a great store for buying holiday decorations because they usually get marked down 60-70% after the holiday or season is over. Plus, you can use coupons on top of the clearance price. That works for me! A few simple items can really make your table look extra special, no matter what time of year it is.

Mantle & Shelf Displays

Our fireplace mantle is the focal point of our living room. It is visible from the kitchen and when you walk in from the garage. The living room is where we spend the most time as a family. Therefore, it is important to me to decorate it. It is similar to the dining room centerpiece in that it ties together the Valentine’s Day theme in the room.

My Valentine’s Day gift to my husband a few years ago was the framed pictures of our daughter. She was 3 1/2 months in these pictures. I enjoyed taking pictures of her holding each letter! I am looking forward to doing a Valentine’s photo shoot with my son and daughter this year 🙂 As you can see, the mantle display includes glass vases filled with red crinkled paper and pink shredded paper.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day gifts,  make sure to check out these “I love you because” hearts. This free set of 16 hearts are perfect for a sweet surprise in the hubby’s lunch box at work. You can also tape them to the door of your child’s bedroom during the month of February. It is a simple and special way to express your love for those in your family. Click on the image below to grab your free set of hearts.

On one of my Dollar Store shopping trips, I noticed the pink gift bags and it inspired an idea. My initial thought was to engage my then 15 month old daughter in a fun activity perfect for Valentine’s Day.

We love stickers in our home. The hearts are foam stickers and my idea was to decorate the bags with them. However, she was more interested in playing with the hearts and bending them in her hands at that age! I ended up placing the stickers on the bags myself. This year, we are going to do a painting project for Valentine’s Day!

Decorating gift bags and completing a painting activity are fun ways to involve your children in decorating your home for Valentine’s Day 🙂

Last, but not least, is the XOXO garland. This was a Target $1 Bin find a few years ago. There are so many ways to create cheap and cheerful Valentine’s Day Garland. Here is a list of additional creative, easy and inexpensive ideas for Valentine’s Day Garland:

• DIY Valentine’s Day Felt Garland by Laura @ The Turquoise Home
• Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Printable Banner @ Sandy Toes & Popsicles
• Valentine’s Day Hearts Garland by Heidi @ Happiness is Homemade
• Newspaper Heart Garland for Valentine’s Day by Jen @ Kitchen Counter Chronicles
• Paper Heart Garland by Amy @ The Idea Room
• Valentine’s Heart Paper Garland by Michelle @ The Gracious Wife

Here is our display above a cabinet in our kitchen. I love the variety of items displayed here 🙂 A simple display that adds Valentine’s Day cheer to our kitchen. My favorite item is the “Home is Where the Heart Is” wall hanging. This was a Kohl’s find and I love the quote.

Windows, too!

Window clings are an easy way to add charm to any windows in your home. I put window clings on our patio door. My daughter watched me with excitement as I put the window clings up. She enjoyed pointing to the hearts and the owls. I also added some heart window clings to the front door of our home. Window clings are fun for kids to stick onto the windows.

That’s how I decorate my home for Valentine’s Day. The items I use to decorate are simple, inexpensive and add special holiday charm to my home. The Dollar Store is now my go to place for items I use to decorate. I love the variety of items you can find! It is always fun to shop my own home and find ways to use what I already have in another way. Take one or all of these ideas and add them to your home for Valentine’s Day, a sweet holiday surrounded by love.

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