While some people treat Valentine’s Day with disdain, brushing it off as nothing but a commercial day invented by a greeting card company, I simply adore the holiday.

This could be due to the fact that it precedes a particularly important day for me (my birthday!), or simply because my mom always made it a special day when I was growing up. Whatever the reason, I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day.

Of course we should find ways to show love to those around us every day, but a holiday that’s all about

LOVE

is sure a fun day to celebrate.

For me, it’s a reminder that we love because we were first loved. And it’s a day where I like to bless my family and friends with sweet tokens of affection.

Come peek inside my home and see a few of my festive Valentines-y decorations and an easy, crafty garland that you can make to dress your own home up.

Celebrating Love at the Bennett House

We don’t usually brave the crowds for a romantic night out, but instead, we stay home with the family; I love surprising my hubby and kids with a fun little gift of some sorts. Handing out valentines is a must for our family, as is hanging a few fun decorations.

The quilted wall hanging that Gigi is posing by, above, was made by my mom.

Clockwise from top left, our window stickees that have been around since I was a kid, a close-up of the wall-hanging, our newest piece of custom art– read on for the details on that– and my collection of fun towels.

From T.P. Roll to Heart Art

I found this idea via Pinterest, and knew it would be a perfect craft for my daughter. She loved using a toilet paper roll that I folded into a heart shape in pink, purple and red paint.

When we were done, we cut the cardstock artwork in half, and put part of it in a frame, and the other half became a card for a friend!

Make an Easy Valentine’s Garland

When we cleaned up Gigi’s art project, I couldn’t throw away the “stamp” because it was just too cute (see top photo of post). So I brainstormed a way to repurpose that T.P. roll even farther, and decided on a garland to decorate my mantel.

I simply sliced the T.P. roll into a few pieces and then hole-punched my hearts along with some valentines. Then I strung the hearts and valentines on raffia (ribbon would also work), using wood beads to hold them place (knots would work great, too).

I liked the rough edges on the hearts that didn’t have paint on the edges, although another cute decoration would be to hang a bunch of these hearts, all with painted edges.

Like my valentines of choice? They were designed by our former editor, Katie Fox and her husband, and are being sold for a very good cause– to raise money for their family’s adoption!

How does your family celebrate Valentine’s Day? Special food, gifts, decor?