It has been a full year now since the word Covid first erupted into our vocabulary. That introduction has changed our world and all that takes place in it ever since. Nowhere has it impacted more than in our personal relationships.  The way in which they take place. The shifts in living with family members who might not have been calling your home their home for some time. The isolation that some might be experiencing with these changes. The loss of those we love. Never have we felt the importance of reaching out to those that we might not have been able to see in person for far too long, to express the importance they have in our lives. Why does it happen often that we take for granted the people in our lives when they are in them everyday? Dear God, how we miss all of the in-person meetings, conversations, walks, gatherings, concerts, dinners, coffee dates,  hugs and the like!

Whether your people are in your life everyday by living in your household or you’re separated by all of the restrictions to keep eachother safe, I’m sharing some ideas to show your love this Valentine’s Day holiday and feel a bit more connected to those that we have missed.

 

For those of you who will be celebrating this February 14th together, be it as a family with young children, a family with extended members who might have moved back in during life’s alterations of last year, or just you and your significant other, might you make it a little more special to celebrate each other? So many of us are frankly exhausted from whatever situation you might find yourself living in day to day, as changes have occurred that could never have been predicted. The emotional stress has well taken its toll and what better way to lift the spirits than to take the everyday and create something special? For just yourself, for two of you, for four of you, or for a whole household full?

 

One of my favorite ways to create something special with the everyday meal is by the table setting. With a little creativity or thinking outside the box, you can set the table with some special touches that might make the person seated at the table feel the love that you are trying to share!

For many of the looks that I am presenting here, you can use dishware or china that you already own and embellish it. You can use paper plates if that’s easier for you, for even white paper plates can be elevated by the below steps.

To get this look you can follow these steps:

1. Spread a kraft paper runner out on your table in lieu of a tablecloth. We sell them in our online shop here!
2. Use a chalkboard white marker and draw a heart around each place setting. Mark the spot as to where each person is to sit by scripting their name anywhere around the heart.
3. Embellish the rest of the table by adding decorative elements and pretty food additions that lend themselves to the theme of the celebration…this time Valentine’s Day.

4. You can either make or purchase food and beverage additions that add to the occasion and add to the feel of the table and the meal. Trader Joe’s is a place that I frequent often to find delicious, seasonally inspired offerings that are easy to add to your meal planning. You can even pour these pretty hued beverages into beautiful glass decanters, ball jars or the likes to let those hues shine. Of course these presentations do not include the actual meal for I will not be preparing that until February 14th but I will try and use these same tactics to present the actual meal that we choose to cook on the big day. If you are supporting a local restaurant by ordering dinner from them to elevate your everyday, then take the liberty of re-plating the delectables on your own dishes and serving platters.

Here are some of my favorite finds from Trader Joe’s this year that all have been taste tested by the family and approved:

These heart macaroons are a beautiful and delicious find to add to each place at the table…

as are these delectable dark chocolate heart cookies.

 These raspberry jam heart cookies rival my own home baked ones.

Their dark chocolate covered marshmallows are always a delicious treat in the winter!

 

Whether you choose to make or purchase some special treats, it really is all about the presentation! Many of the serving and decor accents that you see in this blog post can be found in our online shop here!

One element that I always add to my tablescapes are elements from the outdoors. They can include flowers, sticks and branches, plants or herbs. Anything really that you might be able to pick up at the store at this time of year or pull from your backyard. Pulling from your backyard is more difficult in the winter season but there are still many beautiful options that Mother Nature provides.

Aren’t these tulips just gorgeous in these long stemmed sphere vases that we offer on in our online shop?

Think outside the box when it comes to displaying the natural beauties that you might be able to find. Here I used a pale pink lampshade in which I tucked in a potted lavender plant from Trader Joe’s (another delectable thing about this store… they carry beautiful affordable flowers and small plant options.) To hide the plastic pot, I left the lavender plastic paper the pot was wrapped in to keep the water from spilling out when watering the plant. I then tucked that down beneath the layer of  left over kraft shipping paper that I wrapped the pot in and tied it with a pale pink velvet cording. It all makes for a pretty and simple centerpiece.

 

I mentioned above to use what you have when you think about partaking in setting a decorative table. If you are as fortunate as I to have been given a set of red transferware dishes from your mother than you are truly blessed! I have expressed the shared love that both my mom and I have for vintage china in past posts and this look is no departure from that love.

For this look, I added these beautiful paper placemats that we have been offering at our Barn sales since our first sale ten years ago and we are thrilled to be carrying them in our online shop currently. Their designs are just beautiful and here we have had our in house decorative word artist Madison, create a menu on the menu papers. Isn’t that such a pretty look?

 It really is fairly easy to celebrate and share your love with those that are living under your roof these days. As stressful as these days may be, we can all enact small gestures that show the love and appreciation that we have for each other. In doing so, we, too, get something in return for I truly believe that is in giving that we receive.

There are plentiful pretty packaging options available to send those gestures of love to those that you cannot be with this year. Click here to see my blog post that covers this topic of gifting to those that might not live under your own roof.

And again, remember, you can use a brown paper lunch bag to package your thoughts and add a pretty ribbon to dress it up. There are always options to elevate the everyday! Always!

During this year’s celebrations, while we may not be able to fully embrace them in our minds since our spirit and our brains are filled with so many worries,  may we at least recognize that life and our relationships are beautiful and this recognition and expression of this beauty in all of its imperfections is what Valentine’s Day is all about. We unfortunately are often too busy on a daily basis to express this but setting aside a day to do so is incredibly powerful.

May love surround you, may hope guide you, may your expression of your love and appreciation be forefront in your mind and may you enjoy the gifts that this expression brings on this Valentine’s Day!

 

xoxo

~Meg