It only takes a few moments to change the mood of any room. So, even if tomorrow’s date sneaked up on you and you still have things to do to get ready, you can squeeze in a few simple, last minute touches to help make any space say Happy Valentine’s Day.
Heart Placemats
Michele had some cute ideas for decorating and for heart-shaped food, so what better way to serve such items than on Valentines themed plates atop heart-shaped placemats?
You’ll need twelve hearts for each placemat. Cut them about 6” high by 6” wide. You can use fabric, lace by the yard, a red vinyl tablecloth, construction paper, or red paper plates for your hearts. Attach three hearts side by side then make another row of three. Glue the rows together, one on top of the other.
Another easy option is to cut out one large heart from each place setting. Cut down vinyl placemats or tablecloths for large hearts. Pick up some cute Valentine inspired tableware to go with your placemats. You can find hard plastic, reusable options, or choose foam or coated paper plates from the party ware section of your favorite store. If you’re serving food that won’t work with paper plates, opt for Valentine theme napkins.
Do Something Different with Balloons
I love balloons. My kids love balloons too, but instead of just grabbing some, you can make them into a bouquet. In about five minutes, you’ll have a great Valentine’s centerpiece, and you can use balloons you blow up yourself. You don’t even need helium. All you have to do is blow up balloons and wrap the knots around the tips of straws when you knot them. Put the straw “stems” into a vase or jar and you have an instant balloon bouquet. Add some stones or other filler to help keep them in place. For even more interest, add a few long stemmed flowers or filler in between balloons. Wrap wide ribbon around the top of the vase or jar and tie a bow.
*Click HERE for other festive ideas with ribbon.
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