Bye-Bye Blues

I am dun with snow...D-U-N. I try to be a glass half-full kind of girl. But this morning as I woke to falling snow, I was hoping my glass was half-full of a margarita on a beach. Bring on the sun!!!

This has been an especially long and harsh winter, in my humble opinion, and I'm SOOOOOOOOooooo ready for Spring. Good ole Punxsutawny Phil better keep that head high tomorrow or I may be serving Groundhog Soup for supper! Ok...deep breath....I'm calming down now.

After ripping down all of my Christmas decor in December, I did spare the snowmen that were more "winter" decor than "Christmas." I decided earlier in the month of January, however, that come February 1st those snowmen were taking a hike. So yesterday afternoon (yes, one day shy of the 1st), every last piece of winter was tucked safely away in the basement. And today - I finished the job during the heatwave (that's right, it was 22 degrees ABOVE ZERO and it felt like a heatwave). Every last drop of winter decor outside is history. Well, at least every last drop that isn't permanently affixed to the frozen tundra that is our front yard. Grrrr....

Yesterday as I was swapping snowmen for Valentines' Day hearts, I decided I didn't have nearly enough to decorate for the month of love. Since we recently returned from a trip to Orlando (read more about that here), I've been trying to be a bit more budget conscious. So, instead of running to the store to buy more Valentine's Day goodies, I decided to raid my craft closet to see what I might be able to make with what I already have. Aren't I frugal?! No...really...I'm not at all...but I'm trying.

After pawing through my fabric bin and other supplies, I happened upon some red and tan burlap, red and white paint, red and white twine and some stencils. SCORE! Here's what I managed to piece together...

A sweet little stenciled heart on a framed piece of burlap!

A red burlap runner with more stenciled hearts (are you sensing a theme?!).

An "XOXO" stenciled burlap garland.

Found some tulips at Hobby Lobby (see - not so frugal).

I already had these sticks displayed in a large vase - so I added some glitter hearts from Dollar Tree.
That place is a GOLD MINE and CHEAP (a.k.a. frugal)!

Can you feel the love?!

I really love how these doily garlands turned out!

Just the right amount of cheer this house needed, don't you think?!

By the way - on a completely separate note - I bought an Amaryllis bulb the day after Christmas for 50% off at Target and it was by far one of the best impulse buys I have made. Sometimes it pays to not be so frugal. It is now blooming - and such a welcomed sign of Spring!!! Winter blues - it's time for you to get the boot!