Decorating Your Mantel for Valentine’s Day

Mantels are meant for displaying your favorite things, and holidays are a great excuse to add some seasonal decor to your normal pieces. With Valentine’s day just around the corner, it’s a great time to add some feminine accents to your mantel to show the love.

If you are looking for some unique ways to decorate for this loveliest of holidays, see below for some great ideas that are cost efficient and will look great the entire month.

Use an oval frame to make a heart wreath. The heart shape is great for layering and using tissue paper, and an oval picture frame or round picture frame and a little hot glue can make a beautiful Valentine's wreath to hang on the mantel. Simply cut out several hearts from the different tissue paper colors, and layer them all in one direction around your oval frame. Secure each piece with hot glue, and be sure to store it away from things that could damage or snag the delicate tissue.

Make a cherry blossom garland. Cherry blossom trees are some of the most beautiful when in bloom, as they feature gorgeous pink or white flowers that cover the entire branch. However, they do tend to shed their blossoms quickly, so for a mantel garland, it's best to use an artificial strand. Intertwining or braiding the strands together before securing them is a great way to make them into a thick rope of garland that will look amazing with any wood color.

Make a gorgeous burlap banner. Burlap is a beautiful rustic and versatile fabric that can be easily found at any craft store. Cut your burlap into equal sizes of small triangle shapes, and secure them on a piece of twine or colored ribbon to hang. Then either decorate them with artificial flowers, glitter, beads or painted letters. You can even take a material such as vinyl or felt letters to spell out a special message of love on your banner.

Make a pair of rose covered cones. Craft stores will carry foam cones for decorating in many sizes. Using two large matching cones, and a large bundle of deep red or pink roses, you can make some beautiful mantel cones for each side. Be sure to bunch as many roses together as possible to cover any open space. Secure the roses in place with craft glue, and use one on either side of the mantel with your banner or garland in between.

Make a rustic sign with a piece of plank wood and some painted letters. If you are sticking with a more charming shabby chic look for your mantel, you can create a beautiful sign using a piece of whitewashed wood and painted letters. Make the message a small one of love or skip the painted letters and write directly on the board with a craft paint pen.