As a little girl, my mom made each holiday special with traditions she and my dad created for our family. I remember waking up to pink, heart shaped pancakes on Valentine’s Day morning and enjoying a yummy Valentine’s Day treat after dinner later that night.
Those simple, fond memories have stayed with me all of my life and have given me a desire to create similar traditions with my own children.
When we moved to Arizona, almost 10 years ago, we started a new tradition. Sometime close to Valentine’s Day we set an extra fancy table for a special family dinner. We usually always have Grandma’s famous spaghetti, because it’s red!
This year we celebrated early so we could share our tradition with you in hopes that you will start a new tradition this year too.
Our Valentine’s table is extra special this year because it features party goods from my dear, talented friend, Loralee Lewis. I stumbled across Loralee’s website a few years ago and fell in love with her and her charming party designs. Go read about her and her incredible journey as a mother and designer. She is so inspiring… oh and she is offering 20% off on all Valentine products now through Valentine’s Day! Use the code LLOVE
Welcome to our children’s Valentine’s Day party featuring Loralee Lewis’s Vintage Valentine Collection…..
The table is covered in gold arrow fabric and topped with a gold and cream diagonal stripped wrapping paper table runner.
Placemats created from gold glitter, polka dot scrapbook paper, help make clean up a snap without compromising style. The table is peppered with white and red heart shaped doilies.
A paper rosette is pinned to the back of each chair. These were part of a banner from Loralee’s Vintage Valentine collection. I simply tied a bow in the holes provided and stuck a straight pin through the rosette to secure it into place.
Place settings were created using plates from Home Goods and Ballard Designs, already in my cupboard. The “XO” napkins were created using fabric from my new Valentine’s Day fabric line. You need 2 yards of fabric to make 8 napkins {plus 2 yards of plain white fabric for the backing}. Don’t think for a minute that I used those napkins with 5 kids and spaghetti! I swapped them out right before we ate with good old paper napkins! Ha!
Loralee’s water bottle stickers were added to our milk bottles topped with her darling stripy straws and coordinating flags.
Darling little treat boxes filled with conversation hearts were placed at each chair.
I found these mini trophy cups and thought they would be cute vases. You can create them by painting them with a layer of Modge Podge followed by a dusting of gold glitter. Finish it off by spritzing them with a good amount of aerosol hairspray to set the glitter. To use as a vase, just add a small amount of water and a flower. Loralee’s straw flags were added for some whimsy. You could add names and turn them into place cards for guests.
Three small mason jars served as vases for the roses. I just spray painted them gold, and then resprayed them with some glitter spray paint so they matched the mini trophy cups. I use these all the time for parties and dinners.
They are so inexpensive and versatile.
The roses are from Costco, they aren’t quite red, and not quite pink. Fresh flowers add life to any table.
I strung red heart ornaments from the chandelier with little arrows I made out of sucker sticks and glitter paper.
This hot air balloon makes the table feel like love is really in the air! Sorry… I couldn’t help myself!
Like I said, we had Grandmas’s spaghetti for dinner and these yummy cupcakes for dessert. They are just a white cake mix with this homemade frosting recipe. It is the most delicious frosting ever! Loralee’s cupcake wraps and rosettes dress these girls up and made my kiddos grin from ear to ear.
Since my kids came home to a table all set for dinner and were totally famished, these pop corn buckets were the perfect thing to tide them over until dad got home from work.
Loralee even has the cutest invitations, if you want to host others at your Valentine’s party.
We just partied with our little love bugs!
I hope you feel inspired in some way to make this Valentine’s Day a memorable one at your house. Even if you simply make a new treat, or go all out and have a fancy dinner, do something that will last forever in the hearts and minds of those you love! Happy Valentine’s Day from our crazy bunch to yours!
XOXO
Randi
You need to publish a book with all your party ideas!
Kathleen thank you for saying that! That is actually one of my goals. I hope you keeping following me on this fun journey! Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo