Valentine's Day Mantle Vignette

When the days are gloomy and the sun is playing hide and seek, simple, brightly-colored, and not-to-be-understimated carnations, my birth flower, are just what I need to cheer me up!

Valentine's Day thoughts begin to occupy me, and I'm taking advantage of a few days at home, to attempt a fireplace mantle display, and I challenged myself to only use things I already had around the house . . .

So I headed over to my book shelves.  Anna Karenina and Pride and Prejudice!  Wonderful, well-loved romantic novels, and the books are bound in red leather to boot!  They are part of The Easton Press "One Hundred Greatest Books Ever Written" which I started collecting while I was still single!  I perched a pair of love birds on top.

Then, I thought it'd be nice to have something tall at one end of the mantle.  I like to bring out the pewter Cape Fear candlesticks in February, since we also celebrate George Washington's birthday, and pewter always puts me in mind of our Founding Fathers.

When we bought our first house, we commissioned a local glass artist to make us this small panel with tulips, which we installed in the front door of our old house.  When we sold the house, my husband removed it and now we display it on a copper easel, a lovely memory of our old home.

I found the twine hearts at Pier 1.  They come in white and red.  I'm not quite sure what to make of these hearts. They were an impulse buy, and I don't usually do that.  I'm living with them for now, and see if they grow on me.

I'm in love with this red mercury glass votive holder that I picked up at Pottery Barn  a couple of years ago. Isn't this red beautiful?

Then, at the other end, a rustic garden pitcher holds fresh tulips, that, as if on cue, managed to droop at the perfect angle for my photo.  I inserted a mason jar inside to hold the water.

I love this pitcher, and usually keep it filled with flowers during the spring and summer seasons, but there's no reason why it can't come out to play for Valentine's Day, too!  The metal finish echos that of the pewter candlesticks on the opposite side of the mantle, and helps to balance the vignette.

I was trying for romantic, but not too cheesy . . . What do you think?

It's certainly brightened the Family Room!