Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Be My *DIY* Valentine Mantel

Cupid must have hit me early (in home decor form) because I am in Looooove with my Valentine's themed fireplace mantel! What makes it even more lovable are the easy little DIY projects that I decorated it with, including...
 ...a framed felt fabric heart backed with skeleton key printed burlap and stacked books wrapped with printed bookends and decorative ribbon.  The bookends spell out lyrics to a sweet song that is special to my husband and I, ahhh the romance!  But romantic quotes or a poem would be sweet too!

First up, let's cover the stacked books with printed bookends tutorial.  All you need are books, ribbon, scissors, and paper to cover the bookends.  I didn't make full book covers because my books have the paperback covers torn off and I didn't think the paper would lay flat enough to look nice.  If you use hardcover books I'd recommend the full covers!
 I decided to print out the lyrics (text) for the bookends opposed to hand writing.  I made sure to space out each line in order to cut out each line of text to add onto the bookends.

 Here is one line cut out (reverse side, text on the other side).  I folded the outer edge so it would appear like a bookend cover instead of a raw edge of paper.
 Then I wrapped the cut out around the edge of my torn paper back (note the folded edge of white paper).

Once I lined it up on the book, I put a crease in the paper that fit the size of the bookend.
 Repeat those steps for how many you are making in a stack and then tie them together with a decorative ribbon! 

***Any guesses on the song lyrics I printed out????***

Now, let's cover the framed felt fabric heart backed with skeleton key printed burlap. Really, this one is pretty simple- take a frame, some fabric to cover the size of the frame, and lay a cut out felt heart on top.
 Ta-da!  Super easy, and super cute!

Here's a look once I got the mantel all set up.  I was really happy with it because it still looks a bit formal and not too cheesy or juvenile, which is often tricky with the pink and red Valentine's color scheme.
 In addition to the books and frames, I got these cute little "XOXO" letter blocks from Target's See Spot Save section for only $2.50. I used them in between each book stack.
 The other framed print is something I made for Alex on our first wedding anniversary (paper is the 'traditional' first first wedding anniversary gift, see the whole list here).
 It is a print of all the addresses that hold a special memory for us- like where we met, where we got engaged, where we got married, etc.  Makes for a cute gift idea for Valentine's Day too!
 Then on the right is another look at the framed felt heart.
 Just simple and sweet all together!

*** Well, have you figured out the song??? ***

(If you haven't heard the song before, you must click the link!)

The reason it hold significance to Alex and I is because his sister Amber and her husband Ryan performed it as a surprise at our wedding reception.
You can't really tell, but I am crying.  Oh, and Amber was only about 3 weeks away from giving birth to our nephew Henri!
Alex and I had never heard the song before our wedding day. We were incredibly moved and touched by their performance.  It is one of my favorite moments from our wedding day!

***** Hope you enjoyed that little romantic side story :) *****

So what do you think of the mantel?

Have you done any Valentine's decorating or projects yet? 


12 comments:

  1. SOOOO sweet! Love it! The books were such a good idea and my heart is melting over all the personal details! I forgot Valentine's is coming up!

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  2. Carla! I love that!! That song was one of our top contenders as a ceremony song. It still makes me tear up whenever I listen to it. (We opted for "For You" by Duncan Sheik--go listen on youtube--so good!) I love everything about this. Good work, my friend.

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  3. Ok, I LOVE the meaningful addresses! Such a good idea. I've seen people frame the addresses of places they have lived before, but I feel like this is so special and really makes you think about what happened at all those addresses. I will definitely be doing something like this!

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  4. Cute idea for Valentine's mantel. That's one of my favorite songs. What a sweet story about your sister-in-law singing it at your wedding!

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  5. This is so lovely and original! I love all the covered books.



    -Leigh
    http://fun-to-funky.blogspot.com/

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  6. Thanks everybody :) Glad you enjoyed the projects and our little wedding song story. I can't wait to see more Valentine's projects in the blog world, I need some new gift ideas! Be sure to pass some ideas along if you find some or make some of your own!

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  7. I found you on Pinterest, love your stlye. This Valenting decor is adorable!

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  8. I am new to the blogging world... I made it my new years resolution so that I could look back and reminisce on all these 'good ole days'! I came across your blog and I must say I am inthralled! Your humor is adorable and I love all your ideas. You give me so much inspiration!

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  9. What an absolutely lovely Valentine vignette you created! So personal and I just adore the book binding covers. :-) Thank you so much for sharing it at Inspiration Friday last weekend!
    Vanessa

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  10. LOVE the mantel! I remember Amber singing that song at your wedding and knew right away the lyrics were from...such a wonderful moment.

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  11. I lived in kalamazoo too :)

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