"You'll Never Get To Heaven if You Break My Heart" - A Versatile Lantern For the Seasons Valentines Edition

So...

just maybe you're wondering about the snazzy title of this post?

For an early Valentines Day Celebration,

Mr. Ramblings and I went to see the Stylistics in concert Friday night.

These guys might be in their sixties, 

but they've still got it going on... amazing vocals and smooth dance moves!

One of their many hit wonders,

 "You'll Never Get To Heaven if You Break My Heart,"

has been running through my mind as I prepared this post... hence the title.

Hearts... Valentines... you get the picture, right?  :)

Back in late November, my post, A Versatile Lantern For The Seasons,

featured the lantern below I found at Ollie's, dressed for Christmas...

...and Fall.

As I was scoping out the Christmas ornaments during the annual

 New Years Day Sale at Dillards, I ran across the pretty glass hearts, below.

They were originally $7.00, but at 75% off, only cost $1.75 each.

I purchased a few, with updating the lantern in mind for Valentines.

To complete the look, 

I added a bag of crumpled brown paper package filler from Dollar Tree,

and a sprig of greenery from Michaels (half price).

Reused the bow from Christmas, just tucked the greenery above and below it.

 

On the foyer table, the lantern was paired with a sweet, small Waterford Vase

 filled with Baby's Breath, and a cut-glass sphere.

 Illuminated by the glow of a little lamp lighting...

A sneak peek of the ribbon I bought at the Salvage Sister's Show a couple of weekends ago, 

inspiration for when it comes time to style the lantern for Easter/Spring, stay tuned...

But in the meantime,

I'll leave you with this little poem...

Roses are red,

 Violets are blue,

My life is blessed because you are here, that has to be said,

and I hope you all have a Happy Valentines, too!

~Rhonda

______________________

Sharing Post At:
Between Naps On The Porch - Met Monday
Cozy Little House - Tweak it Tuesday
Stone Gable - The Scoop
Our Home Away From Home - Tuesdays at Our Home
Coastal Charm - Show and Share
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
Woods of Bell Trees - Party in Your PJs
Currently Kelsie - The Alder Collective Link
From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday
Poofing the Pillows - Thoughts of Home on Thursday
McCall Manor - Your Inspired Design
My Thrift Store Addiction - Vintage Charm Party
A Burst of Beautiful - Create, Share, Inspire
Rattlebridge Farm - Foodie Friday & Everything Else
Ms. Toody Goo Shoes - Best of the Weekend
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

Frugal Valentine Decorating with Dollar Tree Crafts

I {heart} a party!

I {heart} crafting!

I {heart} a bargain!

And I really {heart} shopping!

So,

...I raided my local Dollar Tree for items

to create a fun and frugal Valentine's Project to share at

Debbie's and Shannon's

My creation,

Frosted Valentine Candleholders...

Below, are most of the items I started with,

all from the Dollar Tree, "where everything is $1.00!"

Plus, I threw in a can of Valspar Frosting Spray Paint to the mix.

I found the paint before Christmas at Lowe's, and I've been dying to try it on ...something!

First, I cut out a heart, with brand-spanking new, "not dull yet" DT scissors! :)

I traced two hearts on DT vinyl adhesive shelf liner.

Adhered the hearts to the glass cylinders,

{easy, peasy since they were self-stick},

hot-glued the candlesticks to the bottom of each,

and sprayed them as one unit, with the Valspar Frosting Spray Paint.

Chalk board tags were crafted,

from pre-cut DT Wedding Paper Tags,

and Chalk Board Paint.

The white ribbons were removed from the tags, and replaced with DT red rafia string.

The candle holders were filled with Jasmine scented Bath Salts.

I checked the package to see if the salts were flammable.

I didn't see a disclosure,

 so personally, I would use with caution and not leave unattended while the candles are lit.

{Use at your own risk....}

But even when the candles aren't lit,

the Jasmine Salts have a wonderful, clean fragrance.

My husband remarked how the house smelled of clean laundry,

{and there was none! ha!}

The cute little scattered hearts were from Dollar Tree, as well!

I included a few shots of alternative ways to use the candleholders,

...first, without the tags, and with a few hearts dropped inside...

...or for a more streamlined look,

keep the tags, but use white candles!

For more super cute and budget-friendly Valentine Ideas,

head over to Fox Hollow & Debbiedoos' Party!
____________________________________


Also Linking Post To:
Tutorial Tip and Tidbits @ Stone Gable
Creative Inspirations @ Embracing Change
Be Inspired @ Common Ground

2012 - A Year of Blogging In Review

I've shared before,

that 2012 was a tough year for my family in many ways,

but it was also a year of positive growth!

Even in difficult times, blessings are still so evident around you,

ones often taken for granted!

And, joy and reward can be found in trying new things.

"smiles"

Our biggest project of 2012 was remodeling the upper duplex of our Lake House,

and converting it into a rental property.

What we anticipated would be a 2-3 week project turned into 6!

But considering the entire duplex received a major overhaul, the timing wasn't bad.

The remodel was quite a challenge,

 accomplished on a tight budget, 

and involved many items being repurposed.

To read more about the journey,

{Click HERE}.

Little projects also filled the year,

two of which gained attention in the blog'osphere,

My IKEA rug makeover,

adding a monogram to an inexpensive rug.

12 months later, and I can say, ...this rug is holding up well!

And the recovering of a set of Ottomans...

I've long loved to paint....

anything!

When Ashley was a baby, as a stay-at-home mom,

and I occupied my free time (her napping), with paint projects.

Kevin's famous words for the time were,

"he feared he'd come home one day and find Ashley a different color."

This year,

I was introduced to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint,

and Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint.

I've found painting furniture to be therapeutic and a wonderful creative outlet. 

And the pieces I've repaired and repainted have been given new life,

'cause most were destined for the dump.

At the end of March,

I stepped out on a new venture and rented a booth in an antique mall,

and then an additional one in the late summer at another venue.

{I'm hoping that in the early spring, I may add 1-2 more booths to my slate.}

I've been pleased with the sales,

and most of my painted furniture is stock for my booths.

I'm not getting rich by any means from my booths,

but it's a great hobby that has been paying it's way! :)

As you know from reading my blog, I'm an avid junk collector.

Nothing makes my heart race in excitement like a good yard sale or auction! :)

"The thrill of the hunt!"

This year, I shared many of my second-hand finds,

some that I kept for my home...

including the Waterford pieces found at a local Estate Tag Sale, below.

...and countless others that also went to stock my booths.

My most popular blog posts for 2012 centered around seasonal decorating!

The most viewed Post...

"Be Grateful"  

A Fall Home Tour

{Click HERE} to view

The second most viewed...

My Zebra print and Burlap Decoupaged Pumpkins Project.

And the third most viewed,

My Fall Porch Post...

Other Holiday posts were popular, as well,

including several Valentines ones...

And I did quite a bit of entertaining this past year, which I shared,

 along with recipes, in several posts... 

{A Valentines Party, below}

It seems I'm ending this post full circle,

with a Holiday we will be focusing on soon ...Valentines! 

A friend randomly texted the verse below to me yesterday

and it seems a great way to welcome in the New Year,

 and a blessing hoped for all of you....

"May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him,

so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13

Thanks to each of you who read Ramblings of a Southern Girl,

and share in my daily life and adventures!

May you all have JOY, PEACE, and HOPE in the coming year! :)

~Rhonda


___________________________

Linking Post To:
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cheerios and Lattes
Mop It Up Monday @ I should be mopping the floor
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Best of 2012 Party @ Diane Rambles
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Wildly Original Linky Party @ I Gotta Create
Cowgirl Up Party @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Creatively Tuesday @ The Rustic Pig
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Creative Inspirations @ Embracing Change