Can't Buy Me Love | Valentine Savings

My heart skips a beat for a few certain things in life...

It goes without saying... my husband and sweet children top the list....

In addition to my sweethearts....

I love a good bargain.... LOVE...as in...

...be still my beating heart.

So, perhaps that is why I have a special and sometimes

 'unhealthy' relationship with the thrift store...

It's the thrift-store, bargain-seeking gene in my DNA... and yes...

--from time to time I must admit...

My heart skips a beat when I see a deal...

A too-good-to-be-true sale or a make-over waiting to happen...

(exhibit A: See the hutch...?  It was a thrift store make-over)

There is so much potential...just waiting to bloom...there is also a lot of really gross junk at the thrift store....

Don't buy that....(the gross junk)

Stick to the things that make your creative juices flow and make you excited...Keep an open mind about how deals can work in your favor...and save you some money too.

Here are a few Valentine-friendly ideas that won't break the bank and hopefully set your heart all aflutter.

Valentine decor can be as simple as adding sweet pastel conversation hearts to a gorgeous container.

I love ironstone and this antique gravy boat was the perfect holder for these sweet treats.  Special note: this ironstone was found at a thrift shop... really.

Making chocolate chip cookies is the way to nearly any one's heart... at least in our house.  For Valentine's Day, shape the cookies into hearts... they are immediately more delicious (well, not really, but they seem yummier)... and so cute...simply because of the shape...

While cookies are hot out of the oven, working quickly with wooden spatulas, pinch the ends into a point (bottom of the heart) and give and indent to the top (creating the top of the heart)... Remember to work quickly...after 2 minutes this Valentine's trick won't work, because the cookies begin to set...

If you need a GREAT recipe for chocolate chip cookies...I'm sharing mine with you:
Click Here for the Recipe Post

Easy Valentine decor:  Valentine Heart Banner.  Using plain burlap banner and leftover felt cut into hearts using pinking shears... I have a quick and festive holiday decoration to brighten up the kitchen.

My burlap banner came from the Target One-Spot.  Using hearts I cut out from leftover red felt, I added some love to the hutch...secure felt hearts with a glue dot to hold in place.  An guess what?  I plan to simply switch out the hearts to shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day...stay tuned.

Making this sweet heart burlap table runner (pictured below)
...could not have been easier...
Learn how to make this cute Valentine decoration for less than $5.00.

This was an easy project we made last year
and it's still every bit as colorful and cute this year!!

 For the how-to: Click Here.

After the holidays, I buy the clearance holiday candy in the green and red colors.  Simply pull out the green candy...and in a few weeks, you'll have the 'right' color for St. Patrick's Day!  In the meantime, you are all set for Valentine's day and at 75% off...that's quite a bargain...

 Cut glass candy dishes... you guessed it... thrift store deal of the year!!

I love fresh flowers... and tulips are a favorite of mine... if you love fresh cut flowers, search out your local flower wholesaler.  You can save 50-80% on fresh cut flowers...as long as you don't mind arranging them yourself.

For all our holidays and special occasions I use the flower wholesaler...because I can save so much --and I love arranging them myself anyway...

If you don't mind not having flowers delivered... tell your sweetheart this secret...they can pick-up a bundle of flowers while saving a bundle and you can use all the money you save on flowers for a night out...