Hello my loves!
Long time no talk! Clearly I’ve just been playing hard to get this whole time, did it work? Did you miss me more?! DAMN, I really thought that would work. Just kidding, I’ve been so busy between the holidays and traveling that I haven’t had a chance to update you on all the fun pieces I’ve been spotting just for you my loves! With Galentine’s and Valentine’s right around the corner, I’ve been dying to show you all what I’ve been eyeing so that you can have the best dang G or V day party around and still be able to use that fun millennial pink decor in the months to come! When you’re living on a budget the last thing anyone wants to do is buy something and use it ONCE to see it staring at you like a pile of burnt money for the weeks to follow while you you munch on dollar ramen. NOT TODAY SATAN. NOT TODAY. Today, we reclaim our 14 cutest gifts and decorations and make them work honey, YASSS! (Get it, 14 gifts for 2/14? Ok I’m done)
Let’s begin, shall we? Let’s start with the basics. You. Throwing a party for your best Galentines or setting up for the perfect low-key V day date. What do you need? Places to sit? CHECK. (If there was a way to light up that “CHECK” like a marquee with thousand watt lightbulbs I would do it. This is a BIG “check”). With this STUH-NNING bench from Target, there will be no excuse for a lack of seating for any of your guests. Not only is it functional and affordable, but the gorgeous blush tone will be a neutral you can use YEAR round people. Dress it up with a faux fur blanket (a la Jon Snow anyone?) in the winter to add that extra touch of glam or set a tiny tray on it with some flowers and candles and voilà! All chic’d up in no time and makes you look like the style-queen of your friends dreams! Let’s keep it moving. Next your friend starts to feel cold on the bench. PROBLEM SOLVED GUYS. This blanket from Nordstrom in Pink Brick not only goes with the lovers day color scheme but is literal BUTTER on your skin (ok maybe not literally but trust me here). I loved it so much I got two when they were on sale over Christmas. But even when they’re not on sale you seriously cannot beat this price! And in a variety of colors, you’re bound to find one that suits your decor no matter what time of year!
Moving on, now that your guest or guests have finally settled in, you start entertaining. How? Where do I start Samantha? How do I do this all on my own!? Don’t panic my precious stylistas. You’ve got this. Thanks to this handy dandy bar cart from Target (you all already know how obsessed I am with bar carts!), your drinks and goodies are only an arms-length away. As you’ve seen from my obsessive photos already (who needs a kid when you can take 1,000 photos of your bar cart like I do), I am constantly decorating my bar cart for the season and occasion, so rest assured this bad boy will get you from this party and beyond! It doesn’t have to just be for bar cart items you know! However, for this scenario, let’s pretend it is ok? When you go to hand your babes a drink it’ll be in one of these impeccably gorgeous glasses from Anthropologie. I’m telling you, these bad boys are so pretty I could cry. Thanks to the ombre effect and the gold detailing at the top of each glass, these beauts will stay functional year round without being too colorful for any of your other parties or holidays!
When it comes to decorating the rest of your bar cart where the glasses aren’t, why not try out this gorgeous lip print from The Aestate or any one of her prints (especially from the Lips collection!) to add vibrancy to your bar cart and add height?! You can either hang the print just above the cart like I’ve done in my place or skip the trouble of nailing it in and rest it in a frame on the top or bottom shelf. This elevates the cart to a whole other level than just functionality people! If prints aren’t for you and you’ve got a little more creative mind, try on this gorgeous letterboard for size! Letterboards are all the rage and serve so many occasions! It’s so versatile and will have your guests thinking you’re the funniest host around simply by putting a funny quote from one of your favorite shows on it! If this letterboard STILL isn’t speaking your language and you’re struggling, let me introduce you to these two goodies. First up is this book I received as a gift this year that’s not only fun and decorated with my favorite items on the outside (ranunculus yay!), but it has so many fun lists that will get you in the right state of mind for the coming months! I’m so head over heels for it (I mean it has 5 stars on Amazon, come on!) and it’s an added bonus it makes your bar cart or coffee table amped up to another chic level! If all of those items just aren’t floating your boat then let me get something that will literally float (if you fill it with the right material of course). I’m sure you’ve all seen this rose-gold balloon around the other blogs the past year and it’s not going anywhere! Not only is it an affordable and sweet option perfect for this time of year, but I’ve seen it used so many gorgeous ways as part of decor! Not only can you set it on your bar cart to add dimension like a print would do, but you can easily tape this to a gallery wall to add a pop of dimension there! Balloons aren’t just for parties anymore people! And love never goes out of style, so rest assured you can keep this bad boy up and inflated year round!
Alright, now that you’ve got everything decorated it’s time to have fun and keep the memories forever with fun Polaroids via this beautiful camera! Not only does it keep the fun rolling but the photos you take can serve as decor (along with this camera because duh, when it’s this stunning you need to show it off)! Between simplistic chic ways of showcasing them on a shelf, to using those photo strings with clips to hang each picture, there’s endless ways to show off the ones you love and make it decor at the same time! One of those ways you can showcase them is through these gorgeous photo holders from one of my all time favorite shops in Chicago, Bow & Arrow Collection! You’ll have to stop by in person to get these bad boys but believe me they’re worth the trip! I went to their Galentine’s day party this past weekend (see more photos below from their event) and I could have spent my whole day there staring at all of their goodies! While I’m partial to the gold, they also had these photo stands in silver and came in multiple other shapes! And when the party has finally died down you can relax and sleep well knowing you didn’t waste your money because all of these items are so versatile you can’t even begin to count the ways you can use them! To help get you to sleep try one of these uber cute sleep mask options: from functional to fashionable, either one will be sure to get the job done.
Finally, if all else fails and your budget is too tight for any of these items, stick with what you know and with fail-safes! Candles and flowers! I’m sure you have plenty of candles by now after I’ve talked non-stop about how versatile they are each post, and you can easily find affordable flowers at any supermarket! And if you want to take it up a notch, use your Valentine’s day cards you receive as decor while you’re at it! Either prop them up on your mantle for a pop of color, or frame them and hang them as a mini-gallery wall since most cards are a work of art these days!
That’s all for now my beautiful, tropical fish (Leslie Knope Galentine’s coming in strong!),
Ever Elliott 