All You Need Is Love! - Valentines Day Special!

With Valentines Day quickly approaching I thought I'd take some time to give some advice of quick, easy, and affordable ways to decorate for this lovable holiday. 

One way to decorate is using vintage Valentines Day cards! You can find these at thrift stores or antique stores. You could also ask older relatives to see if they have held onto any over the years! A way to display these little cuties is with a vintage flower frog. Flower frogs are a flat disk with sharp spikes sticking out from the disk. The purpose of these were to hold the stem of the flowers in place in an arrangement. You can find these at thrift stores and antique markets.

You simply stick the card down in the spikes. Now if you have young children I would suggest keeping these out of reach as the spikes can be quite sharp! 

Other ways to decorate can be with using inexpensive materials that you may have around your house! They may not be vintage but they can be just as gorgeous! For example, by taking wax paper, food color, and a iron you can make the most adorable "stained glass" hearts! By using a piece of red, pink, or purple ribbon you can make a gorgeous garland! Here are a few of the ones that I made: 

These easy DIY projects are easy to do and are done in no time! Perfect for the mom or dad that doesn't have a lot of time or money to bring a little holiday cheer to their homes! 

Steps to making "stained glass" hearts:

1. Place two sheets of wax paper on a surface that won't be harmed by the iron. 

2. On one sheet of wax paper, put a few drops pink, purple, and red food color!

3. Place the other sheet of wax paper on top.

4. Using your iron, run it over the wax paper until the two sheets stick together.

5. After the wax paper has dried, then you can cut them into heart shapes! 

6. Use a hole punch to make the holes to string them together and bam! You've got an easy, cheap, and adorable Valentines Day garland! 

Another SUPER easy way to decorate is by using Valentines Day candies in vintage glass jars to display around the house. Plus, you can snack on them whenever you choose! Here are some examples of how I chose to use Valentines Day candies:

I think I paid $1.00 for the big bag of candies. I found all of the jars in an old run down barn that I went junking in! 

Some people may prefer a more elaborate design for their home when it comes to holiday decor, but for me personally I love simply and easy! So I hope that you have found some simply, cute, and inexpensive inspiration through today's blog entry! 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to comment below. Also, my email is in the "About Me" section so feel free to email me! I look forward to hearing from you all! Make sure to utilize the Google+ feature and recommend this blog! I thank each and everyone of you for visiting the blog today and I hope you all have a wonderful and love filled Valentines Day! 

Happy Thrifting, Y'all! 

Love,

The Old Soul

Product Feature - Cottage Indus-Tree!

Every once in a while I will do a product feature on my current favorite company that utilizes vintage materials. At the top of that list has to be Cottage Indus-Tree Designs! (www.cottageindustree.com) 

Cottage Indus-Tree is a small Internet company founded by, Amy Beck of Atlanta, Ga. She started her company in 2003 to make gifts for friends, family, and coworkers. She soon realized that this could be a huge thing! Cottage Indus-Tree was featured in Country Living, Southern Living, and Paula Deen magazine! 

Cottage Indus-Tree specializes in vintage paper products. They use vintage wallpaper, books, book pages, etc. I own several of their products, including their signature product, clipboards! Seriously, cutest clipboards ever! The front and backs of the clipboards are decorated in full with vintage wallpaper. The clipboards are manufactured by a company that employs handi-capable people. Cottage Indus-Tree prides itself on recycling, upcycling, and reusing products. So all the while you are getting a great product(with an even greater price tag!) you are lowering your carbon footprint! Cottage Indus-Tree also has a wide array of other products including: flip notebooks garnished with vintage wallpaper, magnetic clips also garnished with vintage wallpaper (also available with collegiate logos!), vintage wallpaper bags (ranging from iPad slips to large duffle style bags!), and much more! 

Cottage Indus-Tree introduced a new product to the company in 2012, vintage book journals. I own 3 and I have to say I use them daily! Also, they are one of a kind which makes the experience even better! 

Another new product line is their wine stoppers! As if this company didn't ALREADY have enough amazing products they went and created this! I own one and it keeps my Pinot Grigio as fresh as the time I pop the cork! These are garnished with vintage wallpaper as well. 

Without giving away Amy's secrets, I was allowed to experience the process of making these wonderful products! I can say first hand that this is quality stuff, people! The intricate detail that goes into each and every product is top notch. 

Shipping is a flat-rate fee to anywhere in the continental US, only $6.99 and free shipping on orders over $100. 

If you are looking for a great gift for anyone(even the men in your life!) visit Cottage Idus-Tree and place an order today! I promise you will not be disappointed. 

I hope y'all have enjoyed my first product feature! Let's join together and support small businesses! 

Happy Thrifting! 

Love, 

The Old Soul