Vintage Love that Lasts
Love Day, as we call it in our house, is fast approaching. I’ll be the first to admit that this is NOT my favorite holiday. I feel like some people love it, and some people feel its impending arrival with a looming sense of dread and disappointment. While I don’t find myself firmly in the second camp, the way the holiday seems promoted out there in the commercial world hasn’t felt like a great fit for me. Whether you could love or leave Love Day, here are a few ways that I spread love in my own way, and stretch my seasonal styling so that I don’t have to dedicate any storage or visual space to Valentine’s Only décor.
Decorating this time of year is a bit of a strange no-man’s-land for me. I do like to have something to put out once Chanukkah and Christmas are all put away, as February is somewhat of a dreary month for me. All of the warmth and merriment of the holiday season has faded, and my part of the world is still in frigid weather mode. With nothing festive in the house it feels extra cold. Mostly I find myself just wishing it would just be Spring already. That said, going all out with heart shapes just isn’t my style, and I don’t want to devote a whole storage bin to items for a holiday that isn’t exactly my favorite. So I’ll let you in on a secret: your holiday décor components don’t have to be holiday specific!
Pictured above are my candleholders. They rocked Halloween for maybe a little too long this year (oops). They made up the base of my Christmas display. And now they’re here for Love Day fun. I acquired them over a number of years, from various sources – namely Chairish, Etsy, and Goodwill. If you’re looking to spark some romance this Valentine’s Day, pull out your own candleholders! It doesn’t matter if they’re glass or brass, you can kindle those flames (literally) with objects that you use year-round. Swapping out the color of your candles for an occasion is often all you need to make them feel special again.
Have a vase you love? Add some flowers to your candlelit table or mantel. That vase doesn’t have to have to be a “Valentine’s Day vase” in order for you to enjoy your fresh, dried, or even paper blooms. Or if you find yourself with a matching pair, you can keep one, and gift the other to a loved one. Every time you add flowers you’ll think of each other, and that sounds like a perfectly lovely Love Day sentiment. With this type of seasonal decorating I can admire my favorite things all year while still switching things up, I have less to store for each season, and perhaps the most wonderful thing is that I no longer feel pulled into those big box stores to update seasonal décor with new stuff all the time. It’s liberating.
When it comes to finding versatile pieces, it’s important to broaden your view on what a “neutral” is. I treat a LOT of colors as neutrals, because to me a neutral is not about a lack of color, but about being able to mix and match and have them always work! I find pink to be one of the most versatile colors when it comes to seasonal decorating, and I use my pink items basically all year. Pink, when paired with red and green fits right in with Christmas. When paired with gold, it screams New Year’s Eve. Add some orange and you’ve got Thanksgiving. Pair them with black and they suddenly look perfectly Halloween. Add some florals or pastels and they are a natural for Spring.
When Love Day rolls around, you can pair pinks with reds and whites for a traditionally Valentine’s look, or pair them with grays, dark greens, even brass for a moodier vibe. Or in my case, pair them with reds and cobalt blues for a more upbeat take on Love Day that has room for all the kinds of love in life, not just romantic love. Be sure to keep in mind the undertones in your neutrals. My pinks tend to lean orange/coral/red rather than purple/fuschia. I don’t use much purple in my home (seasonally or otherwise), and I find that the warmer pinks complement blues and greens in a lovely way.
Pink stemware is a Christmas natural
So next time you’re looking for versatile pieces, don’t be afraid to take a closer look at pink! All colors are for all people, and this hue is definitely not limited to any particular décor stylings. These same vintage French pink-stemmed wine glasses were a part of three totally different Valentine moods, and they are just as perfectly suited to Christmas with a few adjustments. They would feel right at home on your Easter, Passover, Thanksgiving, Diwali, and any other kind of table you can think of. When you choose pieces that can flow from season to season, holiday to holiday, you can have all the festive fun without the storage stress and excess.
You may have noticed that my idea of a Valentine’s Day table was full of bright colors and had more than two table settings. It took me a while to get comfortable with this type of observance, but in the end we get to decide what we want our holidays look like. As far as Valentine’s Day goes, I think it’s wonderful that people can embrace the romance of the day! Honestly, that sounds like it would be delightful if it actually worked for me. In reality, I always felt too much pressure around planning romance, and then couldn’t settle into enjoying it at the “right time.” So after a few years of trying too hard and not actually feeling how I thought I was supposed to feel, I decided I’d try to just do what what felt more natural instead.
Card by Jelly Armchair, champions of the cheese pun
For me that includes showering friends with love! Since having kids, this notion of how our family shows our love feels like an even better fit. I like sending out delightful handmade snail mail filled with cheesy puns. Sometimes with ACTUAL cheese puns. I mean … Brie Mine, You’re Such A Gouda Friend … these Valentines write themselves, folks! I do this because I enjoy making them, I don’t have to take myself too seriously, and I get to love on my favorite people. In the off-year (I’m looking at you, 2021) this observance did not make an appearance because it was just too much for me to manage. If you find yourself in that camp, remember that pausing on a tradition can be loving too. For me, Valentines are back for Love Day 2022.
I find that reaching out to my community around Valentine’s Day feels extra loving. A lot of organizations receive support around the end of the year, and by this time in the new year those contributions have slowed down. In the past I’ve done a number of different things, like sewing and donating dolls in honor of my loved ones. This year I’ll be making lots of mail art sending words of love to the following address, which gives letters to people experiencing homelessness. If you’re looking for a way to spread some love, you can send your letters, cards, and Valentines to:
ComeSoFar c/o S. Penguin 11307 York Road #222 Cockeysville, MD 21030
My new glass, in good company with some special individual pieces
When it comes to Love Day, don’t forget to show yourself some love in the mix. I recently spotted a vintage pink Anchor Hocking glass, but there was only one. At first I was disappointed that there wasn’t a set, but in the end I loved the details on it so much that I brought it home with me anyway. I have been using this glass daily since then. I’ve been feeling fancy drinking my water out of it during the day. I’ve been trying out new cocktail recipes in it in the evenings. I always know which glass is mine at home, and it just makes me really happy to use it. I also have one lone colorfully stemmed champagne coupe that makes everything I drink out of it feel bright and joyful. Between the two it got me thinking about those items in second-hand shops, the great ones that don’t have a match. I’m not going to start selling single pieces of glassware here on The Glad Suite, but I’ve decided to start bringing special singular pieces home with me to offer as self-love giveaways and add-ons. When a single glass feels like a treat to drink out of, these pieces still have so much to offer. And honestly, treating myself to my favorite foods, drinking out of a fancy glass just for me, and taking a day to really focus on loving myself sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate love. Perhaps I may be adding a dedicated self-love component to my Love Day festivities this year <3
Where do you stand on Valentine’s Day? Does this holiday make its way into your decorating and styling? I’d love to hear about your traditions in the comments!
~Carly
*Some of the vintage items shown in this post are available now! Visit the Glad Vintage portion of the shop to see these versatile favorites. For first access to new vintage drops (and special promotions!) be sure to follow @TheGladSuite on Instagram, where you’ll find special coupon codes and Story Sales before items go live in the shop!
