10 Easy & Cheap Ways to Decorate for Valentine’s Day

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Are you looking for some help in decorating for Valentine’s Day? Here are 10 Pro Tips that are so easy to incorporate in your home – and so cheap! And if you happen to love farmhouse style too, you’re gonna love it! Your house will be decorated with the best of them – with so little effort!

Brighten Up the Winter with Valentine’s Day Decor

When it comes to Valentine’s Day decorating, it’s a pretty small window. If you start in January and leave it up until the end of February (I think that’s really as far as you can stretch it), you’re talking about 5-6 weeks at most.

However, while I’m a huge fan of the neutral winter decor of the greens, tans, whites, and blacks, about this time of the year, I need some brightness and color to offset some of the bleakness of winter and January.

Valentine’s Day is perfect for that.

(However, if you like to go a little more neutral, take a look here to see how I did a rustic, elegant, “mostly” neutral Valentine’s Day display with a romantic vibe!)

Simple and Cheap: That’s My Valentine’s Day Style

It’s really not too hard to add a little Valentine’s Day bling to your house without it taking over. There are a few tips I use to style my house, and to be honest, they are very similar to what I do every season. They are easy and cheap and doable – because, you know – SAHM life.

So today, I want to share what I did for Valentine’s Day and how you can do it, too. Very easily. Very inexpensively.

10 Easy Ways to Decorate for Valentine’s Day like a Pro

1| Use Free Printables or Gift Bags

This is one of my favorite hacks, and no talent is required. Free printables are EVERYWHERE on Pinterest, and you can get frames for $1 at Dollar Tree.  You can download these 8 farmhouse Valentine’s Day printables here for frames or mini signs or this Love is Patient Love is Kind printable here that you see in the picture below.

 

Here’s a more simple look I did the following year when I was going for a more neutral rustic Valentine’s Day theme (you can catch that whole look right here!) – this has a framed gift bag as well!

 

If you can’t find what you want online, try looking for gift bags! Most of them are just $1 each, or if you want some smaller ones, you can get 3 for $1. My Etsy shop also has inexpensive printables you can frame as well!

Gift bags also work great if you want to make a garland or bunting!

2| Hit up Target, Hobby Lobby, and Dollar Tree

These are my go-to spots for cheap seasonal decor.  That Bullseye Dollar spot at Target? I’m there just about every week. They are always putting new things out, and it can go quickly, so keep checking!

Below, the mugs, the tier tray, and the pink heart pail are all from Target Dollar Spot!

Hobby Lobby marks down their seasonal decor WEEKS before the season ends!  About a month before Valentine’s Day, Hobby Lobby had their Valentine’s Day decor marked down 40%! And that’s usually as low as it will go until AFTER Valentine’s Day, so stock up.

This is a sign I got at Hobby Lobby:

And other pro-tip from Hobby Lobby? Check the wedding section! You can find lots of heart and romantic-themed decor, and usually, they will rotate that in with their 50% off sales!

I got these floating grapevine hearts in the wedding section for half off!

(Walmart is also another store that has upped its game when it comes to cute, farmhouse seasonal decor! Look there too!)

 Below is another way I styled these grapevine hearts.

Dollar Tree is another winner. You may or may not find decor you love there, but you will find a ton of raw materials to put together in a stylish way.

Here are a few ways I styled decor from Dollar Tree:

In the picture below, you can see the blue sign, which I thought was a unique choice for Valentine’s Day, but I grabbed it Big Lots and fell in love with it! A perfect complement to more neutral Valentine’s Day decor! The shiplap heart is Dollar Tree upcycle and the framed heart sign is another upcycle I DIYed. Which leads me to my next tip…

And if you don’t’ like it as is, try my next tip…

3| DIY, Sister!

Look, I’m not crafty by nature, but there’s so much you can do in the DIY department that can be transformed into an easy and cheap project! I see so many crafty groups on Facebook, especially ones using Dollar Tree crap materials, and it inspired me to a challenge to decorate for Valentine’s Day (#dtvdaychallenge2020). You can see all of them here in this Valentine’s Day DIY post with the instructions, but here are a few crafts I made from Dollar Tree items:

I also made these 2 wreaths –  DIY rope heart wreath and DIY minimalist hoop heart wreath –  from mostly Dollar Tree materials!

You can also find 30 amazing Valentine’s Day DIY projects here in this post. They are amazing and adorable.

4| Include Easy Seasonal Transfers

You don’t need to totally remove all your winter items for Valentine’s Day decor. A lot of times, winter decor is a nice complement to Valentine’s Day, especially if you use a lot of neutral and white colors. White snowflakes or flocked trees blend in real pretty with Valentine’s Day decor, as do black and white.

Below, I kept the flock potted tree and the birch candles as well. That winter decor mixes perfectly with the Valentine’s Day decor! The faux rhinestone drips on the tree also give a winter, snowy feeling.

Christmas decor that’s red but not too Christmasy works great for Valentine’s Day as well! So when you’re packing up your Christmas decor, keep the red decor that can transfer easily on hand. Same goes for your winter decor.

5| Don’t Overdo It

The nice thing about Valentine’s Day is that you don’t need to do your WHOLE house like you might at Christmas. A few vignettes here and there are really enough to brighten things up without being overwhelming.

A few ways you can add in Valentine’s Day decor without being overwhelming is to decorate:

Tier Trays

 

Shelves

Console & Coffee Tables

Here’s another version of the console table:

 

Porches

 

 

 

Coffee Bars

Dining Table Centerpiece

 

This is a coffee table DIY rope basket that I placed in a different area this year, but it’s exactly what I’d use on a coffee table!  

Pro Tip: As a general rule, try to stay with one color scheme per vignette. I don’t think it’s necessary to be uniform throughout your entire house, but for each staging area, pick a color theme (red and white, pink and white, black and red, etc, neutral) and stick with it. I typically won’t mix pinks and reds in the same area, but sometimes I do break my own rules just a bit!

6| Chalkboards or Letterboards

These are super-fun ways to add in some Valentine’s Day decor that’s easy and simple! You can find some fun sayings for letterboards for Valentine’s Day here, and you can use those on chalkboard signs as well! 

As a former English teacher, using love poetry on chalkboard signs is one of my favorites! Elizabeth Barrett Browning ‘How Do I Love Thee?’ Can’t go wrong!

Chalkboards and letterboards also tie in with my next tip…

7| Use What You Have (Just Adapt Seasonally)

There are a few staple items I have on hand that I use for every season; I just modify them to fit the season. For example:

Jars or vases with seasonal fill inside

 

Bottles, jars, or vases with seasonal faux flowers or greens

Stamped books (you can paint and use the same books or easily make new ones)

Chalkboards and letterboard

Containers like baskets, bowls, lanterns, buckets. etc., filled with seasonal decor

Frames and candle holders (see below)

 

These are all things I use just about every season, but change the insides to go with it. You’ll save a LOT by not starting from scratch!

8| Shop Your House

Take a look around your house and see what you can upcycle. Is there a basket or container that would work great for Valentine’s Day if you painted it? What about a neutral wreath that maybe just needs some seasonal embellishment? Is there a beautiful frame you can use and just replace the print?

For example, I got this pail on Christmas clearance for $5. It was green originally, but I thought I’d get more use if I painted it white. Now, I can pretty much use it for every season.

 

Go through your house and see if there’s anything you have that you can modify with just a little paint or sprucing up. Thrift stores are great for this as well!

Another example – this is a picture frame I picked up years ago. Instead of framing a photo, I used scrapbook paper and then I took the embellishment from a bead garland and secured it to the top of the frame. It’s become one of my favorite pieces of decor.

9| Natural Decor

Typically, when you think of natural decor, you think of pine cones, greens, branches, acorns – things that maybe feel like they can be better for fall, Christmas, or winter decor. But to be honest, tree branches are some of my favorite natural decor that’s free and transfers so well to all seasons!

I have this wooden log I hung from my porch, and I just change out the hangings for the seasons.

You know what else is amazing? Dead branches! Just stick them in a bucket or pitcher and hang some Valentine’s Day decor on them… floating hearts or yarn hearts…all so super easy and super-quick projects! Even greens can still work in adding a little dimension to Valentines’ Day Decor.

You can get the instructions for this branch tree right here!

10| Stalk Etsy, Pinterest and Instagram for Inspiration

There are so many creatives out there – there is no need for you to reinvent the wheel! If you aren’t sure how to put it all together, Etsy, Pinterest, and Instagram are all great to get a visual. I screenshot all the time to get ideas and then I just try to model some of what I see. 

People are so willing and happy to share their ideas. And often, these people are the pros – so you are getting trending and beautiful decor ideas.

I also love to pick up a few things from Etsy when I don’t have the time or expertise to make them. Here are some of my favorite Valentines’ Day items from Etsy!

 

Pro Tips for Valentine’ Day = Easy as Pie!

It’s not hard at all to decorate for Valentine’s Day! You can make your house look like a pro by just doing a few simple things! They are SO easy, and you can get your kids involved in so many of these tasks!

More Valentine’s Day Decor Inspiration

Simple, Clean, Classy Valentine Vignette Decorating Ideas

30+ Valentine’s Day Door Decorations for a Stunning Entry

30 Breathtaking Valentine’s Day Table Decor: Centerpieces & More!

30 DIY Valentine’s Day Wreaths & Modern Farmhouse Pretty

30+ Farmhouse Valentine’s Day DIY Decor Projects

Farmhouse Valentine’s Day Decorations on a Budget

Easy Rustic Valentine’s Day Decorating for an Elegant Look

8 Valentine’s Day Mini Sign Free Printables

8 Super Easy Farmhouse Valentine DIY Projects from Dollar Tree

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and see what you come up with! Please tag me on Instagram @100affections so I can see it and share on my stories!

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!