How to Decorate for Valentine's Day Without Hearts

Author:
Rose Clearfield
Updated date:
Aug 20, 2015

Rose is a full-time freelance writer who frequently writes about education, special education, DIY projects, food, Milwaukee, and more.

how-to-decorate-for-valentines-day-easy-simple-decor-without-hearts — Copyright 2014, Rose Clearfield

While hearts are a classic décor theme for Valentine's Day, there is no reason that you have to use them in all, or even some, of your decorating. Use hearts for few select pieces and choose other themes for the rest of your décor or skip hearts altogether. From wall art to centerpieces to mantel decorations, there are non-heart options for virtually every aspect of Valentine's Day decorating.


	A Few Ideas To Get You Started
Lace	Flowers	XOXO
Romantic Sayings / Quotes	I Love You in Multiple Languages	Candles
Red / Pink / Purple / White	Photos	Lovebirds

Lace

Nothing says romantic and timeless like delicate piece of white lace. Pick up a new or vintage lace tablecloth, add lace doilies to side tables or a mantel, or wrap candle holders in paper doilies with intricate cutouts.

Paper and felt / fabric flowers are simple, affordable, and cheerful.
Copyright 2012, Rose Clearfield

Real or Fake Flowers

Flowers are another classic Valentine's Day theme / gift that may not even occur to you as you brainstorm non-heart decorating ideas because it's so obvious. Fill a vase that you decorated yourself with real or fake flowers. There are numerous tutorials available online for making flowers out of paper, fabric, felt, buttons, and more. Candy bouquets are also popular for Valentine's Day.

Rolled Book Paper Roses ~ Tutorial ~

Felt and Paper Flowers Tutorial: DIY Craft Project
This article is a tutorial for felt and paper flowers. It includes a supply list, step by step directions for making bouquets, and lots of photos. It also includes other suggestions for felt and paper flower projects.

XOXO

You can add XOXO to just about any décor item. Grab wooden letters at the craft store and paint them or cover them with scrapbook paper. Add it to pillows, candles, wooden blocks, and vases. Stamp or paint it on fabric to create tableclothes and napkins. Spell it out with Scrabble tiles. Design your own or download wall art with a single XOXO set or repeating XOXO.

Romantic Sayings / Quotes

Romantic sayings and quotes are beautiful inspiration for Valentine's Day décor. Make framed or canvas pieces with favorite love phrases and quotes that you can display on walls, mantels, side tables, and bedroom dressers. Stencil on wood, hand letter on paper, or paint on canvas. You can also create a unique photography piece by adding a phrase or quote to a favorite photo. There are a wide variety of décor pieces with romantic sayings and quotes available on Etsy or you can make your own.

Everyday I Love You Word Art - the DIY village
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Alisa's tutorial for a large statement canvas piece with an e.e. cummings poem.
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Do you love the wood shipping pallet signs infiltrating home décor lately? Learn how to make your very own aged pallet art.
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DIY Wall Art Tutorial on how to paint your own canvas with your favorite inspirational quote.

Resources for Romantic Quotes

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I Love You in Multiple Languages

There are so many simple, affordable pieces with "I love you" in English, in another language, or in a variety of languages. It is not hard to find one to purchase. Of course you can make your own as well, particularly if you have a specific idea that you haven't been able to find anywhere.

Candles

Candles are inexpensive and never fail to create a romantic atmosphere. Check the dollar store, and watch for semi-annual sales and other big promotions at chain stores that carry candles, such as Bath & Body Works. It shouldn't be hard to find candles in Valentine's Day colors. You can also make your own candles or simply add a little Valentine's Day flair to candle holders by embellishing them.

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Make cleaner-burning candles with soy wax - it's easier and cheaper than you might think!
Cathie Filian: Make it: Tissue Transferred Candles
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Check out the candle idea in this post.

Red / Pink / Purple / White

When you put together a Valentine's Day filled color palette for a given décor piece, no one will even think about the fact that there aren't any hearts present. You can use any combination of red, pink, purple, and white that you like. Don't be afraid to throw in little hints of other colors as well.

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This set includes subway art for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and the 4th of July.
Purple Tablecloth Roll - Oriental Trading
Available in additional colors.

Couple / Family Photos

In a digital age where many people, even serious photographers, don't print most of their photos, there is something extra special about framed photos and other photo décor (i.e. collages, photo cubes, ornaments). Valentine's Day is a great excuse to make a new wall hanging or table decoration with family photos that you can leave up all year round.

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Lovebirds

Aren't lovebirds sweet? They are a great element for bird enthusiasts to include in their Valentine's Day decorating. Look for items that feature a pair of lovebirds. There are lovebird photos for sale as well as drawings and paintings.

Are you looking for more Valentine's Day resources? Check this out!

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Are you looking for Valentine's Day home décor ideas? This article has over ten tutorials for easy decorating craft ideas, many of which you can make with kids.
Valentine's Day DIY Paper Crafts: Book Page Craft Ideas
Are you looking for some easy book page craft projects to make for Valentine's Day gifts this year? Choose from handmade DIY tutorials for wreaths, banners, wall décor, ornaments, and more!
Valentine's Day Photo Ideas: Photography Props and More
Are you planning a Valentine's Day photo shoot? Make your session complete with fun props, accessories, and backdrops for babies, kids, and couples.

Comments

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 13, 2014:

jpcmc, it was a challenge finding so many different non-heart options, but I'm glad that I did it! Thanks.

JP Carlos from Quezon CIty, Phlippines on January 12, 2014:

Valentine's day decoration without hearts. That's a challenge. but obviously you owned it! These are some creative ideas here.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 12, 2014:

Thanks so much, FlourishAnyway!

FlourishAnyway from USA on January 11, 2014:

Cute ideas. I especially like the suggestions regarding lovebirds and "I love you" in different languages.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 10, 2014:

Thanks, Kathryn! I agree that decorating with all hearts can be overkill. Mixing it up a little bit is refreshing. Take care! :)

Kathryn from Windsor, Connecticut on January 10, 2014:

These are great ideas! Sometimes decorating with all hearts can be a bit much, so these are really cute suggestions.

Thanks for sharing this with us, and have a great day!

~ Kathryn

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 10, 2014:

I completely agree with you about hearts, Glimmer Twin Fan! Personally I am a fan, but I know that not feels the same way. Regardless, it's good not to go overboard. I think that lace will always be a classic. Thanks for stopping by!

Claudia Mitchell on January 10, 2014:

Hearts are nice, but it is good to mix it up and not everyone is into hearts. Love the lace and candles ideas. Lace was always popular when I was younger. Thanks for this nice roundup.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 10, 2014:

RTalloni, you're right that decorating without hearts is a great way to extend the use of those items into March!

DzyMsLizzy, I love hearts, but it's easy to overdo them, as so many Valentine's Day items and project ideas do feature hearts. The antique cards sounds neat!

WiccanSage, again, you're right about how hearts are used so much these days. It does get hard to think about anything else as you're trying to come up with décor options.

Mackenzie Sage Wright on January 09, 2014:

What great ideas! Hearts are not my favorite thing, alternatives are great. Even if you are using a few hearts, sometimes it's hard to think beyond them when decorating for Valentine's Day; maybe that's why I find them unappealing, they're so overwhelmingly overused. I love this hub, and am looking forward to Valentine's Day! Voted up!

Liz Elias from Oakley, CA on January 09, 2014:

Clever ideas! I like them. Hearts are indeed rather trite. I have some antique valentine's cards from the 1800's and they were largely hand-made; very few purchased, and heavy on lace themes rather than hearts.

Voted up, interesting and useful.

RTalloni on January 09, 2014:

Good job here, and I like the idea of enjoying Valentine's decorating without hearts. The effort to do extra decorating can linger into March if done right! (Tried to pin but notice said come back later.)