Thrifty Thursday Valentine's Day Centerpiece

With Christmas all put away, I decided I need a new centerpiece. I thought about a wintry one, but chose to jump into Valentine's Day.

I started with the idea that I wanted "love letters". I also knew I wanted a "bouquet" and some height, a candle or fairy lights, and some red and cream for Valentine's Day. 

I decided for the love letters I would use old book pages that I could paint on. I chose some from a few pages I have from an old dictionary (the A's and a few B pages--I found this in a night stand I bought from a thrift store).

I used watercolors to paint stripes, hearts, swirls and to wash a couple of the pages.

I then needed to decide on a base or something to build my centerpiece on. I had lots of thrift store items to choose from--tarnished silver trays, old books, wood plates, trays, etc. i chose a small, thrift store wood box that I painted red.

I used a thrift store vase for my "bouquet". I could have used fake flowers, branches, rel flowers from the store, or taper candles for my "bouquet". I chose to use the dictionary pages, i.e. the love letters. I did chose the page the had the word amore on it for one of the pages. A little detail that you can't see, but I know. I rolled the pages and tied them with jute, leaving the strings long. 

I tied a craft store key I painted red to the handle of the white pitcher.

Okay, this next part is a potential fire hazard--I mean paper and fire, but I included a real candle that burns with real fire. I will only light it when we are dining. A battery operated candle is a great, safer option. Remember, never leave burning candles unattended. 

I needed a third item--the rule of odd items in decor (which only applies sometimes) and decided on a heart. I looked for a wood heart in my thrift store/junk stash but could find one. I decided to make one from BINGO cards.  I cut a heart from a piece of cardstock for a pattern and then cut out two hearts, making sure to use BINGO cards with a 14 for February 14th.

I glued the hearts together and painted a heart on the 14.

My centerpiece box needed some filler. I thought about just using a piece of burlap. Beans, buttons, pennies all would work too. I spied the bingo markers and decided they would be perfect.

I accidentally found the B14 and made sure it was front and center. 

I placed the centerpiece on a vintage towel from the thrift store. It is perfect for my smaller sized, round table and a fun way to get creative with thrift store finds.