A Stylish and Romantic Valentine's Day Dinner At Home Using Mostly Thrifted Pieces

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I prefer a low key celebration at home as it's usually so overcrowded at the restaurants, plus it can also be a pain to find a babysitter. Do you love to thrift? I sure do and almost everything featured on the tablescape for this romantic dinner I styled is thrifted.

The table and chairs, the lace fabric pieces I draped over the table, the brass candlesticks, the cups with 'you' 'me,' the vase, the glassware, and a few of the utensils are all thrifted. Yep! But look how stylish they are. These were thrifted over time and I pulled from my thrifted stash to use for this romantic dinner.

I bought these pink and red garlands from Target in that area where you can buy things for a dollar etc. These were 3 dollars I believe. I had the idea to drape them over a few of Glory the Fig(my fiddle leaf fig) limbs and love how it turned out. 

This was a behind the scene shot of me multitasking while we were shooting. Love the look on Cheyenne's face!

And there you have it, stylish doesn't have to be expensive. Also here are some tips for having a romantic dinner at home if you decide to celebrate Valentine's Day at home this year. xx

images: Lea Hartman for Design Addict Mom

10 Fun Balloon Ideas for Valentine's Day.

Forget the flowers, just give me balloons! I can never get enough balloons and i use them every chance i get. Here are 10 fun balloon ideas to make your Valentine's Day extra special like that balloon bouquet above. He definitely has the right idea! (Image courtesy of Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

This giant ombre balloon heart by Oh Happy Day is amazing! 

so adorable right! Nicole Prather Photography via Holicoffee

cute balloon card idea via I Heart Naptime

Pop champagne in balloon style! Crafted by A Beautiful Mess

Decorate with balloons for a romantic dinner at home.

yes please!

pink heart balloons for the win (via pinterest)

Take me away with this air balloon inspired illustration (via pinterest)

one of my faves! (via pinterest)

Which one is your fave? xx

10 Tips for Hosting an Amazing Friendsgiving.

In the Military community, Friendsgiving is quite popular. It's not uncommon for many Military families to not be able to go home during Thanksgiving, so the next best thing is to host a party and invite your friends which is what I did! Friendsgiving is usually a laid back affair and in today's post, I am highlighting 8 great tips to host a successful Friendsgiving.

Make a budget and stick to it.

Don't skimp on flowers. 

Plan a simple menu and ask your friends to bring a meal. In fact more than likely they'll offer to do so.  It saves on time on money when you adapt a kind of potluck type menu.

Try chicken or cornish hens instead of turkey. I opted for chicken and baked it after seasoning it with some, basil and thyme(from the garden), kosher salt, black pepper, and Jamaican jerk chicken and  letting it marinade overnight. I garnished with grapes, more basil, and lemons. It was delicious!

Try alternative seating if you don't have enough chairs. In this case, an ottoman was used for extra seating at the table.

Be realistic regarding the number of friends you can accommodate

 Please use your fancy plates! Some say it's ok to use paper plates for Friendsgiving, but that's a big no no for me despite the fact that clean up would be more of a pain, but that's what friends are for- to help with cleaning up!

It's ok to not prepare everything yourself. For e.g., this cake is store bought and that is totally fine!

A fully stocked bar is a must for cocktails after dinner.

I chalked the ends of those logs for the party-definitely a great ice breaker.

Sit back, relax,  and have a good time.  Have you ever hosted or attended a Friendsgiving? xx

Shout Outs:
Special Thanks to local florist for all the beautiful floral arrangements: wildlycultivatedflorals

Wardrobe from local Lularoe consultant and stylist: Tiffany Parsons

To Kate- you were such a blast!

Photography by the always amazing Leahartman

Tabletop styling: Stacey Blake/Design Addict Mom

One Last Summer Soirée.

Almost everyone seems to be engaging in Fall conversations while I am here thinking, "I am going to squeeze the life out of what's left of Summer." After all, it IS still Summer and it sure still feels like it.  I've said it a number of times that we basically live outside during the Summer, so today I am sharing what i refer to as One Last Summer Soirée...

It brings me such joy to be able to eat what we grow and boy have we been eating lots of basil. We have so much of it!

I made basil pesto and it was soooo good!

Am I the only one still soaking up what's left of Summer? Happy weekend everyone and the Ace Hardware giveaway winner will be announced on Monday. xx

images- Lea Hartman