Welcome to my blog! I so happy to be bringing you Valentine's Day inspiration from ten different blogs sites on a blog hop! Special thanks to Janine at Happy Happy Nester for hosting us! Welcome to those of you who hopped over from Summer's blog Summer Adams Designs. I love Summer and her beautiful home and design style. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and join us for beautiful ways to decorate and entertain this Valentine's Day. Enjoy your stay!

I love Valentine's Day! Since Valentine's Day falls on a dreary winter day it gives us all a perfect excuse to brighten up our homes with fresh flowers and colorful hearts! More importantly we get to acknowledge and treat the people we love in our lives.

For me Valentine's Day has always been a family holiday! It was never about just my husband and myself. We celebrate our friendships and loved ones on Valentine's Day. I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my daughters watching them make homemade cards for their classmates. For our neighbors we would bake heart shaped sugar cookies and cupcakes and decorate them with red and pink sprinkles. There was always a bowl of those chalky hearts with phrases that we would pick through to find the perfect phrases to eat or share.

Valentine's Day is a great night for entertaining at home! Restaurants are usually packed and it can be difficult to get a reservation. When I entertain on Valentine's Day I like my decor light and bright with a bit of whimsy! (I'll save the romance for a private dinner with my husband.)

The bar cart is always a gathering spot for guests. The perfect start for a Valentine celebration is champagne. so I'll make sure to have plenty chilled for this occasion. Also enough spirits and mixes if someone wants a cocktail.

On Valentine's Day I pull out all the hearts and flowers. Anything I have that is red, pink, or gold is brought out. I insert "heart" and "love" prints into my frames. This heart and arrow print is actually a cocktail napkin in a lucite frame from HomeGoods.

Pink polka-dot Kate Spade dessert plates are perfect for this occassion. Thankfully my homemade cupcakes don't have to look perfect when baked in these cute striped cupcake paper holders.

I fill the house with flowers for Valentine's Day!

Any decor with "love" or "xoxo" is placed on display. Keeping my accents white really helps to pop my Valentine decor.

Have you ever shopped in the "paper" section of HomeGoods?! I always find the most amazing seasonal decor in that area! I love this banner hanging from the chandelier. It sets the perfect mood. Since Valentine's Day is about sweets and treats, these little paper heart boxes are filled with candies for my guests to take home.

When I think of Valentine's Day my first thoughts are flowers, chocolate candy, and diamonds! Every girl's dream! I think these "engagement diamond" napkin rings are so fun, so then I had to scatter even more faux diamonds across the table with chocolate pink foil hearts, just for fun, sparkle, and color!

I love these festive pink gold rimmed glasses from HomeGoods. Perfect for Valentine's Day. The retro champagne glasses are ideal for holding candles and keeps the table decor uniform. The black and white candle sticks add so much interest (shop here for candle sticks). Pink flower plates and lace trimmed napkins complete the Valentine theme.

Just a final thought about the bar cart. It can also be a great space for serving a variety of desserts and after dinner drinks. For more ideas on entertaining with a bar cart I have a fabulous guide from FTD on how to make your bar cart the hit of the party! 'How to Style a Bar Cart' CLICK HERE.

Now I know you want to hop over to the next blog because you don't want to miss Gloribell's beautiful Valentine's Day decor and style at I Don't Know How She Does It !!!

The other talented blogger/designers in this Valentine's Day blog hop are:

Sheila Maison de Cinq

Amy Crazy Chic Decor

Kathleen Lindsay Hill Interiors

Janine Happy Happy Nester

Lizbeth Home and Fabulous

Amie Meme Hill

Kim and Lacey Styled With Lace

Gloribell I Don't Know How She Does It

Summer Summer Adams Designs

and me

I hope you have a fabulous Valentine's Day celebrating the friendships and loved ones in your life! xoxo~Joan