February has arrived with all of its red loveliness. It is a fun and playful month that is full of great decorating ideas for our homes.
Today I’ll be taking you on a tour of our February Home. Maybe you have one of these too. We would love to come over!
As we step inside, I hope you feel warmly welcomed and entertained with all the ways we have tried to incorporate the events of February into our seasonal lifestyle.
WELCOME INSIDE
Obviously the theme is LOVE. Not just the love between a man and a woman or a couple; but L-O-V-E in general.
The season celebrates the love of God that St. Valentine gave his life for; so that others could be free to love one another in such an awesome way.
We have a sign hanging over the kitchen window that proclaims that very word. That sign was a very fitting house-warming gift from an old friend; and nothing more appropriate could have ever been given. Over the kitchen window just seemed to be the right place of honor for it; and we’ve done all that we can to live up to the sign’s reputation in our home.
There is a duplicate and decorative sign repeating the word LOVE in red and yellow glory as you first cross the threshold and enter through the front door.
That sign proclaiming “love” is housed on a chest with a rosary beside it; and a red cardinal guards both objects.
Above the chest is our painting of Michelangelo’s cherubs. The painting just seemed to fit right in with the rest of this lovely room.
You may have noticed; the color scheme is R-E-D.
Are you surprised?
I thought we would start our tour in the living room foyer; as that is where we typically greet our guest. We all hope the bright red wreath with the heart in the center makes you feel warm and loved as you enter the door.
Maybe the W-E-L-C-O-M-E sign given in the shape of hearts will help us with that too!
I love how red always shows up against the pure bright whites in the background of our homes on the doors and the walls.
STEPPING THROUGH THE FOYER
The couch table is an antique white and it too is a star for showing off all of the red accessories we can find during this month.
I love the color of black for a backdrop; and that is evident in the large coffee table and the frames of the classic art work that is always housed in the room for every season.
The black lends to the pops of red and silver we are using.
Silver turns out to be a very good accent color for all of our February décor. It sparkles here and there and everywhere; lending a certain amount of festive flair to all the classic red, white and black.
You know we would not enjoy this season nearly so much without the flowers and the angels.
We’ve placed a few of them in strategic spots around the room to add a certain friendly, cared-for look.
LOVING THE CARDINALS
My favorite of the bird species is the beautiful, bright red Cardinal.
This pretty bird seems to say to so many of us that a prayer has been answered; so we like to see Cardinals in February.
Not only will you get a glimpse of them all over our house but they come in droves sometimes and inhabit our front and back yards.
We spend hours just watching them play outside our windows. Their bright red coats show up very well on our snow days; which have been more this year than ever.
They always lift my heart and I am always in wonder of the Creator who had such a brilliant idea when He created them to make the world such a better place.
The cross of Christ hangs over the entrance as always blessing each party that comes into our home.
It is the love in the hearts of the people living behind the walls and those who choose to bring that love inside from other places that makes the home so wonderful.
They all reflect that old, old bible verse that I first learned as a child which says; “God is love.”
A February house is all about the wonderful people that come to join in the fellowship of the month. The happy, smiling faces gather in different and various groups into the rooms and make the atmosphere inside as warm as the blazing fire that has been placed in the fire-place and as cheerful as the red and white roses that have been displayed around the room for all to enjoy.
The Living Room has to be one of the coziest places that we gather. Some of these photos are old and fuzzy but I keep them because of the fun memories that they bring to mind.
GATHERING IN THE LIVING ROOM
Don’t you love the smiles that appear randomly around this room for many different gatherings?
We have enjoyed such times with just family. Also, we have shared intimate times as a couple just sitting before the fire. There are those time when we have entertained our lovely grand children with stories here.
Each February we like to surprise them with games and crafts and fun activities. When I stop to think back a bit; we have even enjoyed special February baby showers with close friends and relatives in these rooms.
February is just the perfect month to show others that you care.
When you leave the living room and enter the kitchen things get even more festive!
GATHERING IN THE KITCHEN
My husband has cooked up many a romantic Valentine’s feast in this room over the years. He is a great chef! You never know what type of delicious meal he is going to create. It is always such a treat.
I’ve also held a few family gatherings inside this kitchen for Valentine’s Day; and they turned out just grand.
A good time was had by all. The sweets that the table provided only added to the sweetness of each little event.
FEBRUARY BABY SHOWER
We really did have a beautiful baby shower for our daughter here one year. She was happily surprised with all kinds of wonderful little girl gifts.
The food was so festive and the decorations were so much fun on that occasion.
To bring everyone into the mood of our theme we brought in one of our favorite Winnie The Pooh canvases and sang “The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book as we played our games and opened the gifts.
The house was full of laughter and love that day. The best part was all the supportive and smiling faces of our good friends and neighbors.
GRANDKIDS IN THE HOUSE
No one could ever be craftier with their Valentine’s wishes than our three little grandchildren. They have created a million and one little projects in this February house; and our scrapbook is full of the sweet memories that their presence brought to our hearts.
FEBRUARY FOODS
We have come up with some really delicious traditional February recipes, such as this red velvet cake with the cream cheese icing, these pretty heart-shaped cookies and these easy to make cracker candies. One year I made cake-pops in the shape of hearts and iced them in pink and chocolate. Yum! Everyone loved them; even our cat! He watched me make them through the kitchen window with a keen interest. I know he wanted to jump right through the window and attack those little cake pops. It is a rare moment when you can tell exactly what a cat is thinking – but I knew that time!
RED CHAIRS FOR MAKING GOOD CONVERSATIONS
I’ve found my two red winged-back chairs are just the best for making cozy little seating areas for every one to chat about their favorite things before the fire. These two chairs usually live in our master bedroom but I always bring them out and let them lend their red cheerfulness and cozy comfort to the Christmas season; then leave them around for the February Home.
The chairs are some of the first pieces of furniture my husband and I picked for our home as a couple; and they are pretty old now; but they are still loved and cherished and the sight of them fills my heart with warm memories of the guests who have occupied them over the years.
HAPPY FEBRUARY MEMORIES
In these photos I have of them, I can see my father who is no longer with us. I am so happy to have these photos of some of the last sweet memories we shared with him inside our February home.
I’ve said it so many times before; but the celebrating of the seasons with the decorating of our homes isn’t about the show; it is all about the people that come together for the fun and festivities and the memories that you make when they arrive. I love the excuses that February gives us for such times.
USING THE IN SEASON FAMILY TREE
This February looks to be even more wonderful than ever. My granddaughter has given me a new idea for the IN SEASON Family Tree for the kitchen. We will be decorating it together this weekend. Keep reading to see our new idea!
I think you will love it – because it is SO FEBRUARY.
Here is a wish for the end of winter to be a great blessing to you and your family this year.
