Okay, so it isn’t quite Valentine’s Day, but I’ve been decluttering this year, cleaning out drawers and desks and cupboards, and when I came to my old 2015 calendar, it was just too pretty to throw away. So I made a garland of paper hearts from it, and that got me in the mood for Valentine’s Day, which, quite honestly, is my favorite holiday of the year!
I posted a few photos of my garland on Facebook, and before I knew it my friends were sharing that they’d made one too! (Or, in the case of my friend Katy McKenna, nine of them, including one for each of her five precious grandchildren.)
Cindy Swanson’s garland is surrounded by family photos.
Stacey Zink’s garland is a swag beneath a mantel of Valentine decor.
Just a few of the garlands Katy made for her grandkids, incorporating kids’ dime store valentines.
Katy made her own garland from old greeting cards.
I love the way Tammie Olsen caught up her beautiful garland in the middle for a scalloped effect, and also how she let the strings of twine dangle on each end.
Daphne Woodall used scrapbooking paper for her garland that’s part of a basket for a missions conference silent auction. I love that pop of black that gives it a crisp, modern look!
There were even a couple of stores—including a bookshop in the UK!—who told me they were making and hanging heart garlands. I shared more details about making a garland over on the Just 18 Summers blog.
Liz Barton made a heart garland (top of the photo) from an old garden calendar for Christian Bookshop Birkenhead in the United Kingdom, which she manages.
Bethany Martin, manager at Faith & Life in Newton, Kansas has this great display in the bookstore. (Do you see my friend Courtney Walsh’s wonderful novel there? Paper Hearts features a heart garland too!)
To celebrate Valentine’s Day (a bit early), I’m giving away a copy of my novel Because of the Rain to one of the people who comments on this post. It could be you! Just leave a comment, then check back tomorrow to see if your name was drawn!
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I remember when I was in school making valentine’s and being so proud of myself.
I love sharing with people this time of the year-God showed us the greatest love by sending Jesus!
I love the cover. It makes you want to read the book.
I like everybody’s pretty garlands they made although I know if I tried, mine would not look so nice! Happy Valentine’s Day.
Ellen if you can trace and cut out a heart you can do it too. I used a heart shaped ornament to make my pattern. It was bigger than 3 inches so I folded the traced heart in half and trimmed to size ♡
I agree with Daphne! I am NOT artistic or crafty. But I can use scissors! This was an easy, quick craft with a wonderful payoff! 🙂
The garlands are beautiful! Thank you for sharing the pictures, and the wonderful ideas!
I apologize. I posted and realized my email was incorrect!
I love your Valentine garland idea. So cool. Would love to win your book. Thank you for the opportunity to try.
Thank you for the giveaway and the lovely ideas for Valentine’s Day! 🙂
Deb, I absolutely love the idea of creating a heart garland. What fun. I just love pretty papers and what better way to display them. I have been sharing my my blog about “Pausing” and sometimes that means taking time to play – to create. I am adding this project to my list.
Thanks for sharing all the great photos too – they inspired me.
Jeanne, if you make one, I’d love it if you’d post a photo and tag me in it on Facebook! I’ve had such fun seeing how everyone brings their own style to this project! And as for “pausing,” this was such a great “contemplative” exercise. I loved remembering how using my hands in a different way made my brain work in a different creative way, too! I’m excited about taking up Bible journaling with colored pencils because I think it will be even more contemplative.
That is so neat how far the creativity spread! I love the idea; the hearts are so cute! Also, thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Callie
I’ve been meaning to make a valentine garland for years…maybe I’ll get around to it this year. Your post certainly inspired me! 😉
When I was in the 7th grade my Dad came to pick me up from school early. It was Valentine’s Day. I had a new sister! My Mom named her Julie Valentine! She is still my heart – love my little Sis.
Awwww! I LOVE that story!
What a great idea. You could do garlands for every holiday. Hearts for Valentine’s Day, shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, eggs for Easter.
So true, Becky! My friend Terry had a barn calendar and I suggested she cut little barn shapes for a garland. The possibilities are endless and wonderful!
I love this post. Creative ideas. I am going to get to work. Thank you!!!
I love the other garlands. Deborah your garland has given me so many ideas. I can envision garlands for friends in retirement or nursing homes. Garlands hanging in a hospital patient’s room or for shut-ins.
You could do little girl themed garland or boy themed. How about a Mother’s Day garland? Endless ideas!
I like the heart garlands. It is a great use of an old calendar. Kind of got me in the mood for Valentines Day. I want to read Because of the Rain. I can’t imagine being in her shoes or how I would handle the situation. I like reading books that handle hard things from a Christian perspective. May God continue to bless your writing.
Deb, I love your heart garlands!
Love all the hearts! I have numerous heart-shaped things in my house but somehow have never made a garland. Would love to win that book, too!
Deb, you have started a trend! I absolutely love this book. I have it on my Kindle, but I really need a copy for my bookshelf. I want to hold it in my hands!
Cute heart garland! We made one last year and hung it in the doorway between rooms. Would love to read your book. I love the cover.
enjoy your hearts craft idea. would be good for senior citizens and children in preschool. also enjoy your books
Thank you for sharing all the beautiful garlands and this wonderful giveaway. Talented, talented people!
I love the idea of the “hanging Valentines garland” made from old cards and calendars!! 🙂 I have a few old calendars with pictures of butterflies that I cannot throw away! your photos have inspired me to be creative and capture those butterflies in a garland! Thank you so much!
That would be beautiful! You could even cut them in butterfly shapes instead of hearts (although my calendar had butterflies and I discovered that butterflies fit nicely into a heart shape too.)
We just moved into our house and I have been having so much fun decorating the different seasons…Fall…Christmas..January is snowman month for us! But I have nothing for Valentine’s Day! Love the garland though! Maybe I will whip one out today…or two or three lol! Thank you for doing a giveaway!
It truly only took me about 2 hours to make each one. My second one is 60 hearts, the first one only 30, but I had to figure out how to do it with the first one. 😉
Love the garland idea. I myself, have been decluttering in the last couple of months but in a slightly different way. I had file drawers full of paper documents, because of my genealogy work. I went through it all, dumped some, scanned most and saved it in several places. I can’t believe how much I got rid of and how good that felt to do. So I think that’s wonderful that you “recycled” your cards. Love that idea!
Hi Deb, I love these ideas! I want to quick make one to mail to my grandkids in CA. I’ll have to hurry and get it in the mail by tomorrow. Better run! : )
Thanks for the creative and inspiring idea of making heart garlands out of used greeting cards or calendars. I hate to throw away a beautiful pic or card! Ask my husband and kids … so this is one more way I can recycle them and still hang on to the best parts!
I would LOVE to win your book! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love the garlands! But I love all of your decorating!
Love all the hearts! Very cute decore!
Before I had scrolled down to where you mentioned the book Paper Hearts I thought about it and how this post reminded me of it. It was a very sweet book for anyone who hasn’t read it. And now she’s got a new one out!
I’d love to win and read your book!!
I can’t WAIT to read Courtney Walsh’s new book!! I loved PAPER HEARTS!
Forgot to add that I need to be more creative. Going to share this.
The heart garland is a great idea. I’ll have to remember to try it at the end of the year.
I love the creative use of old calendars and cards. Thanks for sharing the photos. So pretty and cheerful!
I love the idea of using old calendars for the garlands. We have a family picture calendar every year and I have been thinking of what to do with them after the year is over. This sounds like a great idea for them. Thanks for the inspiration and the giveaway!!
I’m not sure if I’ve read any of your books yet or not, so it would be fun to win this one.
I love your creativity, writing AND decorating!
The Valentine’s decorations were so lovely and inspiring. So nice to see these creative ideas that cost little or nothing.
Your book sounds delightful!
I love all of the different garlands. They’re so cute!
I love the garlands Deborah. Sweet creativity. Happy Valentine’s day!
I would love a copy of that book! I have a garland made of antique postcards; it’s hanging in a doorway on twine, and the cards are clipped on with tiny clothes pins. You can read the backs that way. Some are over one hundred years old. I change them for each holiday.
Stacey, I LOVE that idea! I have a few of my great-grandmother’s post cards with postmarks from the early 1900s. I love them, and specially love that idea of clipping them with tiny clothespins and hanging somewhere that you can read the backs (and see the old postmarks!) Thank you for the wonderful idea!
Ooooh, I will have to make a clothespin and twine garland of my antique postcards next—thank you for that idea, Stacey! I have a collection of family postcards from around 1910, when my great-grandfather worked on the railroad and would send cards home to my 6-year-old grandpa. Their correspondence is heart-tugging and I would never cover it up! But right now, the cards are hidden away—the garland idea lets the love out of the bins! Deb, you are indeed a trendsetter in many areas, and I love following where you lead. Thank you for this lovely post and for the chance to win your book!! BTW, my five grandkids LOVED their garlands, each one personalized with their own photo as its centerpiece. Hearts cut from my own collection of greeting cards were incorporated into the mix, but of course they loved the chintzy super-hero and princess Valentines thrown in, too. It’s hard to go wrong with any variation of this project!
It was so much fun to look at all the creative ways people used materials to make heart shaped garlands. It makes everything look so special and for me , it reminds me of the greatest love we could ever have, Jesus. Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures and bringing a smile to my face.
Jhdwayne(at)peoplepc(dot)com
All the garlands are really pretty in their own ways. This has inspired me to do the same for our mantle and maybe another one for my daughter’s room. Thanks for sharing the neat idea!
I’m so inspired!
…Off in search of old greeting cards and calendars to make my own heart garland. 🙂
love the book title
I absolutely love the Valentine garlands, especially the one using kids cards. Your book would be a eat treat for Valentine’s Day. Thank you for being one of my favorite Christian writers. Keep writing to spread God’s message.
I think these are all so pretty and very clever as well…always nice to be able to recycle, reuse, and repurpose!!!
Greetings! You are one of favorite authors! I would love to add this book to my collection! Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️
Love the garland – great use for that scrapbooking paper I no longer use!
Love your garland idea and love to win your great book!
That is such a great idea. I am not crafty at all but I love other peoples creations.
Loved viewing all the beautiful heart garlands, I’m tempted to make one myself!! I’d love to read “Because of the Rain” – thanks for the giveaway opportunity, Deborah!!
How very creative! I especially like Stacey Zinks in the photos.
Deb,
What a great giveaway, thank you for the opportunity and blessings to everyone.
I also LOVE the idea of using old calendars! WOW! I have so many that I love the pictures and just hate to get rid of them! Now I need a mantle (complete with fireplace underneath, would be awesome!).
This has gotten me to thinking-snowman shapes for Christmas cards, cross shapes (or round rock to depict burial cave) for Easter, flag for 4th of July, pumpkin for fall/Halloween, turkey for Thanksgiving. . .
I really enjoy your book, too.
Thanks again.
God’s Blessings to everyone!
There are so many pretty garlands being used. That was a great idea to recycle the calendar.
I like the heart garlands…
Interesting article and some neat pictures.
Pretty garlands
What a fun way to use up old pictures. I love this idea.
Such beautiful garlands! And equally wonderful inspiration! Thanks for sharing, Deborah!
Isn’t Valentine’s day a lovely break in the middle of winter. Love your colorful hearts garland. Looks very nice on your mantle. I would love to win and read Because of the Rain. Thanks for this giveaway. Have a very nice Valentine’s Day .
What a creative person you are, Deb! Love your Valentine’s Day garland. Thanks for the chance, and Happy Valentine’s Day week to you!
Thanks so much for all the great comments, and so glad you’ve each entered the drawing. I gave up on trying to comment back to everyone! LOL! But know that I’ve read each note and appreciate you taking the time to post. Keep them coming (one per person, of course!) Then watch the comments here tomorrow to find out which one of you won! Blessings!
What a cute idea I always keep my old calendars because the pictures are nice. Now I have an idea of what to do with them. Thanks for the chance to win your book it looks really good. iamabho (at) gmail.com
What a fun post. Now I want to go make a Valentine’s garland. 🙂 Would love to read your book, Deborah. Thanks for the giveaway!!
sydneyjames68[at]gmail[dot]com
Thanks for the pictures of the handcrafted cards–they’re beautiful!
Love your garland idea!
Of course I would love the book as well!
What fun ideas for Valentines Day!! Thank you for this chance! katie07edgar(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh I love the cute heart garland, never thought of doing that before! Thanks for sharing all the pictures.
I LOVE this post! It’s wonderful to see your fans put their personal interpretation on your inspiring project. It must be so rewarding to see your idea spread creativity all the way to England! Way to go, Deb. :o)
I don’t know how this is possible, but this is the only book by Deborah Raney that I’ve never read! Would love to read it!
I love all of the heart garlands. A wonderful idea.
I love the garlands.I would love to win a copy of your book.
I love how each garland is unique. I think you’ve inspired me to make one!
Again, thank you for all the comments! I’m getting ready to draw the winner now, so check back in 5 minutes…and see if it’s YOU! 🙂
And the winner is… BECKY LEE! Becky, please e-mail your e-mail address to me at debraney@mac.com and I’ll get your book mailed out to you right away. I hope you enjoy! And thank you again, everyone, for the encouraging words and comments.
I love the idea of taking an old calendar and repurposing it to make something pretty.
I would like to win your January paperback release. Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
<– with the little hearts hanging down
So pretty! I’m inspired. (I’m also a procrastinator, so you’ll see my garland in August….)
Sorry I didn’t get on here soon enough to get in on the drawing, but I enjoyed seeing the garlands. I would love to make these with my grandkids. I will certainly get a copy of your book.
What a festive-FUN way to decorate for Valentine’s Day! Great idea, Deborah, with inspired designs by friends Stacy Zink, Daphne Woodall, and others — SO pretty! Great up-cycling project ❤️ Love it!
Love this. I am not very creative or crafty. Love this post. Thanks for the chance.
Hey, Deb—Was checking back to see who won your contest (congrats, Becky!) and noticed that your bio on this lovely blog says you are “Mimi to 5!”. Better update, lady! So happy for you that you are now a Mimi to seven!