Pink and Red Galore

Ahh February! Also known as the month that contains Valentine's Day. This is the holiday that makes this pink loving gal expand her color palette to include red. Well, from time to time I will add a tiny pop of red to our pastel palette, in the home and in my fashion. I see red as the oh so necessary maraschino cherry placed atop a neapolitan sundae or cone. In our decor I feel like red makes the pastels pop…like if there are red accents on a hand painted pink sign, then the pinks look even pinker. And when it comes to my wardrobe, all it takes is some deep red lipstick to totally set off an all pastel ensemble. So yeah, red acts both literally and figuratively as the cherry on top. 

And at this time of year red appears in great abundance around here. Lots of vintage Valentine ephemera is heavy on the red, and with us nostalgia wins big. So instead of sticking to our tight palette of pastels, we'll cast red in a starring role. 

As I said on Instagram earlier today, if you accompanied me to the grocery store and I happen to wander off…you can find me in one of two places...the baking aisle or the floral dept. 

And yes, this most recent trip to the grocery store was no different. I wandered off and came back with this bouquet. I simply couldn't pass it up! It made me so happy, and it was only $5.99!

It actually came with double the blooms you see here. The rest are placed in other vases around the house. 

I love the pink, red and white paired with the aqua-turquoise hue of this vintage ball jar. It is one of my favorites! 

 This time of year means pulling out some of my all time favorite decorations, including my Magpie Ethel assemblages form our friend Laurie Romanaggi. We have been collecting her creations for years.  I was looking for more pieces from this collection, rummaging through some boxes I had stacked way in the back of a closet, when sadly I was reminded that I lost the pieces I was looking for to Hurricane Sandy…that complete jerk. 

Ah well…it's senseless to lament...I'll just have to add more to our collection! 

So, not only is it nearly Valentine's Day…we've also got Galentine's Day on the way! For those who do not know what Galentine's Day is…it is a Parks & Recreation reference/episode that kinda took on a life of it's own. 

Here's a little clip to bring you up to speed. 

I love the whole concept of Galentines, so I jumped at the chance to participate when I was asked by my friend Kristen to take part in a Galentine's swap among Instagram friends! This swap works in a way that's unlike a traditional swap, in that the person we send to is not the person who sends to us. So that means no one knows who has who! 

We all filled out a little questionnaire and then the info was passed on to our would-be partners. We all mailed our packages out in time so that we could all open them on Galentine's Day…Feb 13th! I was joking the other day to Aaron that I sorta feel like a grown-up, because there is a box here full of gifts for me and I haven't opened it yet. ha! I'm in awe of my adult-like restraint.  

Above are pics of the gifts I sent off…if you focus reeeaaly hard you can indeed see a name on a tag. oops! ; ) Still lots of surprises.

Oh and this. Just a typical scene around here. 

Hope you guys have been having a great week! And thanks so so much for all the sweet words about our Sweetheart Valentine's Day wreath! And for entering the giveaway! We are LOVING reading all about your fave Vday memories!! Some are so funny, and some are just so sweet! You still have 2 days left to enter if you haven't already! 

Thanks for popping in!!

Love from the Jersey Shore!

xo Jenny…and Aaron says hi!