Eye Candy for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  Did you get a chance to visit the wonderful Before and Afters posted for yesterday's Met Monday?  I was once again blown away by all the wonderful talent and creativity in Blogland!

I started to name today's post, "Hijacked" because this post started out with one topic and it kind of morphed into something else.  You'll see what I mean in a sec.

If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you probably remember this little feather tree.  I found it one Christmas for 50% off at Michael's and placed it here in the guest room.

This past Christmas I decided to use it in the upstairs family room, instead.  I know you can't tell, but it's decorated with clear, etched glass orbs, crystal-like garland and a crystal/beaded snowflake on top.   Well, the squeaky wheels started turning and I thought, hey, wouldn't a feather tree be cute decorated for Valentine's Day?  Hold that thought.

Last Thursday I posted this Valentine's Day table setting.  (Click link to view.)

The centerpiece included hearts I covered with sheet music (tutorial can be found HERE) and pink glass hearts I found on eBay.  A dearheart mentioned in the comments on the tablescape post that the pink hearts were also available at Jo-Ann's.   I was planning to reuse these pink hearts on the feather tree, but with this new development another idea popped into my fuzzy little brain.  Off to Jo-Ann's, I did go.

Not only did Jo-Ann's have the adorable pink hearts, they were half price, too!  At $4 for a dozen, I bought several boxes.  They had one box of red hearts left, so that one came home with me, too.  After paying $17 for one box on eBay, I couldn't resist buying several at this awesome price.

Using this amazingly soft, pink yarn called Angel Fleece, I strung the pink hearts together to create pretty, heart garland for the feather tree.  I attached more of the Angel Fleece yarn to the red hearts and they became ornaments for this Valentine's Day tree.  The tree topper is a heart from the garland I used to decorate the guest bed in yesterday's Met Monday post, HERE.

Remember this little pitcher from yesterday's post? I'm so glad I cut the daffodils from the garden a few days ago.  Tonight they are forecasting snow flurries and I've been hearing something that sounds like ice crystals falling all evening.  The "Love" pitcher came from Old Time Pottery a few years back.  It was the centerpiece for this Valentine's Day table setting.

Now here's where this post gets hijacked.   This post was supposed to just be about making heart garland with pink glass hearts and soft pink yarn, but I got distracted.  Yesterday, I purchased a couple of lenses I've been hoping to add to my picture taking arsenal.  The photograph below was taken with a  Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens.   I didn't use the tripod for this shot, so it's not quite as crisp as I'd like.  But I am loving how this prime lens laughs in the face of low lighting.

This was also taken with the 35mm.

The other glass I've been not-so-patiently-waiting-for is a macro lens.  I had planned to buy a 60mm lens but the store manager recommended the Nikkor 85mm since it has VR (vibration reduction).  So, I went with the Nikon 85mm micro lens since I may not always have a tripod handy.  Nikon calls their macro lens a micro lens, but it's the same thing.  (Update:  Returned the 85mm and upgraded to the 105mm.)

So, this means I have no more excuses for not bringing you in close for some detailed shots of tablescapes and the other goodies I post about.

With a little cropping, we can get insanely close.  Okay, I won't always take you this close, I'm just testing the boundaries right now.   I love how you can even see the little fuzzy fibers surrounding the strands of the Angel Fleece yarn.

I do love this macro lens.  I took these pictures using a tripod and my next purchase will most likely be a remote shutter release so I don't have to actually touch the camera to take the photo.  When you're using a macro lens, the less chance of movement, the better.

All the photos I posted for last weeks Tablescape Thursday and yesterday's Met Monday were taken in Manual mode.  I'm rarely shooting in Auto now because when I'm taking photos facing into bright light (like the porch windows for last week's tablescape and the guest room windows for yesterday's post) the auto setting just isn't getting the job done.

Back to the original purpose of this post...if you buy some of these adorable hearts, they also look great strung on jute for a more casual, shabby cottage feel.  I think they would be adorable strung across a mantel, a headboard, the top of a secretary or armoire, in front of a window...really just about anywhere.  And why not keep them out all year!

I used a Larks Head knot to attach my hearts spacing them out about 9 inches apart.  Attaching them with the Larks Head knot made the process fast and easy.  If you aren't sure how to tie this knot, just Google it and you'll find a demonstration on You Tube and several online sites.  By some miracle, I still remembered how to make that knot from my macrame days.  Can't believe I can even still remember what it's called.  It was such a common knot with macrame, I guess it has stuck with me.   Even if you don't use it for this, it's a good knot for hanging decorative tassels and other such things.  Just google and there are numerous tutorials...and it's easy.

Happy Valentine's Day!  Hope your day is extra special. ♥