Well, hello lovelies and happy "soon to be" Valentine's Day to all of you! I love celebrating this holiday by preparing a special meal for my family. I usually make something easy like my kids' favorite lasagne, salad, bread and - of course - something with chocolate for dessert! However, now that we're empty nesters, our Valentine's Day will involve a night out together or having friends over.

I enjoy decorating my table to reflect a casual, cottage style using things that I have around my house. Here are a few examples of easy ways to decorate a table for Valentine's Day (or any other special celebration!) that are not only pretty AND kid-friendly, but EASY as well. I am using napkin rings as the key item that can be changed around depending on the look you're going for.

To decorate the table, I used white milk vases (from Homegoods) filled with flowers. I then took red heart-shaped lights (battery operated ones that I purchased from Wegman's last year in the clearance aisle) and placed faux hydrangea branches around them. I also used a pearl garland that I found after Christmas at a local barn sale and wrapped it around the vases. I used rattan placements (found at a thrift store) to give my table a casual look. White dishes and white napkins complete the casual, cottage look.

Once you have your table display finished, you can play around with how you want to use your napkin rings. Here are three ideas:

Festive: Place a straw in with the napkin

Edges of napkin facing middle of table. Guests can use the straw for their drinks.

Elegant: Place a Tulip in with the napkin

Edges of napkin facing the middle of table.

Fun: Place candy in the ring (For AFTER dinner, of course!)

I placed tissue paper in the napkin ring and then filled it with candy. Napkin is under the ring.

I think the last use of the napkin rings is my favorite because I'm all about having fun and I think this will be your kids' favorite as well! I hope you enjoy making memories with your family and friends around your table.

Thanks for stopping by, sweet friends!