Locker Tags - Valentine Style

The women's clothing store where I work has lockers where we can stow our purses "and other valuables" (which in my case, means hairspray!) while we're working.  A couple of my coworkers have been making holiday-themed name tags for the lockers, so I decided to take my turn and make some Valentine ones.

I needed eight tags total so I kept them fairly simple.  I selected some pretty papers from The Old World Stack paper pad by DCWV (a stack that is several years old and still one of my favorites), and die-cut two sizes of scalloped hearts.  I then die-cut two plain hearts, one from sheet music and the other from a coordinating cardstock.

For the base, I die-cut a plain rectangle from ivory cardstock and a scalloped rectangle from the colored cardstock.  Overall, the tags are about 3x6 inches.  I added a paper flower to the center and hand-wrote the names.  I think these will look lovely on our old-fashioned school lockers, and "the girls" can keep them when the name tags get changed out the next time around.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Spellbinders Nestabilities dies (heart, scalloped heart, rectangle, scalloped rectangle); patterned paper by DCWV, naturals ivory cardstock from Stampin' Up; paper flower by Paper Studio.

Ring My Bell - Valentine Thank You

Yes, I'm still making valentines!  Kind of.  This is a Valentine-themed thank you card for my mom's cousin, who gave me the corrugated cardstock I used to make the scalloped heart.  She had received a bunch of art and craft supplies from a friend who was downsizing, and she happily shared some items that were right up my alley.

After die-cutting the scalloped heart, I scraped it with titanium white acrylic paint and sprinkled on chunky antique gold glitter.  Once it was dry, I sponged gathered twigs distress ink around the edges.  I used a piece of vintage ribbon to tie on the smaller red heart, adding a mini Tim Holtz bell.  The Slavic-language sheet music is from an old hymnal in my stash.

Have a beautiful day!

Supplies:
Buttermints cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper and corrugated cardstock by DCWV; titanium white acrylic paint; vintage gold chunky glitter by Recollections (Michaels); spun sugar and gathered twigs distress ink; vintage sheet music and lace from my stash; tiny bell from Tim Holtz; pop-dots.

Healing Hearts Valentines

For the past year or so, I've been attending a monthly art therapy group for cancer patients, caregivers, family and friends.  I learned about the group from the hospital where my dad received his cancer treatments.  The group is facilitated by a local artist and we've done everything from mixed media drawings to needle felting to watercolor painting.  At the last minute, I decided to make Valentines for everyone this month.

This special card was created for the facilitator.  To suit his style, I wanted to make the card more masculine and grungy than one might normally expect a Valentine to be.  I started with the large heart, which was die-cut from a piece of gray corrugated cardstock.  Using an old gift card, I roughly scraped on titanium white acrylic paint and while it was still wet, sprinkled on some chunky vintage gold glitter.  After the paint dried, I sponged vintage photo distress ink around the edges.  The red heart was also die-cut, scraped with white acrylic paint, and sponged with vintage photo distress ink.  After tying on a piece of jute twine, the red heart was adhered to the gray heart using pop-dots.  The vintage sheet music underneath the hearts received the same white paint and distress ink treatment.

For the other members of the group, I made these simple die-cut hearts using a variety of patterned papers and cardstock in my stash.  The hearts are tied together with a piece of baker's twine, and I simply hand-wrote my sentiment on the back.  I was feeling cheeky and gave two of the guys the hot pink ones, which gave everyone a good laugh. (One guy's wife quickly swapped her red one for his pink one, however.)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Solid cardstocks by Bazzill; corrugated cardstock by DCWV; patterned papers from various manufacturers; vintage sheet music from my stash; titanium white acrylic paint; rusty hinge and vintage photo distress ink; vintage gold chunky glitter by Recollections (Michaels); heart and scalloped heart Nestabilities by Spellbinders; baker's twine by We R Memory Keepers; jute twine from the hardware store; pop-dots.

Galentine's Day Valentines

I was invited to a Galentine's Day party, which (if you believe Wikipedia), is an unofficial holiday of "ladies celebrating ladies" that grew out of an episode of the sitcom Parks and Recreation.  I never watched that show so I had never heard of Galentine's Day until this month, when the concept seemed to be all over social media.

The party invitation said we had the option of making Valentines to exchange and I decided that could be fun, especially since everyone invited to this particular Galentine's party was some kind of artist or maker.  Because I had to make a dozen Valentines, I kept my design simple.  My small (4.25 inches) square card featured a page from an old textbook topped with a heart die-cut from a piece of patterned paper and embossed with a floral pattern.  The sentiment was stamped on smooth cardstock and punched with a scalloped oval punch.

Don't they all look so sweet together?

Valentines I received in the exchange.

After enjoying some refreshments, sweet treats and lively conversation, the Valentine exchange took place around the hostess's dining room table.  It reminded me of elementary school, when we walked around to each classmate's desk to deposit a Valentine in their decorated shoe box (although for this party, most of us simply brought a large mailing envelope or gift bag).   It was so much fun to see how different all of the Valentines were, and to learn who made each one.  As you can see, the Valentines were as individual as the women who made them.  Oh!  I also got two pairs of funky ankle socks, which I forgot to put in the picture.  One pair features French bulldogs, the other elephants. 

Happy Galentine's, and Happy Valentine's Day, to you!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Butter mints cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by DCWV (The Old World Stack); vintage book text from my stash; sentiment from Hampton Art; Ranger Archival black ink; heart die Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Anna Griffin Rosa embossing folder; Cuttlebug; scalloped oval punch from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Puppy Love

Last week I went to a "book arts" activity at our public library, where adults make arts and craft projects using (in part) donated or discarded books.  The projects for February were Valentine related and cute, so I decided to go.  Unfortunately, it ended up being kind of a bust.  The projects were darling, but they didn't have enough of the tools needed to complete them and people weren't doing a good job of sharing.  So I simply snagged some items to bring home to use however I wanted.

One of the discarded books they had featured page after page of adorable dogs with uplifting quotes.  I cut out several of the dogs including this dapper Basset.  With his red bow tie, I knew he would make a cute Valentine's Day card.  I backed him with some patterned papers by Authentique and added the die-cut word.  Easy peasy, Valentine squeezy!

Have a lovely day!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; naturals white cardstock by Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Authentique; die-cut word by Little Yellow Bicycle.

Love Heart Trio - Valentine Postcard

I sent several Valentine postcards like this one this year.  I started by creating the hearts. I used three different distress inks and the wrinkle-free distress technique on watercolor paper, then cut out the hearts.

The base of the postcard is bristol vellum paper covered with vintage sheet music and book text.  After stamping the sentiment on white tissue paper, I adhered it to the background and sponged distress ink around the edges.  The hearts were adhered with gel medium and outlined with Gelatos and a black Stabilo All Pencil.

The final step was to spatter on some white acrylic paint.  Some pieces just need that extra little touch of white all over to pull everything together.  On this last one, I also sponged on additional distress ink through a piece of punchinella.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Thanks for dropping in.

Always...Love

I created this Valentine to send to my buddy Ron.  I'm sure he would prefer a real pin-up girl, but he'll have to settle for this paper one.

I started by creating a patchwork of patterned papers on the background.  I muted the tones by scraping on white gesso using an old credit card.  The raised letters and numbers were achieved by applying modeling paste through a stencil.  After the paste dried completely, I laid the stencil down again and sponged on some distress ink.

I ended up using a lot of Tim Holtz products on this card: the patterned papers, the film strip, two stencils, the ticket, the photobooth cutie, a rub-on and of course, distress inks (one of my all-time favorite art items).  I love the muted palette of this card which gives a nod to Valentine's Day but isn't overly feminine.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Red cardstock by Bazzill; Tim Holtz products: photo booth image, patterned paper, film strip, ticket, alphabet stencil, burlap stencil; festive berries, stormy sky and gathered twigs Distress Inks; paper flower by Prima; antique copper brad; love die cut by Little Yellow Bicycle; heart punch by Marvy; Golden modeling paste; white gesso; titanium white acrylic paint.

Love Heart - Postcard

I've created several versions of this Valentine postcard to send to friends.  I like the bright, modern colors which are not always easy for me to work with.  But add a little black and white polka dot washi tape to the mix, and the final result makes me very happy.

I started by adhering torn sheet music and book pages to 140 lb watercolor paper, then gave it all a whitewash using gesso.  Some background stenciling was added next, using distress inks.  The heart was stamped separately on white cardstock, cut out and adhered to the background.  The washi tape was added to ground the composition before adhering the die-cut word.

Have a great day, and Happy Chinese New Year to my Chinese colleagues!

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; old sheet music and book page; Golden white gesso; Tim Holtz and The Crafters Workshop stencils; festive berries, peacock feathers and pumice stone distress inks; heart image by Dina Wakley; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Faber-Castell silver metallic gel stick; love die cut from Little Yellow Bicycle; miscellaneous washi tape; Stabilo black All Pencil; titanium white acrylic paint.

You're Just My Type - Valentine

Like I mentioned previously, I usually don't go for puns.  But I like this one because of the subject matter.  I found the stamp at Michaels in the dollar bin and thought it would work for Valentine's Day as well as on other occasions.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
White cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; focal image from Michaels; Ranger Archival black ink; spun sugar and tattered rose distress inks; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch.

Photo Booth Valentines

I'm making a variety of Valentine's Day cards to send around the globe, literally.  The first batch of cards features some sweet photo booth images from Tim Holtz.

The background is a patterned paper that I toned down with acrylic paint and distress ink.  I layered the photo and a scrap of sheet music over a paper lace heart.

The sentiment was stamped on cardstock, punched with a scalloped oval and sponged with distress ink.

Valentine's Day was so much fun when I was a kid (back in the Dark Ages).  We'd decorate a shoe box to take to school, and come home with it full of sweet and "punny" little Valentines from all our classmates.  Sometimes one of the icky boys would surprise you with one that made you wonder if he secretly liked you, but really, it was all very innocent and just for fun.  I like being able to recreate that feeling now as an adult.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Red cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Authentique; titanium white acrylic paint; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media; festive berries, tattered rose and gathered twigs distress ink; paper heart from Michaels; vintage sheet music from my stash; photo booth image by Tim Holtz; sentiment by Hampton Art; Ranger Archival black ink; scalloped oval punch from Stampin' Up; corner rounder punch.

Sweet Photo Booth Valentines

I've been waiting for the right moment to use a trio of photo-booth photos that I bought while on vacation last year.  The photos weren't labeled but based on the woman's hat and hairstyle I would guess that they're from the 1940s.  There's a faux mountain snow scene in the background and her gorgeous brooch appears to be some kind of bird, perhaps a peacock.

I started by die-cutting the smallest heart on striped patterned paper.  It is 3.5 inches at its widest point.  On top of that I layered another patterned paper, music washi tape, part of a floral sticker, and a small piece of vintage lace.  I copied the photo booth images onto matte photo paper and trimmed them closely before adhering.

 

The overall dimension of each card is less than 4.5 inches square, so they'll fit in a standard A2 envelope (4.5 x 5.75 inches).  I'll "fill out" the rest of the envelope by including a separate piece of light cardstock.  This helps protect the card and gives me a place to write a short letter.

The cards can be displayed by laying them on their sides.

Don't they look cute together?

Have you ever taken photos in a photo booth?  When I was a kid, the Woolworth store downtown had a photo booth in the basement.  My friends and I got pretty silly, striking different poses and making goofy faces.  We had a lot of fun and made some great memories for a dollar or two.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Red cardstock by Core'dinations; kraft cardstock by Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; washi tape unknown; floral sticker by Cavallini; vintage lace from my stash; sentiment by Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; paper flower by Prisma; flower center by My Mind's Eye; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; Derwent natural charcoal pencil; antique linen distress ink; heart and scalloped heart die cuts by Spellbinders.

I'd Rather Have Cash

I created this snarky Valentine's Day card to send to one of my sassy girl friends.  The focal image, which was in a package of ephemera by My Mind's Eye, reminded me of the photos Anne Taintor uses in her artwork.  So I wrote my own Anne Taintor-style caption for a fun card that thumbs its nose at traditional Valentine's Day gifts.  "Forget the candy and flowers.  I'd rather have cash." 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; naturals ivory cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers and paper ephemera by My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found "record it!" line); small paper doily; vintage sheet music; small circle punch; EK Success border punch; scalloped square Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; antique linen and vintage photo distress ink; charcoal pencil.

Love

For some reason I haven't felt like making Valentine's Day cards this year.  Usually it's a good opportunity for me to make sweet, girly cards; a style that doesn't always come easily to me.  I guess I've been having too much fun making artsy-fartsy collages.  But I do have people I want to send Valentines to, so I've started making some.  They'll just be a little late.

When Michaels had a lot of coupons before Christmas, I splurged and bought the Spellbinders heart and scalloped heart Nestabilities.  I paired the die-cut hearts with some lovely papers from Authentique and one of my very first stamps from Stampin' Up.

Thanks for popping by!

Supplies:
Red and pink cardstock by Bazzill; Spellbinders heart dies; patterned papers by Authentique; love stamp from Stampin' Up; Ranger black ink; clear embossing powder; pop-dots; clear self-adhesive rhinestones; self-adhesive lace (Recollections from Michaels); Cuttlebug embossing folder; corner rounder punch.

Cutie Pie Valentine

I had to switch gears a little to make a Valentine for my buddy Ron, as he probably wouldn't appreciate a card that was overly frilly.  But I think he'll go for vintage cute.

I colored the main image from Artistic Outpost with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  I stamped just the top portion a second time with Versamark ink and heat embossed in gold, then cut out just the hearts to adhere to the colored image. 

I lightly rubbed both ivory backgrounds with antique linen distress ink to give them an aged look and to make the conversation hearts more visible.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps from Artistic Outpost; red and blue cardstocks by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; black Stazon ink; Versamark ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen and chipped sapphire distress ink; clear embossing powder; gold embossing powder; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Cuttlebug conversation hearts embossing folder; ticket corner punch; Glossy Accents (on her buttons and on the puppy's collar); pop-dots.

Be Mine Valentine

I am in love with this card, which is appropriate since it's a Valentine.  I'm especially pleased with it because it's hard for me to create a "sweet" card; I think like most projects, it's a matter of having the right materials. 

I started with a lovely stamp found at Michaels in the dollar bin (can't beat that!).  I heat-embossed the image in silver for added elegance and embellished the card with sheer silver ribbon, paper roses, and two heart-shaped trinket pins.  Sweet, sweet, sweet!

Here is a second version of the card, using a darker charcoal gray cardstock.  With both cards I am sending small plastic cylinders that I decorated with the same papers and filled with Hershey's Kisses.

This pink and gray color scheme conjures up several fond memories for me:  a 1950s photo of my parents when they were dating, wearing matching pink and gray outfits; a 1960s picture of me in one of my favorite outfits: a pink and gray poncho with matching skirt, made by my mom; and several 1980s weddings, when light gray and pink were popular colors for the bridal party.  If I find the time soon, I'll try to dig out some photos to share.

I hope you're having a fantastic weekend.  Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Gray and pink cardstocks by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; decorative papers by Authentique; rubber stamp by Craft Smart (Michaels Store); Versamark ink; Ranger super fine detail embossing powder in silver; spun sugar and pumice stone distress ink; plain circle, lacy circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; paper roses by Recollections; sheer silver ribbon from Michaels; Maya Road heart trinket pins; Martha Stewart border punch; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.  The small plastic cylinders are about 4-3/4 inches tall and were purchased at Scrapbook Barn in Mesa, Arizona.

Love Valentine Card

Here's another Valentine's Day card I made while on vacation.  Because it didn't involve any rubber stamping, it was a quick and easy card.

I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the background paper by Crate Paper (Paper Heart collection).  The letters and chipboard flower are from the same collection.

Have a great day!




Supplies:
Blue and red cardstock unknown; decorative paper, chipboard flower, and letters by Crate Paper; Cuttlebug embossing folder; pop-dots.

Be My Love Valentine

I was so excited to go on vacation last week; not only because I was heading south to sunny days and warmer temperatures, but because part of the week I visited a friend who is a fellow stamper.  We had a fabulous time and created some Valentine's Day cards while I was there.

I painted this image by Unity Stamps using watercolor crayons and backed it with some beautiful papers by Crate Paper.  The sentiment is a coordinating Crate Paper sticker.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Supplies:
Flower image by Unity Stamp Company; pink cardstocks unknown; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; Staedtler watercolor crayons; small paint brush; patterned papers and sentiment sticker by Crate Paper; Glossy Accents; pop-dots; rhinestone brad.

Even Linebackers Love Valentine's Day

My friend Ron is a native of Nebraska and back in the day he played football for the Cornhuskers.  So I couldn't wait to use my little running back from Artistic Outpost on his Valentine's Day card.

I found a picture of the Nebraska football uniform online so I could color my image in a similar fashion.  As luck would have it, I had an "N" stamp that was the perfect size for the side of the helmet.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost; black, red, and white cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; Spellbinders round and scalloped round Nestabilities; Spellbinders rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities; EK Success border punch; black brads; Glossy Accents.

Be Mine

This is the Valentine I'm sending to my mom and dad with the altered Jello box I shared with you yesterday.

This cute image by Artistic Outpost was colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils. I glammed up all the paper edges with a gold paint dabber.  The pretty paper is by My Mind's Eye.

Have a great day!


Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost; red and pink cardstock by Bazzill; decorative paper by My Mind's Eye; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; spun sugar distress ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; pink Dew Drops; pop-dots.

Altered Jello Box

I see projects like this in the Stampington magazines and think they are just adorable.  I finally decided to try my hand at one and use it as a gift box for Valentine's Day.

I started by wrapping a small Jello box with old sheet music that was dry-brushed with white acrylic paint.  I free-formed the heart out of black craft wire and also dry-brushed it to give it that shabby chic look.


I am sending this to my mom.  The box is just large enough to hold a bracelet of freshwater pearls in Valentine colors.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Empty Jello box with top flaps cut off; vintage sheet music; white acrylic paint; pumice stone distress ink; burlap and lace trim from the fabric store; black craft wire; red embroidery floss; vintage button from my stash; Golden gel medium.