Sunday, February 11, 2018

Valentines: DSP hearts, flower medallions

Do you still have valentines to make this year? I'm sharing the last two card designs I used for the valentines I donated to Meals on Wheels, and they're great quick-and-easy layouts if you're busy with last-minute crafting. (Check out my previous posts to see some punny animal valentines and a few designs that are a bit more masculine.)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Paper: Thick Very Vanilla note cards and envelopes, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (DSP), gold foil (kit leftovers)
Accessories: Heart punch, Dimensionals

I made quite a few cards with this design, and they came together pretty quickly. The first time-saver was the pre-cut and -scored note cards, which are one of my go-to crafting items. Using a pack of DSP also made the creative process easier -- all the pages in the pack are designed to coordinate, so I didn't have to dig around for patterns and colors that worked together. I just picked a few pieces from the pack of DSP, cut a bunch of layers for the background (I didn't write it down, but I think the sizes are 1-1/2" x 3" and 3" x 3") and punched hearts for the focal image.

I mixed and matched the patterns on each card to create the background and used a strip of gold foil (leftover from a kit) to cover the "seam." Instead of the foil, you could use a strip of card stock, washi tape or ribbon. I added the punched heart with Dimensionals, and there you go! They are cute as-is, or you could add some embellishments, such as sequins or pearls. (After I took this photo I went back and added a little sparkle by highlighting some of the details in the DSP with a clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen.)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Hello Friend
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Pink Passion, Pink Pirouette, Flirty Flamingo card stock
Ink: Pool Party, Lovely Lilac, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Eastern Medallion Thinlits dies, white baker's twine, acrylic gems (unknown), Mono Multi liquid glue

These are definitely not your typical valentine, but they were easy to make: just one stamp, one die cut and a quick twine bow. The starting point for these 3" x 3" cards was the decorative acrylic "pebbles" in the center of the flowers. (They are domed on one side and flat on the other with a decorative image adhered to the flat side so you can see it through the clear dome.) For Christmas one of my friends gave me a whole bag of these fun little pebbles, and I really wanted to use them. So I sorted through the bag, picked out some with reds, pinks and purples and then found ink and card stock colors that coordinated with the pebbles. (Hence the color combinations that are a little different and not exactly my usual style.) You could easily substitute buttons, brads or any other small embellishment for the pebbles.

That's it for my Meals on Wheels valentines, although I'm still finishing up my own cards to send out. I probably won't be able to share those until the holiday has passed, but I have some cute layouts that would work for friendship, love or thinking of you cards any time of year. So stay tuned for those cards, and thanks for stopping by!

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