Friday, February 7, 2020

Hugs for Valentine's Day

Yesterday I dropped off all my finished valentines for Meals on Wheels. Yay! I haven't shared  them all, though, so they'll be coming in the next two or three posts. Today I have three different card designs filled with hugs.

Supplies:
Stamps: ...Say It with Love (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Inks (Ranger); VersaFine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Hearts and Stars decorative Masks (Stampin' Up!), black and white twine (Stampin' Up!), blender brushes (Taylored Expressions), foam tape (3M)

I blended pink and purple ink through a heart stencil to make the background for this card. I stamped the bold hugs image over the hearts using black ink. (I used a stamp positioner so I could stamp the image multiple times and get it completely covered.) I stamped the smaller sentiment on a strip of white card stock, trimmed the ends and adhered it to the card base with foam tape. To finish the card I wrapped twine around the card front and tied the ends into a bow.

Supplies:
Stamps: Quick Critters Stamp and Die Combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Thick Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand card stock (Stampin' Up!); Unforgettable designer card stock paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: 1-3/8" square punch, foam tape (3M)

The Quick Critters stamp and die combo makes the cutest little animals! And I love that, instead of coloring them, I can just cut them out of patterned paper, which is exactly what I did for this card. On Very Vanilla card bases, I adhered a row of three squares of Sahara Sand card stock, stamped the sentiment and then added a strip of red patterned paper along the bottom of the card. Using foam tape I adhered a critter to each Sahara Sand square, mixing up the type of animal and color/pattern on each card.

Supplies:
Paper: Whimsical Specialty Paper Pad (Pink Paislee); Cadet Blue layering swatches (The Paper Cut); thick Whisper White card stock, copper foil sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Hearts dies (Little B), Hugs Sugar Script die (Birch Press Design), Owl Builder punch (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)

This is a layout I often fallback on when I'm feeling stuck and/or when I want to use patterned paper. I used two patterns for the background of the card: a large piece of a busy print and a smaller strip of a more subtle pattern. (I also die cut the word hugs from this piece of paper.) The focal image -- on this card, a heart die cut from a third patterned paper -- is centered over the seam between the two papers and attached with foam tape. I glued the die-cut word to the right side of the heart and added a tiny heart punched from copper foil sheets to the upper left corner of the focal layer.

Thanks for stopping by!

4 comments:

Sunshine. said...

Wow! You have been very busy Andrea! And well done for getting them delivered to Meals on Wheels in time for Valentines Day! I know the cards will all be very much appreciated! Sometimes when you do little kindnesses like this, you have no idea how much the recipients appreciate them. I know when people have done things like this for me, it really touches my heart, so good on you! When I was in hospital earlier this year, my friend not on;y came and fed my cats twice a day, she went out and bought me a huge pile of groceries and stocked my pantry/fridge/freezer with all kinds fo yummy things, knowing I would not be able to do much when I came home. Things like this, and what you have done here, are really appreciated. You are such a kind person:-)
Sunshine
ihearttostamp.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Each awesome in their own way. The critters are my personal favorite. Love the contrast of the black / pastels on the first (and inspired to remember to use stencils more often!). The third is inspiring as well - I have patterned paper to use and struggle with ideas.
Judy

Andrea said...

Thanks so much, Sunshine! It's such a small thing, but I enjoy doing it, and I hope it spreads a little joy. :) I'm glad you have a friend nearby to help you out when you're sick!

Andrea said...

Thanks so much, Judy! I'm not much of a stencil person, either; I have to make an effort to remember them! And I struggle with patterned paper, too. I see so many beautiful cards made with patterned paper, but when I try to use it, I'm never quite satisfied with the results. I'm glad you were able to find a little inspiration with these cards.