Ready for Valentines?

Hello friends, it's getting to be that time of year again where everything is coming up hearts and flowers.  I don't have the flower half on my cards today, but we do have the hearts covered.  I'm working on Valentine card ideas that are super simple to construct as this month our Groovy Grans group at church are putting the cards together for the shut-ins.  Since I'm one of the 'younger' members at 73 years of age, that gives you a general idea of the ages of these lovely ladies.  So simple it is.  This is the first set of cards.  I will be coming up with more ideas in the near future for them to make also.

This first batch of cards is very bold and bright.  Thought they would be cheerful and work for either a man or a woman.  I guess that's my criteria - not too frilly so the men can enjoy them too.

These cards are made with the Hearts of Elegance Bundle and the Marbled Elegance Specialty Designer Series Paper which are all found on the Online Exclusive section of the store instead of in any catalog.  And don't forget those darling Gold Heart Sequins found in that section too.  Really, you don't want to miss browsing there.  Some of the very best goodies can be found in the Online Exclusives section!

To make the cards, I started with Melon Mambo cardstock for the base.  After trying out all the different colors that match the DSP, I decided that Melon Mambo was the best choice for these cards.  This is cut at 11" x 4 1/4" and scored at 5 1/2".  This makes it a top fold card.

The marble-looking print is one of the six choices in the Marbled Elegance DSP.  They are all beautiful, swirled prints so it was a hard choice.  This one won out.  It's cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  You can get 6 pieces (enough for 6 cards) all cut from one sheet.  The DSP was attached to the folded Melon Mambo card base using adhesive.

Next was choosing which heart colors to use with this design.  Even though the card base is Melon Mambo, I chose to use Real Red cardstock to cut out the hearts.  Then added some brushed Gold Specialty Paper for the second heart.

Did you notice the lovely, pierced design in the hearts?  One of the heart dies from the set adds the design as it cuts the heart out.  Nice touch.

The hearts are attached on the top half of the card.  The gold heart is attached with adhesive on just the middle section of the heart that is plain.  The Real Red heart is attached over this with three Dimensionals to hold in place.

The sentiment used here is also from the Hearts of Elegance stamp set.  There are seven sentiments in the set including a 'to and from' stamp to make it easy for finding just the sentiment you need.

The label for the sentiment is from the Wildflower Designs Die set.  I love the shape of these for a different look than the usual rectangles or circles that I use.  This size is the smallest in the group and is the perfect size for this card.

The sentiment is stamped in the center of the label using Melon Mambo ink.  I tried one with Real Red and didn't like it with this card.

The sentiment label is attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  It's positioned just a bit below the hearts.

The crowning touch for our Valentine card is more hearts, of course.  Those cute gold Adhesive-backed Heart Sequins were added to the label.  I used two of the larger hearts.  I love that these hearts are totally flat, so you don't have to worry about break-through when your envelope goes through the mail.  That's always so frustrating!

So, what do you think?  Will the ladies be able to put these together easily?  And will these cards brighten the day for the shut-ins that receive them?  If those answers are yes, my mission is accomplished!

Do you like any of these products?  If so, I'd be happy to be your demonstrator if you'd like to order from me.  Don't forget that Sale-a-bration is starting January 7th when you can earn free products.  These products can add to your total and you'll get a freebie!  Remember that the required order total for free items is $60 (or $120 for the higher ticket items).  You might want to consider waiting until January 7th to place your orders!  It's only a few more days, but well worth the wait.

Thanks for stopping by today and getting a quick dose of lots of hearts.  Theres more where that came from, so I better get stamping and get my ideas from my head onto paper.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon