Bee Mine Valentine Card

Hey y'all!   We're having another batch of misty, rainy and cold days, so I thought we need to surround ourselves with a bit of cheery fun.  How does that sound?  I've been working on getting the Valentine cards ready for the shut-ins.  Our little group won't be putting them together.  Instead, the "Groovy Grans" group from church will be putting them together at our meeting in the beginning of February.  Since most of these ladies say they are not crafty in the least, the cards need to be fairly simple with easy instructions.  They are doing this for the outreach segment of the meeting.  Thank goodness there are enough ladies that meet with me each month that now understand basic cardmaking, so they can be divided among the four worktables and keep an eye on what's happening.  Hoo-wee!  Last year was really "interesting" so say the least.  I'm hoping this year will go a little smoother!!

Here's the card the ladies at the first table will be putting together.  This card just makes me happy, so I'm hoping it will bring a smile and some cheer to each person that receives this one.

For the design, start with a Basic White cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  The first layer is Strawberry Slush that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the new Lovely Stripes Embossing Folder.  I love the dotted stripes in the design that really make it special.  After embossing, it's layered onto the white card base using Tombow Liquid Adhesive.  This is the adhesive I always use when attaching embossed layers as it gives a minute of "wiggle time" and holds very securely.

Next is the large heart that is die-cut using the largest heart die in the new Endless Love bundle.  Isn't the cut circle detail surrounding the heart cute?  The DSP used is from Most Adored Designer Series Paper that's been retired for a while.  I was just looking for a cute pink print, so find one you like.  (If you don't have a pink print you like, the Made with Love DSP in the new mini catalog has several prints that would work out nicely.)  This die-cut was attached to the card front with adhesive, so it lies flat.

Now, on to that darling bee.  It comes from the Bee My Valentine set and matching punch that is still available.  I thought he turned out so darn cute!  First, the bee is stamped with Daffodil Delight ink.  Then the stripes are added with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  There are four different faces so there are lots of choices for your little bee.  The wings for the bee were stamped with Basic Gray ink.  After stamping, I used the coordinating punch to punch the two sections of the bee.  Adhesive was applied on the top of the bee and his wings were attached.  Then three Dimensional were added to the bee and he was attached to the card front.

The sentiment is also from the Bee My Valentine set.  It's stamped with Strawberry Slush ink onto a 1/2" strip of Basic White cardstock.  The ends were flagged to make a label about 2 1/4" long.  This was attached to the heart using Dimensionals.

For the final touch, I added Adhesive-backed Heart Sequins to the heart design.  These are retired, but I thought they were the perfect finishing touch for our bee-utiful Valentine card.  I have to admit, when these heart sequins were going to be retired, I order six packages just because I liked them so much.  So, I think I'll be using these lovely little bits of bling for a good long while yet.

Well, there you have the first of four Valentine cards for the shut-in members at church.  Remember, I need to keep them very easy for the ladies to put together so I hope it's not too boring for you.  Of course, I find it inspiring to see what others make even when the idea is very simple.  There's always inspiration to be found in color combos and layouts too.

Have fun stamping and creating,

Sharon