A Trio of Valentines

Love is in the air!  I've been busy with my Valentine Cards this week, some for my husband and some for my kids.  Today I will be sharing a trio of cards.  All of which will end up in my husband's hands.  Since I usually have more than one idea combined with an inability to pick my favorite, he tends to end up with more than one Valentine.  But, he's a great husband and deserves each and every one of them. 

Like I said, today's post is all about love and I have three cards to share.  You'll see frequent use of the I {Heart} Hearts set which is currently part of a special promotion for Stampin' Up!®.  For every set purchased, they will contribute $2 to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  I know Valentine's Day is upon us but please consider this set for your collection as you don't need to wait until Valentine's Day to tell someone you love them.  Of the three cards I'm sharing today, one is pretty tame while the other two might be considered a little on the risky side.  Either way, they are all fun and certainly communicate romance and love between you and your sweetie.

The first card is our "tame" card.  The one that Tim can show people without blushing.  LOL  For this card, you will need the following items:

• Stamp Sets:  I {Heart} Hearts, Define Your Life
• Card Stock:  Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Kraft
• Ink:  Versamark and Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
• Tools and Accessories:  Stamp-A-Ma Jig, Heart to Heart Punch, Black Embossing Powder

The card base is Chocolate Chip.  To begin, you will be selecting 3 meaningful phrases from Define Your Life, I selected "XOXOXO," "always", and "together."  I cut a piece of Real Red card stock just a bit smaller than my card front.  I stamped the sentiments in a pattern similar to a newspaper listing using my Versamark.  I made use of my Stamp-A-Ma Jig to line up the phrases each time.  On separate pieces of Real Red I stamped my three phrases again and then embossed in black.  I trimmed these to size and adhered to some Chocolate Chip before adhering to my card front.  Use glue dots or dimensionals to raise them up.  After, I stamped several hearts using I {Heart} Hearts and then cut them out using both paper snips or my Heart to Heart punch.  I glued these hearts to the front in between the embossed definitions.

Now for card number 2.  I actually created the center 4x4 image for a card swap back in August and described it in a previous post.  Since I had not yet added it to a card, I decided to finish it out as a Valentine's Day card. 

The recipe for this card is:

• Stamps: All in the Family, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Cheep Talk, and Define Your Life
• Classic Stampin' Pads:  Real Red, Soft Suede, & Basic Black
• In Color Stampin' Write Markers
• Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Kraft, Blush Blossom, Real Red
• Designer Series Paper:  Bella Bleu
• Tools/Accessories:  Heart to Heart Punch, Modern Label Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Watercolor Pencils

As described in the August post, I stamped my couple on the Blush Blossom, coloring them with the Watercolor Pencils and the Stampin' Write markers (the woman's nightgown).   I used the Bella Bleu for the blanket, making sure I crinkled it up a bit.  For this particular couple, I made sure the husband had glasses since Tim wears glasses.  The edges of the Very Vanilla square are brushed with Real Red.  I added the 4x4 swap to a Kraft card front.  Along the left side, I added a strip of Real Red card stock.  Prior to attaching the card stock, I had stamped the XOXOXO sentiment randomly on the card stock using Real Red.  I added a second strip along the bottom of the image.  Using my Heart to Heart Punch, I punched a single heart which I added to the front between the two strips.  

For the inside, I added two Very Vanilla squares and some more Real Red hearts.  You'll notice that I left it blank inside.  Since he's getting more than one Valentine Card, I thought I'd just write a note rather than stamp a sentiment.

Now for the third card, which is definitely a walk on the wild side!  I might even venture to say that this card is even on the sexy side of things.  It was inspired by a card  done by Jackie Barfield.  To create this card, you will need the following items:

• Stamp Sets:  Tote-ally Tess, I {Heart} Hearts, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Whimsical Words
• Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Real Red
• Designer Series Paper:  Merry Moments
• Ink:  Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad, Versamark, Basic Black, Blush Blossom
• Tools and Accessories:  Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Basic Black Satin Ribbon, Heart to Heart Punch, Clear Embossing Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, White Shimmer Paint, Watercolor Pencils, Sticky Strip or Snail

I began by cutting a 3 3/4 inch square of Basic Black card stock and using the Pinking Hearts Border Punch, I made two punches along each side.  After that was complete, I trimmed approximately 1/8 of an inch more off each side.  For our Valentine Vixen, I stamped Tess in Soft Suede onto Very Vanilla. To disguise one area where the sleeve line would normally appear, I added a little red bracelet with some Dazzling Diamonds to give it some bling.  I colored the "teddy" using water color pencils.  I sponged Blush Blossom for the skin tone on the arms, legs and face.  She of course has to have a hand stamped card in hand to present to her sweetie!  This was adhered to the Basic Black medallion that I created.  I then threaded my ribbon through the slits in the medallion.  For the card front, I layered Basic Black and Merry Moments and wrapped the Basic Black around the card front.  I stamped hearts onto a piece of Real Red card stock with Versamark and embossed with Clear Embossing powder.  After punching with my Heart to Heart punch, I glued it onto the lower right corner of my card. 

For the inside, I added another heart onto the visible portion of the ribbon.  On the inside of the heart, I stamped Always from Whimsical Words (SAB set!).  On the opposite side, I added some scrap pieces of Merry Moments and card stock along with a Happy Valentine's Day sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. 

I hope these cards have inspired you to make something wonderful for your special Valentine this year.  Consider going outside your comfort zone and walk on the wild side! 

God Bless and Happy Stampin'!

Charity