Last Minute Valentine Ideas!

If you are still looking for Valentine ideas, you will find a lot of ideas here from years past. I’ve picked out some I thought you would like but you can also click on “Valentine” under Categories on the right side of my blog and find a whole lot more!

Just click on the photos below or the title to go to that particular project on my blog!

Sweet Talk 2-4-6-8 Gift Bag

Sweet Talk 2-4-6-8 Valentine Gift Bag

Sweet Little Boxes For Valentine's Day

Sweet Little Boxes For Valentine’s Day

(Get these “Sweet Little Boxes” on the Clearance Rack right now for the future!)

Valentine's Day Chocolate Candy Holders

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Holders

Valentine Treat Bag with Hearts Tag

Valentine Treat Bag with Scraps

Just fill a little cello bag with treats and make a cute little tag!

Mini Mailbox For Valentine's Day Candy

Mini Mailbox For Valentine’s Day Candy

Easy Valentine Candy Jar

Easy Valentine Candy Jar

I hope these ideas help you out! There are PLENTY of Valentine card ideas, too, through the years. Again, just look under Categories and click on Valentine. I think Valentine’s Day is one of the most fun holidays!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

Rain Or Shine Valentine Candy Bars

Rain Or Shine Valentine Candy Bars

Last week I made a couple of other decorated candy bars for Valentine’s Day and now today I have these Rain Or Shine Valentine Candy Bars to show you! It is so fun and so easy to make these little treats! Of course, they don’t always have to be for Valentine’s Day. Wouldn’t these be cute for birthday party favors if you just changed the greeting?

These Valentine candy bars were decorated with two of the characters in the Rain Or Shine Suite in the Spring Mini Catalog. You can stamp these characters or you can cut them out of the Rain or Shine Specialty Designer Series Paper. Not only is this paper cute with the charming characters and umbrellas and raindrops, but parts of the images have a glossy coating on them making them a little bit shiny and adding some unique texture. You can cut out these images yourself or there are some dies that line up with the paper.

You can use almost any kind and size of a candy bar for this project. You will just have to modify your design accordingly. I used the regular size of chocolate bar and wrapped a piece of cardstock around it. I didn’t prescore the cardstock because the candy bar is not perfectly flat. I found it better just tightly to press the cardstock around the candy bar and when you have it how you want it, press the creases with a Bone Folder or at least your fingers on the edges of the candy bar to give it a good crease. If you want, you can score it on those lines, but it could still be off a little bit. It’s just as easy to do it by hand. Use a strong adhesive like Tear & Tape to hold the cardstock closed around the candy bar. Try not to get adhesive of any kind on the candy bar.

On the turtle candy bar I used Granny Apple Green cardstock to wrap around the candy bar and then a layer of green striped paper in the Dandy Designs Designer Series Paper. You will find this paper in the Sale-A-Bration 2023 brochure on page 14. It’s actually FREE with a $100 purchase. Remember, Sale-A-Bration comes to an end this month! And it’s the only one for the year. In this paper pack, you get 48 sheets, 4 each of 12 designs. It’s a LOT of paper and certainly the kinds of patterns lend themselves to almost any project, as well as being great for scrapbooking. The turtle is cut out of the Rain Or Shine Designer Paper, as I mentioned and layered on a stitched circle die in the Stylish Shapes Dies. This is a great set of dies that you can use all the time! The greeting is in the Country Bouquet Stamp Set and stamped on just a strip of Basic White with the ends flagged. I also punched a red heart with the Country Bouquet Punch for the turtle to hold.

The foxy candy bar uses Crumb Cake cardstock to wrap around the chocolate bar with another pattern from the Dandy Designs Paper, the Mango Melody with stars to cover the Crumb Cake cardstock. I cut off the umbrella the fox was holding on the designer paper because this isn’t a rainy day theme. Instead I gave him a red heart to hold just like the turtle has and layered him on a stitched square, also in the Stylish Shapes Dies. On this candy bar I did the greeting a little differently. After stamping it on a strip of Basic White cardstock, I cut the words apart and separated them. I think that is a fun look to do for the rare times I think of it!

As for the candy bars themselves, I used the Real Red & Burlap Ribbon Combo Pack to tie a ribbon around the length of the candy bar so the recipient can just pull it out of the wrapping around the bar. On the fox candy bar, I used the Real Red ribbon and tied it at the top with a piece of twine. For the turtle, I used the Burlap ribbon and tied it with the Real Red Ribbon to hold the ribbon in place.

If you want to see the other Valentine candy bars I made, just click HERE. Those used the paper, stamps, and punch in the Country Floral Lane Suite. But it doesn’t matter which suite, it only matters if the candy is chocolate!

SHOP HERE BEFORE THE END OF SALE-A-BRATION!

Valentine Houses

Valentine House 1

From Christmas house to Valentine house! The Christmas house on the left is one of several I bought at Christmas time in one of the big box craft stores. A year or two earlier I had bought something similar, put designer paper on the front, and adhered a little wreath and ribbon. I didn’t get more made this year for Christmas so I got the idea to make a Valentine house out of the wooden blocks I had. Click HERE to see the ones I made previously.

These Valentine houses were fun to make! Bet you can’t make just one! It was easy to measure the bottom portion of the block and cut out a piece of designer series paper to cover it. Then I traced the roof area onto a piece of cardstock, cut it out, and embossed it. I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue for the whole project. The back of each house has a solid piece of cardstock that I just traced from the block and cut out. It’s best to use the Liquid Glue because you have a moment to get the paper perfectly placed. If necessary, you can trim off an overhanging edge with scissors or use a craft knife carefully.

Valentine Houses

These two houses were the first ones I made! The house on the left uses a piece of the Sweet Sorbet gingham paper in the Country Gingham 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper on the front. The roof is Sweet Sorbet cardstock embossed with the Gingham Embossing Folder. The door is die cut with the door in the Warm Welcome Dies. The door is rather tall for this project so I made it shorter. I used gold foil to cut out the door knocker and door knob with the same die set. For the plants on each side of the door I just chose some greenery dies. The little flowers are the teeny tiny Loose Daisy Embellishments. I just put a tiny drop of glue where I wanted the flowers and carefully placed them.

The house on the right is decorated with the little hearts page in the Country Floral Lane Designer Series Paper. The roof is a piece of gingham paper in Petal Pink. The door is Petal Pink. On both houses, the hearts are Basic White and Flirty Flamingo, diecut with the heart in the Warm Welcome Dies.

Valentine Houses 2

Here are two more houses decorated in the same way using designer paper, embossing the roof paper, diecutting doors, accessories, hearts, and plants.

Valentine Houses 1

You may notice the door on the house on the left is taller than the door on the right. I had made the other houses the other day and forgot I made the door shorter so I would have room at the top for hearts. But that’s okay (because there are no mistakes in stamping!), I just made smaller hearts! Those smaller hearts are cut out with dies in the Teacup dies.

Four Valentine Houses

Here are four of my houses all lined up! Something different to do with our paper and supplies! Use a house for a Valentine decoration in your house or on your tiered tray. You can probably find something similar at the store. Later, you could decorate one for Easter or another holiday! The important thing is to have fun making something different!

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Don’t Miss the February Paper Pumpkin Kit!

Paper Pumpkin Jan 2023 Kit Sq Ad 1

ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO SIGN UP!

Brighten someone’s day with the new Sunshine & Smiles Paper Pumpkin Kit! Subscribe by February 10th to get this special, brand new kit with some exclusive crafting benefits!

Each kit includes nine cards, three each of three designs, with peek-through windows on the card fronts! The bright colors and furry friends are the perfect way to make someone’s day!

This kit is unique for its suite coordination! It coordinates perfectly with the Rain or Shine Suite Collection (160556) from the January–April 2023 Spring Mini Catalog. It’s the perfect time to get some extra product and get creative with your crafts!

ABOUT THE KIT

Name: Sunshine & Smiles

This kit includes:

  • Everything you need to create 9 radiant cards—3 each of 3 designs—and 9 coordinating envelopes.
  • A sweet springtime photopolymer stamp set.
  • A Mango Melody Stampin’ Spot
  • A fun peek-through window scene on each card!
  • Cute precut critters and labels, fun raindrop embellishments, and more! 

Finished card size: 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ (14 x 10.8 cm)

Coordinating Stampin’ Up! colors: Balmy Blue, Cajun Craze, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Old Olive, Shaded Spruce

The two little die add-ons originally offered unfortunately are no longer available.

Click HERE to sign up for the monthly Paper Pumpkin Kit under my name by February 10th! Don’t delay!

If you want to put a Prepaid Paper Pumpkin subscription Kit on your Stampin’ Up! order to perhaps earn rewards or for Sale-A-Bration, here is a chart explaining Prepaid Kits.

Paper Pumpkin Kit February 2023

Be sure to order and set up your account and put in your code they will email you by February 10 to receive this February Kit. Later, you will receive the next month’s kit.

Let me know if you have any questions! If you already are on a monthly subscription and you want to take advantage of the Prepaid option you can do that! Just put in the code and after you use up your Prepaid subscription, your account will revert to your monthly subscription automatically.

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN HERE by February 10, 2023!

SHOP PREPAID PAPER PUMPKIN SUBSCRIPTIONS HERE!

Layered Stripes Wonderful Card

Layered Stripes Wonderful Card

Like my card from yesterday, I will ask if this Layered Stripes Wonderful Card is a Valentine or just a “regular” card. What do you think? I think it could be either one! It’s Real Red so it certainly could be for Valentine’s Day! The greeting could be for Valentine’s Day OR just a nice greeting to send to someone any day!

This card is stamped with the large background stamp in the Spring Mini Catalog called Layered Stripes. You’ll find it on page 28. I forget what compelled me to buy this stamp because I think I would normally skip over it. And now I finally got around to playing with it! I used my Stamparatus to stamp it to get a solid image. If I needed to stamp it more than once, I could do that since the Stamparatus holds it in exactly the same place. The stamp is actually larger than a layer you would use on a card. You could have the background stamp stamp-side up, apply ink, and then lay the piece you want stamped on top of it carefully. Or you can stamp the image on a larger piece of paper and then trim it down to the size you want it.

My card base is Real Red and I added a layer of Basic White to help the stamped stripes stand out a little bit more against the white instead of the red card base. The greeting is from the Celebrating You Stamp Set and then diecut with one of the Stitched Rectangle Dies. I also cut out the next larger rectangle in Real Red so have a layer. I still had to play around with it on the card to see how the greeting was going to look the best because obviously the background of the card is pretty bold.

Finally I settled on using the Real Red layer behind the greeting but I adhered it over a piece of White 3/4″ Frayed Ribbon. (You can choose this ribbon (2 spools!) FREE during Sale-A-Bration with a $50 purchase of Stampin’ Up! products.) The greeting is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. I also added a small bow of Real Red Ribbon in the Real Red & Burlap Ribbon Combo Pack. And for a little sparkle, I added three small Iridescent Rhinestone Jewels. I love these things! They go with just about anything and always add a nice touch to your project.

I think there are other fun techniques to use on a stamp like this Layered Stripes background stamp, like applying different colors to the stripes for one. It will be fun to experiment with I’m sure!

Remember, there were some extra products added to the list of Sale-A-Bration products to choose from with $50 or more purchases and a couple special ones with a $100 purchase instead of two $50 Level products. Check out the flyer below! To see ALL the Sale-A-Bration choices, click HERE to see them in the Online Store. Remember Sale-A-Bration ends on February 28, 2023.

New SAB Products Feb 2023

Country Floral Lane Heart Punch Card

Country Floral Lane Heart Punch Card

Is this Country Floral Lane Heart Punch Card a Valentine or an all-occasion card? I think it could be either one! Hearts aren’t just for Valentine’s Day so this could be a “Thinking of You” card…but it could be a Valentine! So make it whatever you like! Of course, you can change the greeting for your specific occasion!

I chose a Mossy Meadow card base since that is one of the coordinating colors of the designer paper. Over that, I added a layer of Basic White cardstock to set off the designer paper a little better.

The paper is the Country Floral Lane Designer Series Paper in the Spring Mini. The papers aren’t strictly for Valentine’s Day so you can use them later in the year, too! For this card, I used the pink floral pattern with a dark green background on the top half of the card and the pink little hearts paper for the bottom portion. These two patterns are actually the two sides of the same sheet of paper! The top portion measures 3 3/4″ x about 3 3/8″. The pink hearts paper is 3 3/4″ x 1 3/4″. The pink paper overlaps the top portion just a tiny bit. Be sure to wrap the ribbon around to the back at the seam to cover the two papers meeting before you glue it down to the Basic White layer. The ribbon is the Petal Pink 3/8″ Soft Polyester Ribbon which is beautiful and really soft.

For the greeting, I found this one in the Celebrating You Stamp Set. It is stamped in Mossy Meadow ink on Basic White. Then punched out with the plain heart in the Heart Punch Pack with a Petal pink scalloped layer with the scalloped heart. These two punches come together in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog in the Heart Punch Pack. If you missed out on the Country Bouquet Punch (it is due back in April!) these heart punches will be fun to use instead.

The heart is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and I added a small Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewel on the point of the heart. I think it is the perfect finishing touch!

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Country Floral Lane Valentine Candy Bars

Country Floral Lane Valentine Candy Bars

These Country Floral Lane Valentine Candy Bars are a very old project I have been making all of my stamping years! It is so easy and so fun! You can use any size of candy bars and decorate for any occasion, as simple or as fancy as you like!

I got these “regulation size” chocolate bars in a 6-pack at the grocery store. You could use the very small snack-size bars or you could use the giant-size candy bars. The brand, size, and type doesn’t matter either with a project like this. You only need to be able to wrap some paper around the candy bar or even a bag of candy.

My measurements don’t really matter to you because it all depends on the size of YOUR candy bars. But if you want a starting measurement, for my candy bars I wrapped around a 5 1/2″ x 6″ piece of cardstock, then a piece of designer paper, about 4 1/4″ x 6″ on one and 3 1/2″ x 6″ on the other. Six inches provides a fairly wide overlap for the back so you could make that a little shorter if you needed to save paper.

On the pink candy bar, I first stamped some flowers in the Country Bouquet Stamp Set using Versamark ink on the Petal Pink cardstock just for a little interest on the top and bottom. Then I wrapped around a piece of the Country Floral Lane Designer Paper. I suggest just lightly wrapping it around and not scoring it according to any measurements. Each candy bar and wrapper may be different, there is some thickness to it, and you don’t want the wrap to be too tight that you can’t pull out the candy bar or too loose. After I wrapped the cardstock around the candy bar, I held it in place as tightly as I wanted it and actually ran my Bone Folder along the sides which gave a pretty nice crease.

To decorate the pink candy bar, I used the Country Bouquet Punch to punch out the two hearts and leaves directly from the Country Lane Floral Designer Paper. As I write this, this punch is not available and will not be until April. If you want to use that design on the paper, just cut out the hearts and leaves by hand. I used the Real Red & Burlap Ribbon Combo Pack to wrap around the length of the candy bar with the Burlap Ribbon, then tied at the top with the Real Red Ribbon. This gives the recipient a “handle” to pull out the candy bar.

The Sweet Sorbet candy bar is wrapped with Sweet Sorbet cardstock and then a layer of the Country Gingham 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. This paper is cute and so versatile to use on many projects. At this moment it says, “Low Inventory” so if you want it, order it right away!

To decorate this candy bar, I stamped three hearts with the Country Bouquet Stamp Set and punched out with the Country Bouquet Punch, Again, if you don’t have it, just cut out the hearts by hand. I also added two greetings from the same stamp set plus the little hearts stamped inside one of the hearts. That center heart is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. I used the Black & White Gingham Ribbon to wrap around and pull out the candy bar.

As I said, this is a fun project! Even children can do it! If you want to see the small, Snack Size candy bars decorated, here is a Halloween example.

If you need any supplies for any projects, remember Sale-A-Bration is still going on during February and just the other day Stampin’ Up! added more choices of products that you can earn with a $50 or more purchase. Check out all the choices HERE.

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Country Floral Lane Valentine With Heart Punch Pack

Country Floral Lane Valentine With Heart Punch Pack

With all the excitement over the Stampin’ Up! January-April 2023 Mini Catalog (the Spring Mini), we often forget about the Annual Catalog. It’s easier to look at the newest catalog and all the shiny new products. But now that it is time to make Valentines, I remembered the Heart Punch Pack in the Annual Catalog! It’s a shame the Country Bouquet Punch will not be available in time for Valentine’s Day, but maybe you have the Heart Punch Pack you can use instead (or other past heart punches and dies).

This Country Floral Lane Valentine With Heart Punch Pack card is an easy card to make. It starts with a card base of Petal Pink cardstock. I added a layer of designer paper in the Country Floral Lane Designer Series Paper, the Petal Pink with little white hearts.

The hearts are punched with the Heart Punch Pack. This is two heart punches, one with scalloped edges that can act as a layer underneath the plain heart. It’s great to have the two punches for layering and for the two designs. The scalloped heart is Petal Pink and the plain is Basic White. A greeting is stamped with Petal Pink ink from the Country Bouquet Stamp Set.

To help the heart stamp out I die cut a Basic White square from the Stylish Dies. You can use any square shape. The two hearts are adhered together, then popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.

But before I adhered the hearts to the square I added some White 1/4″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon back and forth behind the heart. I usually like to put down some Stampin’ Seal on the back so I can stick down the ribbon and then add Dimensionals to help hold it down as well as to pop up the piece.

Trying to keep the card simple, but wanting just a little something else to add to the card, I added a frosted Heart Pearl. In this package are three “colors” of pearls – Glossy White, Milky White, and Pearl White. I just put the heart at the bottom of the heart and then stopped myself from adding any more! It’s so much fun to add some embellishments to a card!

This is just an easy, basic Valentine. Change the colors, the paper, or even the greeting to make more cards!

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New Sale-A-Bration Choices For You!

New SAB Products Feb 2023

Stampin’ Up! has added more products for you to choose from with a $50 order and even one more choice for a $100 order!

In case you are new, Sale-A-Bration is one of Stampin’ Up!’s biggest promotions of the year. It’s overflowing with opportunities for customers and Demonstrators, and filled with fun for everyone, even if you would like to join Stampin’ Up! during this time and get an extra-special deal!

Just shop Stampin’ Up! as usual and when you have all your merchandise entered, choose the free Sale-A-Bration gifts you have earned! Think of shopping in $50 increments to get the most bang for your buck! If you reach $100, you have the choice of one $100 Level product or two $50 Level products! If you spend $150 or more on your order, besides the FREE Sale-A-Bration gifts, you also receive Stampin’ Rewards starting at 10% of your merchandise total. With a $300 order, you will also receive the Host stamp set, Scenic Garden FREE.

Lots of fun choices when you shop with Stampin’ Up!

Click HERE for the Flyer of the NEW CHOICES of products TO EARN!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

New Wreath of Blooms Kit Feb. 1st

Wreath of Blooms Kit Collection photo

Stampin’ Up! has a brand new Kit for you tomorrow, February 1st, in their Kit Collection!

The Wreath of Blooms Kit is a special addition to the Kits Collection; it comes with everything you need to make your very own home decor piece!

Available starting 1 February 2023, the Wreath of Blooms Kit is such a fun way to try new crafting techniques and create something special for your home! You’ll get an 8″ diameter wreath to fill with blossoms. Roll and shape the precut paper pieces to make three-dimensional flowers. Pin them together with brads and glue them to the wreath. Then hang it for all your friends and family to see!

You will need a hot glue gun to adhere the flowers to the wreath. Glue gun not included.

A Kit in the “Kits Collection” is different from Paper Pumpkin Kits. Paper Pumpkin is a monthly subscription whereas the kits in the Kit Collection in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store are simply kits to purchase with your regular order.

DETAILS


This month’s kit includes: 

  • One 8″ (20.3 cm) diameter chipboard wreath.
  • Precut paper pieces that can be rolled and shaped into three-dimensional blossoms.
  • Multicolored brads to keep everything together.
  • Thick twine to hang your wreath.
  • Enough adhesive* to complete the project.
  • Coordinating colors: Cajun Craze, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Night of Navy, Pear Pizzazz, Petal Pink, So Saffron, white.

TOMORROW, you will find this kit in the Menu under Kits Collection.

Wreath of Blooms Kit Collection Contents

Country Floral Lane Punched Red Hearts Valentine

Country Floral Lane Punched Red Hearts Valentine

This Country Floral Lane Punched Red Hearts Valentine uses a little bit of several things for this card in the Country Floral Lane Suite in the Spring Mini Catalog 2023. (As I write this, this Suite is back-ordered until mid-April because the Country Bouquet Punch unfortunately is unavailable until then, as well as the Bundle. The ribbon combo will be available in about three weeks. But other items are available individually.)

This card has a Sweet Sorbet card base with a Basic White layer. Just add some designer paper and a little stamping and you have a Valentine! Each side of the Basic White layer has a 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ strip of the Country Gingham 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper.

In the middle of the card, I punched five hearts from the cute print with little white hearts in the Country Floral Lane Designer Series Paper. Since these modern hearts have a slight curve to them, if you want some hearts to curve in the opposite direction, just punch from the other side of the paper! With this paper, pay attention to the pattern so you don’t get the hearts upside down! Just play around with how you like the hearts placed.

Next, I did a little stamping. The center white heart is punched out and then stamped (or you can do it the opposite way!) with a greeting in the Country Bouquet Stamp Set. You can punch out the heart itself first or stamp the heart outline and even the greeting inside it and then punch it out. I wish there was a larger heart for layering, but there isn’t so I just punched out a Sweet Sorbet cardstock heart and let it peek out over the top of the white heart. It adds a little something but nobody would notice the entire heart isn’t layered underneath. The white heart is popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For some risky stamping (could have messed up the whole card!), I stamped the little outlines of two hearts around in some of the empty spaces on the card using Sweet Sorbet ink. Fortunately, it all worked out! No messes! For a little bling, I added some Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

I forgot to take a photo, but on the inside of the card, I stamped “Happy Valentine’s Day” on a layer of Basic White and then punched out two hearts – one with the gingham like on the side of the front of the card and one with the tiny white hearts like the hearts on the front of the card and just layered them side by side on the lower right-hand corner. That makes the inside very cute!

Time to make Valentines! February is almost here! Not everything has to be red, white, or pink so use your creativity!

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Country Bouquet Punched Hearts Valentine

Country Bouquet Punched Hearts Valentine

If you like punching, this Country Bouquet Punched Hearts Valentine is for you! Just grab some cardstock or designer paper and start punching hearts to your heart’s content! January is just about over (who would have thought?!) and February will be here next week so it’s time to be making lots of Valentines!

This card uses Shimmery White cardstock for both the card base and the layer. I could have added a colored layer underneath the Shimmery White layer, but sometimes I like the white-on-white look. I love the Shimmery White cardstock because it really does have just a tiny bit of shimmer that you can see up close.

Then I chose several colors to use for the hearts. I used Flirty Flamingo, Blushing Bride, Highland Heather, Pool Party, So Saffron, and Soft Sea Foam. Some hearts I used from one side and some from the other to get them going in different directions. The Country Bouquet Punch punches a large heart but also a smaller one at the bottom so I also got a collection of small hearts. That gave me the idea to fill in the spaces with small hearts! There still was some empty space that I thought could use something. I got out the matching Dark Stampin’ Blends and used the bullet tip to make three dots randomly around in the empty spaces. You wouldn’t have to do this step but it just added a little extra color.

I used a greeting in the Country Bouquet Stamp Set, which you can purchase as a Bundle with the Punch. It is stamped with Flirty Flamingo ink on Shimmery White. I diecut it with a banner die in the Stylish Shapes Dies. Then to have a little extra layer without covering too much of the card, I diecut the smaller banner and layered the greeting on top. The whole thing is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.

And why not add a few Heart Pearls on the card with punched hearts all over it?! It’s almost always good to add a little bling or sparkle!

Hope you like this valentine idea that you can make easily with the Country Bouquet Punch!

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Love Cats Valentine Card

Love Cats Valentine Card

This Love Cats Stamp Set in the Spring Mini is just a cute stamp set you should have! It’s just a basic stamp set – no dies, no matching designer paper, no ribbon, no anything else – just a stamp set for you to simply stamp and use your creativity to develop something as simple or as fancy as you want! Valentine’s Day will be here sooner than we can imagine so it’s time to get going on some Valentine cards although you could use these cat stamps for just regular cards, too!

This card has a Real Red card base (my favorite color!). The Basic White layer is stamped with cats in Smoky Slate ink. I would say “randomly” but since the stamp is pretty big, it was a little difficult to get the cats spread out all over the cardstock as I like to do with other smaller stamps for backgrounds. But this was the idea I had in my head so I went with it. When you do this, always fill in the edge spaces even with a partial stamp.

Next I stamped a cat in Smoky Slate on a scrap piece of Basic White and cut it out by hand to place somewhat how I have the cat on this card. But it didn’t stand out so I stamped another cat in Memento ink in black and I like that better. I actually placed him on the Basic White diecut circle so that his tail would align with the Smoky Slate tail stamped on the card front. You may or may not be able to do this, I wouldn’t worry about doing it, but for my card it didn’t look like an extra tail sticking out from the cat! The circle is die cut with one of the Stylish Shapes Dies and layered on a scalloped Layering Circles die in Real Red. I also very carefully inked up the three little hearts with a Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker and stamped those above the cat. This piece is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals after a piece of Real Red ribbon in the Real Red & Burlap Combo Pack in the Spring Mini.

For the greeting, I stamped one in the set in Real Red ink on a scrap of Basic White. I thought about diecutting it in some way, but decided to just cut each word apart and adhere it to the focal point with the cat.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the stamped gray hearts – just leave them as is or color them in or what. I decided to color in the small gray heart with the Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker and added a few freehand small hearts randomly. They were easy enough to draw myself! Not being one to leave well enough alone, I colored a few Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels with a Dark Real Red Stampin’ Blend marker and placed three of those jewels in some of the empty spaces on the background.

This card may sound like a lot of steps but you already have the design to copy so you only have to make it! Here is another Love Cats card I made using designer paper that you may like. You still have time to order this stamp set and have it in time to make Valentines. Even if you are not a cat lover, this set is too cute! Enjoy!

SHOP HERE AT STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Playing In The Rain Fox Card

Playing In the Rain Fox Card

When I decided to make several cards for my blog and for my stamping newsletter with this Rain Or Shine Suite in the Spring Mini Catalog because they were forecasting some bad weather here in Houston, I didn’t realize what was coming down the pike, as they say. We were fine at our house, no worries, but we did have really heavy rain in the afternoon and the wind was blowing like crazy. The TV was beeping with those loud buzzes of weather warnings, and text messages about thunderstorms, possible tornadoes, and street flooding possible. We got a little less than two inches of rain and a couple of dead branches knocked off our big tree, but that was all. However, on the other side of town a damaging tornado struck and we learned a new term, “Tornado Emergency”. Apparently, it’s been around several years but never used in Houston. I think basically it means a real tornado has been spotted on the ground and you better take cover NOW! So lots of people today are having to figure out how to get their lives back in order after suffering through some pretty bad damage over in southeast Houston.

However, this foxy guy must live on our side of town where we just had light rain in the morning and no damage in the afternoon. It’s actually a slight copy of the sample in the Spring Mini, but not exactly. The card base is Mango Melody with a layer of “the other side” of the Rain Or Shine 12″ x 12″ Specialty Designer Series Paper. I love this plaid with just the even lines in Mango Melody. Even though it is “raining” on the card, the color and paper design makes it look “happy”!

The “rainy” piece of designer paper is cut at 2 1/4″ x 5 1/4″. If you can’t see it in the photo, the raindrops have a special coating on them to make them shiny, as do some other images in this pack of paper. Just adhere this rainy paper to the left on the card front.

The little fox is stamped in Memento ink from the Playing In the Rain Stamp Set. I colored him in with Stampin’ Blends Markers. I used Cajun Craze and Ivory for the fox, Mint Macaron for his jacket and hat, and Highland Heather for his umbrella. There is a die for him in the Playing in the Rain Dies. Get the stamp set and dies in the Playing in the Rain Bundle and save 10% by buying them together. He is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals just off the edge of the rain paper.

The greeting is in another stamp set, Celebrating You. It was the perfect size to be die cut with the almost square die in the Stitched Rectangles. It is adhered flat on the card.

For finishing touches, I cut out a line of flowers from the flower paper in the Rain Or Shine DSP and adhered it to the bottom of the rainy paper. Two butterflies were cut out with the Playing in the Rain Dies and I colored on them a little bit with Stampin’ Blends. The teeny tiny flowers stuck around the card are the Loose Daisy Embellishments. They are very teeny tiny so besides gluing them down with a teeny tiny drop of glue, you could also use them in a Shaker Card. Did I mention they are small?!

This was a fun card to make and I daresay the whole Rain Or Shine Suite Collection is fun! The dies have extra pieces like a fence, butterflies, grass, a kite, and unopened umbrella and more. You really can plan a “scene” for your card or project using all these fun products!

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