Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us. When it is time to say you care to your loved ones, how do you find just the “right” way? Whether is it your spouse, significant other, parent, child, grandchild, other family member, or even a friend; what better way to convey your love than with a homemade card, or another paper craft?
How did Valentine’s Day come about?
It is reported that Valentine’s Day is actually a celebration of two martyrs killed on February 14th. The most well known of the two of course is St Valentine of Rome, who reportedly officiated secret weddings of Roman soldiers which enraged Emperor Claudius II who then had him murdered. Legend has it that St Valentine of Rome may also have written and delivered the first Valentine greeting to a young girl that he tutored and subsequently fell in love with while he has imprisoned before his death. The other is St Valentine of Terni who was killed for performing miracles and healing. This is of course all legend, and the Catholic Church removed the St Valentines feast from the church calendar. Another legend is that Valentine’s Day may have been a pagan festival to celebrate fertility. Roman priests ran naked in the street, “slapping” women with blood soaked hides of sacrificed animals. None of these events sounds very romantic, now does it?
Modern Valentine’s Day Celebrations
February 14th became known as Valentine’s celebration in the middle ages when a poet named Chaucer wrote, The Parliament of Fowls which coincided with the British first day of spring and the start of the bird mating season. The poem was all about how the birds gathered to choose their mates. Finally, some love involved in Valentine’s Day! It is only fitting that Cupid also is depicted for Valentine’s Day celebrations, since he was the son of the goddess Venus in Roman mythology who was known for love and beauty.
Today of course, Valentine’s Day celebration is celebrated in many different ways, whether it is through giving gifts like flowers, candy, or jewelry; having a romantic dinner or date with someone you love, or even helping children create the well known Valentine box for trading greetings with the classmates and friends at school.
Valentine’s Cards
I just love Valentine’s or general love cards. They are mostly bright and colorful, invoking thoughts of the end of winter and start of spring. They can bring a smile to the recipient’s face and allow the giver to express feelings of admiration or love. Stampin’UP! has some great paper packs and cardstock to create the cutest cards. These are cards I made with the Made with Love designer paper pack and coordinating card stock.
Other Paper Crafts
Making cards is a fantastic way to show your love, but it is not the only handmade item you can give a loved one. There is a paper bouquet kit available that you can make with the items in the kit and a hot glue gun. It’s a great way to give flowers to your special someone that will never wilt or die! (Click on picture for link to my store)
Stampin’ Up! Paper Pumpkin Kit
One of the easiest ways to make beautiful cards is to subscribe to the monthly Paper Pumpkin Kit. The box contains everything you need to make several cards with a monthly theme. Subscribe by February 10 to get great Easter/Spring themed cards! (Click on picture for link to my store)
My Favorite Techniques
One of my favorite techniques is using die cuts to make characters and designs for my cards. This is a pocket card from the Cute as a Bug collection. There are quite a few die cuts on this card that enhance the look of the card. This particular paper pack has images that match the die cut perfectly to help create even more embellishments for the card. The flowers, mushrooms, and tiny butterfly and dragonfly are all die cut from cardstock. The ants, grass and the ladybug reading a book are actually die cut from the design paper itself. This card is just so dang cute! Links to supply items listed below are available in my Stampin’ Up! shop
Supply List
- Cute as a Bug Suite Collection
- Regals Cardstock Collection
- Brights Cardstock Collection
- Black Cardstock
- White Cardstock
What’s new at Stampin’ Up!
There is a great opportunity to craft with the experts at Stampin’Up! in the craft class. Sign up for the new class on February 3, and get your supplies ordered. It is a lot of fun and learning from the experts is always an adventure! The class is February 19th, you can watch live and participate in the chat with lots of other crafters, or you can watch the replay. Shop with me on Feb 3rd!
Crafty Mama’s tip of the Day
When adding embellishments to your cards, using odd numbers (3, 5, or 7) creates more visual interest to the design. An even number of embellishments creates a symmetry and can cause split attention, while an odd number encourages the eye to move around the design.
Inspiration
In crafting there are no mistakes, only new discoveries and unique creations.
Justine Jenkins
Questions, Suggestions?
Email me at craftymamasden@gmail.com
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