May 19

There’s something really heart-warming about receiving handmade Valentine cards. It just makes you feel a little bit extra special knowing that someone has taken the time to make something just for you.

That’s why I go out of my way to hand make cards for the people in my life that mean so much to me. I want them to know how special they are.

But it can be a challenge to create something that I feel is good enough. I know my recipients are going to keep my card indefinitely (probably forever) so it needs to be sensational! I don’t want to give them something I’m not proud of.

There are lots of beautiful handmade Valentine cards online, but I don’t like to copy anything exactly. Apart from the fact that some designs are just too difficult to figure out and that I probably don’t have the supplies they used anyway, I like the idea of personalising my cards so they are completely unique creations.

So I look for ideas that can be easily adapted to suit me.

For example, this is a birthday card I made:

It’s stylish. It’s very easy to make. And, it can really be adapted to suit any theme. Change the colours to pink, yellow and white, replace the message with “It’s A Girl” and you have a sweet Baby Girl card.

Or, you can adapt the design to create your own handmade Valentine cards!

For example, instead of a green card as the background, you may instead use black. You could then replace the striped paper with a red patterned paper and the dots paper with a pink patterned paper. Finally, you could stamp the message “I Love You” or “Happy Valentines Day” on a piece of white cardstock and place it in the centre of your card.

And voila! This birthday card has suddenly become your own unique handmade Valentine card!

In order to adapt one card design to a fresh new design, you have to break it down into its components. That way you can figure out what supplies you will need and how to put them together to create your card.

This is the idea behind card making sketches. Sketches show you the different elements that make up a card and how to assemble them to create your final design.

For example, the sketch for the card above would look like this:

The sketch shows the base card, the background rectangle, the heart shape and the sentiment all laid out for you so you can see how to design your card. It’s just up to you to select your theme and colours. What could be easier!

You can find more card making sketches (as well as full instructions on how to create your handmade cards) in 50 Card Making Sketches.

It’s the ultimate card making sketches resource featuring 50 unique card sketches and lots of examples of how to adapt them to suit your card making projects. It makes creating beautiful cards you can be proud of so easy and so much fun.

To get your copy today, go to:

http://50CardMakingSketches.com


Feb 4

Finding inspiration to create your own Valentine card ideas can sometimes be a little bit of a challenge. I know! I’ve spent hours and hours surfing the net, scouring online card galleries and websites trying to find that perfect valentines card idea…and then when I finally find something I like, I pull my hair out trying to figure out how to recreate it without any instructions and with completely different papers and embellishments.

It’s not an easy task! I love making my own cards, but it can be a little frustrating at times. I’m not Picasso or Rembrandt. Trying to be creative at the drop of a hat is difficult.

But, I have found the solution!

If you are looking for Valentines Day card ideas, you need to see this…the ‘Inspired Card Making Report.’

It’s completely free!

You can download it at:
http://CardMakingClassroom.com/inspired

It features invaluable insight into how to stay inspired so you can create (and be proud of!) all the cards you want, no matter what the occasion or theme. Plus, there are plenty of examples to help get you started.

It’s perfect for creating your own Valentine card ideas.

I made this cute card based on an example in the free report.

Valentine Card Ideas

To create this card, I used white cardstock, black cardstock, red cardstock, Kaisercraft Sakura Park Kanzan paper, Black Polka Dot paper (brand unknown), black ink, a black pen, Heart Words stamp (brand unknown), Basic Grey Swirl stamps, white Bazzill flower and a red heart brad.

I followed the step-by-step instructions in the ‘Inspired Card Making Report,’ substituted the card making supplies I wanted to use and tweaked the design as I wanted.

For example, there were a few ‘white spaces’ on my background paper that I wasn’t really too pleased about, so I filled them by stamping some swirls and heart images. They look like they are part of the patterned paper, but they give my card a more Valentines Day sort of feel.

I also inked around the edges of my background paper to give it a warmer, more sophisticated feel.

The instructions in the report made it really easy to personalise my Valentines Day card so it really is my own creation. Plus it was quick to put together and a lot of fun.

I’ll definitely be making more cards this way!

If you are looking for Valentine card ideas, I highly recommend you download your free copy of ‘Inspired Card Making’ today.

Click Here To Get Inspired Card Making Now.


Jun 23

One of the key components of your Valentine cards is your choice of colours. Red is the colour of passion and love and is therefore perfect for such an occasion. That is why traditionally, Valentines Day cards have been red and white and feature symbols like red roses and red love hearts.

As Valentines Day has extended to include not just lovers, but close friends as well, pink has also begun to feature heavily in Valentines designs. Pink is the colour of affection, sweetness and understand and so is perfect for the expression of friendship.

Pink goes perfectly with red and white to create a beautiful Valentines card.

But, you are not limited to just these colour combinations. You may also like to consider:

Red and gold
Red, white and black
Pink, red and black
Pink and brown or
Red, cream and brown

But don’t feel that you have to use red or pink on your cards. Just because a colour is not deemed a “Valentines Day colour,” it does not mean you cannot feature it on your card.

For example, you may decide to make a card in your special someone’s favourite colours or the colours of his favourite sports team. While these colours are not normally associated with Valentines Day, you can easily make your card look romantic simply by including a love heart or two.

In the end, you can use whatever colours you like for your Valentines Day cards. If you can’t decide, think about what your recipient would like the most and go with that!


Feb 22

This is so adorable…I just had to share. What a fabulous idea!


This cute little flip book was made by Katie Sokoler of Color Me Katie. Please visit her blog for her DIY tutorial – making a cute blow-a-kiss flipbook and give your loved one a kiss he or she can keep in their pocket at all times.


Feb 11

I just came across a gorgeous Valentines Day card idea by Patricia Komara. Patricia has a wonderful talent for hybrid card making – that is, combining traditional card making methods with digital technology and images.

Here is one of her Valentines Day card ideas:

Valentines Day Card Idea

Patricia made this Valentines Day card idea using the Impressions of Chocolate and Impressions Of Delight kits from ScrapbookGraphics.com and white cardstock.

I love the simple elegance of her card and the way the hearts really pop out at you. It’s extremely eye-grabbing. She’s actually made another version of this card with further embellishments like lace and heart-shaped gems.

If you would like to see it and her other creations, please visit her blog, Patricia Komara Designs.

Thank you so much to Patricia for allowing me to share her Valentines Day card idea with you!


Feb 10

When looking around for cute Valentine Card Ideas, I came across a gorgeous card by Kerry Donovan-Casey, a very talented card maker from Massachusetts, USA. I have absolutely fallen in love with her designs and I’m so excited to be able to share one of them with you. Here it is:

Cute Valentine Card Ideas

Kerry made this cute Valentine card ideas using Pink Cat Studio stamps, Basic Grey Bittersweet paper, Basic Grey Rose Red paper, Basic Grey Papertrey White paper, Memento Black ink, Memento Rose Red ink, Copics, MS scalloped heart punch, Nestabilities, 5/8th white grosgrain, Basic Grey Bittersweet Brads and Dazzling Diamonds glitter from SU!

This is one of the cutest Valentine card ideas I have seen. I love the colours and the clever arrangement of the different elements. I also love the two little hearts tucked into the top corner.

A big thanks to Kerry for allowing me to share her cute Valentine card ideas with you. If you would like to see more of her creations, please visit her blog, Three Clovers Design.


Feb 9

I am always on the look out for talented crafters who inspire me and today I wanted to introduce you to one. Her name is Fiona and she is from Scotland. I love her work, and in particular, her Valentines card idea really captured my eye. She has graciously allowed me to share it with you so here it is:

Fiona made this Valentines card idea using Magnolia’s “Tilda with Hearts” stamp, Copic Ciaos, Bazzil card, cardstock and Bo Bunny’s Love Bandit Nuts 4 U paper. The hearts are handmade and the sentiments handwritten.

Her card is absolutely adorable. I particularly love how she has used glitter on all the different elements to tie them all together.

Thanks so much for allowing me to share this fabulous Valentines card idea Fiona! If you would like to see more of Fiona’s creations, please visit her blog, Lil Daffodil.