Hearts, pearls and lace...it must be Valentines!

Every year when I was young, my mom would have me create Valentine cards from a big assortment of goodies: ribbon, construction paper, paper doilies, pipe cleaners, sequins, little bits of fabric....the memory of those creations with my Mom hold a special place in my heart and probably contribute to my love of crafts today.

This week at Die Cuts R Us, the sketch challenge inspired me to create a Valentine card for my wonderful hubby (who is recovering well and will be back to work in one week!) Here is their first sketch (a new one will be posted on the 3rd Tuesday of each month - how fun!)

And here is the card that the sketch inspired me to create:

So many elements that remind me of my childhood handmade creations! I used ribbon to form the strips you see on the sketch and a row of pearls as well. (Click the photo to see it enlarged). I cut the scalloped mat from a sheet of White Shimmer cardstock from PaperTrey Ink and covered my chipboard heart with the same paper. The circle piece that is between the heart and the scalloped mat is a piece from a paper doily.

I trimmed the edges of the scalloped piece with more pearls and some bright pink sparkles and tied a little knotted bow around my heart. There is also a sentiment rub-on on the heart that you can see better in this close-up photo:

It's very subtle but really adds something elegant to the focal piece. The DP is from Little Yellow Bicycle.

So my Big Idea for the week is to incorporate some simple elements into a Valentine's Day card. Notice there is no stamping on this card! But a great look can be acheived by using a beautiful patterned paper and those odds and ends of ribbon, pearls, sparkles, and whatever else you can find in your stash!

Have a creative week!