Valentine Card with Intricate Design

This Valentine card is an original design that I made and cut with my Silhouette Cameo machine.  I tend to prefer designs that are intricate and symmetrical.  I also like to test the capabilities of my machines by making cuts that are very delicate with lots of twists and turns. 

This was cut on thick pink shimmer cardstock. The cut settings were speed 3, thickness 33 and blade at 5 with a double cut. While this design appears quite complicated, it was relatively easy to create using the design tools in the Silhouette software.  I am curious to see what tools are available in the new Design Space that will control the Cricut Explore machine.  Just a few weeks to wait...

I wanted to raise the image above the card surface to create shadow lines showing the details of the cut.  The large foam dots fit neatly on the corners and I cut smaller dots in half to line up along the edges of the square.

I didn't happen to have any on hand but I think a thin foam tape would  be ideal for this type of application.  The trimmed dots worked well enough.  The card base is Core'dinations Cardmaker series in Scarlet Pearl and it is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.

However, once I placed the topper on the card base, I did not like the way it looked from the side.  So I set about finding a way to hide the dimensional dots.

I had some thin satin ribbon that just fit between the topper and the card.  I wrapped it tightly around the sides (if I had planned ahead, I would have set the adhesive a little further in from the edge).

I adhered the loose end at the beginning to the foam dots and used 1/8 inch ScorTape to adhere the end of the ribbon to complete the enclosure.

My design included some heart cuts in the center,  These hearts could have been used for another card but I decided to stick with the original concept and add them to the card.

When you want to place an image exactly in the same position it is helpful to use the "offcut" as a template.  I adhered the thin outline of the heart directly to the card front (it looks like it is off center in this photo but that is just because it is at a slightly lower level).

I wanted the center heart to be raised at the same level as the frame so I used some more of the same brand of foam dots to raise it at the same height.

The interior heart cut helped me to center the raised heart.

These "leftover" bits could be used on another card.  I hate to let anything go to waste.

Here you can see the difference in the levels of the card elements.

The card design is very delicate but it needed just a bit of dressing up - I thought pearls would be perfect.  I had pink pearls and white pearls but these light tan pearls looked the best.

I had to laugh when I looked at this lovely vintage label - 1962 isn't that long ago is it!

One medium pearl on the larger heart, two small pearls on the two small hearts...

...and four large pearls in the four corners.  Seven is a lucky number so this seemed like just enough.

I was happy with the idea of wrapping the thin ribbon around the card to hide the foam - maybe I should have done that around the heart as well.  I didn't have a matching color ribbon but it is hidden from view when you are looking straight at the card.  When you see the card from the side it is just a nice little surprise and the card looks more polished.

Of course, you could add a different embellishment in the center framed by the lacy loops for a different occasion.

I hope you had a good weekend.  I didn't get this post scheduled correctly so it is going out Sunday evening - I'll get back on the normal schedule this week.  I did get to spend some time crafting and I have lots of new things to post this week.

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Love You Card - for your Valentine

I have always liked the crisp look of white and one other color - my favorites are blue & white and red & white.  These combinations seem both old-fashioned and fresh at the same time.  Red and white are perfect for Valentine's Day.

CTMH Cloud Nine cardmaking kit - click HERE for details

Close to my Heart has a special offer for January - if you spend $35 you can purchase the Cloud Nine cardmaking kit for just $15 (it has a retail value of $46).  My friend Joy is a CTMH consultant (her website is HERE) and she sent me a cardmaking kit to try out. The colors are not ones that I would usually choose but I think they are bright and cheery.

The Cloud Nine kit includes this stamp set and while I am not 100% sure about the mustache at the top, I think the other four stamps will be very useful.  I particularly like the heart shaped stamp and decided to make a card that looked nothing like the one in the kit for a valentine.

This stamp set coordinates with the CTMH Artiste Cricut cartridge (one of the best cartridges ever!) and the size and page number of the coordinating cut are printed right on the clear stamp sheet.  This heart is on page 66.

A word of caution - the clear stamp sheet says to cut the heart at 2 inches.  I did that and discovered that I should have chosen "real dial size" to get a cut that is the proper size.  The first cut is on the right of this photo.  It is sized to fit on the "I (Heart) you" sentiment in proportional sizing so you need to use real dial size to get a cut you can stamp on.

I sometimes have trouble stamping directly on the cut shape but I discovered a couple of helpful things to do.  One is to be sure to have a contrasting paper color behind the shape that you are stamping.  The other is to use the thin foam sheet that comes in the stamp sets and sit the shape on the foam before you stamp.  This helps to hold the shape straight and also cushions the stamp to help make insure that the ink all transfers properly.

There was not a shadow shape for this heart so I decided to just try using cuts 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch larger.  I actually prefer the effect of the irregular border at these sizes over a normal shadow shape - I think it looks more interesting.  You could try to alter the shape to be a more even shadow by using the Gypsy or CraftRoom software if you want a perfectly even shadow.

I tried a few different variations and finally settled on this triple layer for the heart, the white heart stamped in red at 2 inches, a red layer at 2 1/4 inches and another white heart cut at 2 1/2 inches.

Here are the pieces for this card.  The card base is 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 folded to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.  The white layer is cut at 5 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches and the red gingham is cut at 5 1/4 x 4 inches.  I just wanted a narrow line of white to define the edge of the card.  The ribbons with the zig zag design were from a grab bag I purchased in a sale - I think they were from Stampin Up.

The tiny gingham paper is from this 6 x 6 paper pad -Children at Play by Sarahjane Studios for Making Memories.

I used 1/8 inch ScorTape to adhere the ribbon to the front of the card.  I find this to be the best for ribbon - it holds very securely and doesn't buckle the paper.

 I wrapped the ends of the ribbon around to the back of the white layer - the ScorTape holds them down neatly.

Since this ribbon was rather thick, I used 1/4 inch ScorTape around the edges of the card to secure it to the card base.  I ran it right over the ribbon ends that were turned to the back.

Here is the card base with layers and ribbon - ready for the heart to be added.

I wanted the heart to be raised up on the card front.  To make sure my foam dots would not interfere with the ribbon, I put the shape on the ribbons upside down and added dots so they would hit the paper areas and not the ribbons.

Here is the finished card.  I'll have a few tips about the inside and alternative ides for the heart stamp in another post.  I think this looks so sweet but it is not overly frilly as some Valentines can be.

Be sure to check out Joy's blog Obsessed with Scrapbooking HERE for lots of great ideas.  Her Close to My Heart website is HERE.

Have you started making valentine cards yet?  Do you make a lot of them or just a few?  I have some designed in the Cameo software that I hope to cut out today - even if I am not snowed in!  

I hope you are safe and warm if you are in the path of the Winter storm Janus.  The worst of the big storm just missed us - we have a few inches of new snow but just south of here they had about 10 inches of the white stuff.

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Butterfly Valentine Card

Valentine cards are so much fun to make.  There are lots of types, from the cute kid valentines exchanged in school to the super elaborate multi-layered lace and bead creations dripping with vintage elegance.  I eventually get tired of red and pink but I do love making valentines.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I have a slight (well more than slight) "addiction" to the Memory Box dies.  Every time new dies are released I am like a kid in a candy shop.  I just bought this butterfly heart die and I couldn't wait to try it out.

My first Idea was to simply cut the heart shaped group of butterflies into the front of a pale pink shimmer card and add embellishments.  I wanted to keep the die centered so I taped it to the cardstock (total fail! - I forgot that I actually bought the Sizzix magnetic plate so I wouldn't have to do this...!).  

The tape left marks on my card front so I moved on to Plan B.

Fortunately, I already own the die that coordinates in shape to the butterfly heart - it is called the "Cupid Heart" and it matches a few other heart dies from Memory Box.

I cut a heart shape in the center of a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 piece of red cardstock.

This overlay fits perfectly around the butterflies.  I trimmed the pink cardstock to be a bit smaller than the red card top.

I thought the plain red cardstock was a little too simple for a Valentine so I looked through my Anna Griffin embossing folders.  I was sure that there would be one that would work nicely for this card and the "Reflected Damask" was just what I was looking for.

The symmetrical pattern lined up perfectly with the heart cut-out.  These folders cover the full front of an A2 card.  I usually make my card toppers a little smaller than the card to leave a thin border but I decided to show off the entire embossed design and have the topper completely cover the white card front.

I used 1/8 inch ScorTape to adhere the overlay to the pink butterfly layer.  By putting the adhesive on the pink piece I could be sure that the top layer would be easy to place over the butterflies.

The butterflies are pretty but the three dimensional effect was rather subtle with just a white card base behind the image.

I tried putting a piece of gold metallic cardstock behind the butterflies and if really made them pop!  The butterflies need to have their wings lifted after cutting and you might not want to mail this card unless you put it in a box - otherwise the wings might get crushed down.

Here are the pieces of the card front - the base is white cardstock from Papertrey Ink.  I really like using this for card because it is very thick.  The back of the folded card can take the weight of this multi-layered front.

After I added the full front to the card all I needed was a sentiment.

I decided to pull out an older Cricut cartridge called Sentimentals and look for a quick cut for this card.  I found the "For You" on page 64 of the handbook.  It has a shadow layer so it worked for my card.  (I could have created the sentiment with my Silhouette but sometimes a quick Cricut cut is just faster and easier).

I reversed the colors for the sentiment, using gold for the top layer and the pink shimmer for the  shadow.

If you don't have a clear layout ruler, you might want to pick one up.  They can be found in art supply stores or craft stores and usually cost less than $10, depending on the length.  I use mine all of the time for paper scrapbook pages and a shorter ruler is great for keeping things lined up on a card.

I adhered the sentiment directly to the card instead of using a foam dot to raise it as I often do.  I didn't want the words to take away from the fluffy butterfly wings.  The words are slightly off center because I wanted to line up the slant of the "F" with the angle of the heart.  This also gives me a bit of extra room if I decide to add a ribbon to the side of the card.

It is very hard to capture the effect of the shimmer and metallic cardstock in a photo.  This darker photo gives you a better idea of what it looks like in person.

I haven't added a sentiment inside but an appropriate one (though slightly corny) might be "my heart flutters for you!"

Thanks for all of the good wishes for my sister - she is out of the hospital and recuperating at home. We that our new kitty might end up being called "Dorabella" - we just have to try it out for a few more days.  We like it because she is adorable and Dorabella sounds like it could be Italian for adorable - or maybe it's Italian for "doorbell?"

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.