Mojo Monday Sketch 122

I haven't participated in one of Mojo Monday's challenges for awhile. I forgot how much I love their sketches! This was a fun one, so I'm glad I played along. Since I've been leaning toward creating Valentine cards, I just went along with that theme for this sketch. I love red, silver and black together.

Products Used For This Card: MOJO122 Sketch, Bazzill Cardstock, Patterned Paper from Creative Imaginations called Stitched Hearts, Heidi Grace Clear Stamps Quotes, Nestabilities Lables One, Hero Arts Black Gemstones, Buttons, May Arts Burlap in Red & Black.

Caardvarks "Red Heart" Challenge

How could I possibly not participate in the "Red Heart" challenge going on over at Caardvarks!? The only requirements are to use the color red and incorporate hearts into your card. I love red paired with kraft and black, so this challenge was a no-brainer for me!

Products used for this card: Caardvarks "Red Heart" Challenge, Bazzill Cardstock in Red, Kraft & Black, Making Memories Patterned Paper "Foiled Heart" from the Love Struck Collection, Hero Arts "All Occasion Messages" CL272, Nestabilities Ribbon Tags Trio die, Heart Punch, Hero Arts Midnight Black Accent Pearls.

Valentine Pocket Card

Here's a quick card that's actually two gifts in one. My inspiration for this project came from customer Elaine Pakonen-Luedtke, who came into Paper Studio with a book she had made using several of these pocket cards. Since I was making Valentine cards, I thought adding some pull out bookmarks and a message card to the pockets would be a cute idea. There's also room on the inside to add your own sentiment.

Since there are multiple ways you can use this card, I plan to revisit this project and create a different version using patterned papers.

Products Used For This Card: Bazzill Cardstock in Pomegranate, White, Nathan & Cupcake, Bazzill Basics Mini Ric Rac in Red & White, Sizzix Valentine Bigz Die - Sweet Love W/Hearts & Valentine Wishes Clear Stamps by ScrappyCat, Patterned Paper from Heidi Grace Designs - Valentine's Day Decor Stripe, Hero Arts Gemstones in Pink, Lavender & Pale Pink.

Key To My Heart

Have you ever started making a card and then right from the beginning you know it's going to be a challenge? That's what happened while making this one. I love this duplex cardstock because it has a nice feel to it. However, you have to be very careful when folding your card and using your bone folder. I don't recommend using a scorer with this paper either. After I had the card ready to go I noticed a few bumps on my fold. I didn't want to waste the paper (I hate doing that!), so I inked the edges and lo and behold it worked magic! I liked how it looked, so I went ahead and inked around the heart also. After I had the whole card put together, I think the black edging gave it a more dramatic look. I also didn't think the card even needed a sentiment. It's become one of my favorites of all the Valentine ones I've made so far.

Products used for this card: Duplex Cardstock in Red/White, Bazzill Cardstock in White, Blackbird & Dotted Swiss in Ballet, May Arts Sheer Nylon Edge Ribbon in White & Burlap Fiber in Black, Sizzix Large Valentine Bigz Die - Heart & Key, Hero Arts Pearl Gemstones & Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black.

Valentine's Day Cupcake Card

If I do say so myself, this card did turn out kinda cute. I've made so many Valentine's cards lately that they all seem like a blur to me. I've come to the conclusion that I much prefer making Christmas cards to Valentine's cards.

I added a red pom pom for the cherry and a small piece of black burlap for the stem. The cupcake is popped up with foam dots to add dimension. All in all this card was a fun one to make.

Products Used For This Card: Bazzill Cardstock in White, Cupcake, Nathan & Blackbird, Patterned Paper by BasicGrey - Cupcake from the Nook & Pantry Collection, May Arts Sheer Nylon Edge Ribbon in Pink, Burlap Fiber in Black, Sizzix Large Valentine Originals Die - Ornament, Valentine, Fiskars Scalloped Circle Punch, Bazzill Basics Pom Poms Ribbon in Red, Hero Arts Clear Design Stamps - All Occasion Messages & Alphabet, Miscellaneous Buttons.

Versatile Stamp Set

The Hero Arts "What's Cookin'" stamp set proved to be pretty versatile when I created this card yesterday. The 'Sweetie Pie' stamp fit perfectly for a Valentine card.

I had to change up the colors for this card. I love red, I don't generally use pink and I've been using it alot lately. I like pink with black and gray, but the red and pink combination is really starting to get to me! If it was up to me, every holiday card would have black and earthtones in them. And then again...who's to say they can't?

Products used for this card: Duplex Cardstock in Red/White, Bazzill Cardstock in White, Blackbird, Parakeet & Cardinal, Sizzix Stacking Lace Heart Set Die, Hero Arts "What's Cookin'" Stamp Set - CL333, Crop-A-Dile by We R Memory Keepers & Large Black Eyelets, Patterned Paper by BasicGrey - Fruit Salad & Pear Tart from the Nook & Pantry Collection & Creative Imaginations - Cherry Gingham from the Miss Elle Collection, May Arts Solid 2 Tone Ribbon in Red/Green.

Another Sizzix Bigz Die

I created this card yesterday at Paper Studio. I think I'm setting a record for myself of how many Valentine cards I can make. I've created several in the last few weeks, that I am posting little by little. Actually, considering I've only been making cards for about 14 months, this is a lot of Valentine cards.

Products Used For This Card:

Duplex Cardstock in Red/White, Patterned Paper by Heidi Grace Designs - Valentine's Day Decor Stripe, Sizzix Bigz Die - Hugs & Kisses W/Flower, Bazzill Cardstock in Parakeet & Dotted Swiss in Salt, Hero Arts Gemstones in Citron & Lavender.

I came across this quote this morning that I thought I'd share: "Your day goes the way the corners of your mouth turn". Anonymous. It's not always easy to remember that.

Valentine Card

Here's another Valentine card I designed at Paper Studio. It's a pretty simple design, but gets the point across. I used the large Valentine original die from Sizzix called Hearts, Tandem.

The center hearts are popped up using foam dots to give the card some dimension. I stamped the word "Love" and then outlined it using silver Stickles. I thought the card needed a little shimmer.

Products used for this card: Duplex Cardstock in Red/White, Sizzix Large Valentine Original Die - Heart, Tandem, Stickles in Silver, Sizzix Clear Stamps "Valentine Wishes" by ScrappyCat, Magenta Paper by The Piece, Bazzill Dotted Swiss in Salt, Patterned Paper by Heidi Grace called Valentine's Day Decor Stripe.

Thinking About Valentine's Day

I've been creating Valentine's Day cards at work, so I thought I'd start sharing them little by little. These are the first Valentine cards I've ever made. Some I like better than others, but I'll post all of them and let you decide which ones you like. I thought I'd start off with the one I made yesterday. I think it's my favorite so far.

I used one of the Large Valentine Original Dies from Sizzix called Frame, Lace Heart. This is a pretty versatile die and I think you could get alot of use out of it year round. It might not be a bad die to add to your die collection if you use a Sizzix Machine. I might have to think of getting one myself. I think it would make a fun way to frame pictures on a scrapbook layout.

Here's a side view so you can see how the middle heart is popped up to give the card some dimension.

Stay tuned for more posts with Valentine's cards. Have a fantastic day!

Products used for this card: Duplex Cardstock in Red, May Arts Ribbon: Solid 2 Tone in Red/Green, Sheer Nylon in Olive, Burlap Fiber in Red, Sizzix Clear Stamps "Valentine Wishes" by ScrappyCat, Large Valentine Original Dies-Frame, Lace Heart, Patterned Paper "Old Fashioned Courtship" from Marks Paper Company, Hero Arts Gemstones in Red, Making Memories Paper Edger.