Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines from Momma. I love Valentines.....it's a fun, romantic holiday and I'm a romantic at heart. Of course, I also have a romantic husband so that makes it even more fun. I guess if I were single or if Nice Guy just didn't get it, not so much fun.

I made Nice Guy a homemade Valentine card, which I do alot - make homemade things, that is. I like making things because I'm cheap, but I'm also an artist at heart (although I'm not exactly trained or anything like that). I was inspired because my girls are taking an art class where they've been making these neat books with lots of cool paint techniques and collages. I got a book from the library called Altered Art and that inspired me too....so I printed up that e.e. cummings poem that Cameron Diaz read to her sister in the movie In Her Shoes because I LOVE that poem. (It's called "i carry your heart with me" if you want to look it up.) And I had these cute pictures I cut out and I have lots of scrapbooking supplies including very nice paper, so I was set to make the Most Romantic Card Ever.

I sewed (yes, with my sewing machine - pretty cool) some paper into a book and started gluing on the pictures and the poem and then I painted the whole thing. If you, too, are trying to create a last minute card because you don't have time to run to the store (say, you live in a high traffic area) but you DO have 4 hours to spare in the making of a homemade card) here's a few do's and don'ts I learned. Let's call it Cardmaking 101:


1. If you sew together your pages first and then try to paint, the paint that's meant for one page will end up on all the pages.

2. If you glue down all your pictures before painting, the paint will cover the pictures and you won't see them. This should be obvious but sometimes we just don't think of these things.

3. Dogs like to sniff paint that's sitting on the floor.

4. Puppies like to play in paint that's sitting on the floor.

5. If you have ANY animals in your house, they should be kept out of the crafting area.

6. Carpet absorbs paint.

7. Remind the recipient that it's the thought that counts.

8. If you need detailed directions in the actual making of your card, contact a professional.

Happy Valentines Day!