Sunday is Valentine’s Day and for most people it will be very different to last year. Still that doesn’t stop us sending cards. When you visit the stores most card displays are a sea of red, and hearts abound. But often I feel that the designs are quite feminine, so today I wanted to do something a little different.

GREY BASE

I began this card several times, first with a card base in Pretty Peacock. Then I changed to Gray Granite, and I even toyed with Whisper White. Nothing really excited me until I looked at the Peony Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack and saw the grey combinations.

Inspired by the DSP I used my Paper Trimmer to cut and score some Basic Gray Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Then from the Peony Garden DSP I cut three pieces of the grey chevron pattern paper.

I began with a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece that I fixed to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Then with Paper Snips I trimmed off the excess using the edge of the flap as a guide.

My second piece of DSP was cut 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ and glued down the long side of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Whisper White Card. Then I added a 1/8″ x 5-1/4″ strip of Basic Black Card against the edge of the DSP. With that done I used more liquid glue to fix the assembled layer inside the card base.

All I needed now was one last piece of the DSP and I cut this piece 3″ x 5-1/2″. Then I glued the DSP to the front of the card, lining it up with the right-hand edge.

To add more interest I took a 1-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Basic Gray Card. Then I embossed it using the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder and my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Using liquid glue again, I attached the embossed strip to the card front up against the left side.

Finally, to coordinate with the inside I cut another 1/8″ strip of Basic Black Card. Using liquid glue I fixed this narrow strip over the left edge of the DSP on the front of the card.

Now I was ready for my sentiment and I chose “Happy Valentine’s Day” from the Meant To Be Stamp Set. Using Basic Gray ink I stamped the sentiment onto a 1-1/2″ x 2-7/8″ piece of Whisper White Card. Then I fixed this over the DSP on the card front using liquid glue. With that done I set the card aside while I worked on the rest of the project.

RED HEART & JEWELS

In bright contrast to the shades of grey used so far I wanted a bright red heart as the focal point on the card. I chose Real Red Card for this and Smoky Slate Card as a contrast.

Turning to the Stitched Be Mine Dies I chose the #3 rounded heart die (counting from the smallest up). This die actually cuts two pieces in one go. There’s the large heart, plus a stitched edge that is separate. So to create my heart I actually used the die twice, one each in Real Red and Smoky Slate.

Next, from my die-cut pieces I took the heart-shaped centre from the Real Red Card and the stitched heart border from the Smoky Slate Card. The other two pieces I set aside to use on another project.

To make it easier to fix onto the card base I flipped over the die-cut pieces and used strips of sellotape to hold the two together. Then I attached the assembled heart to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

While I liked the project design I I didn’t love it. I felt that the heart needed a little extra detail and a bit of bling would make this card really stand out. So I added a line of three small Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels along the bottom of the heart. That was exactly what was needed and my project was finally complete.

It’s not your conventional Valentine’s Day card, but not everyone wants flowers. What do you think?

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