Trout Fishermen

by Salvador Caballero (1943-2006) Spain

from Allposters.

I've been asked to show some cards for men and boys, and so I have quickly put together some things using clippings from catalogs and magazines. If you have a farm magazine, or anything to do with airplanes, ships, cars, fishing, or whatever you know will appeal to the men in your family, you can cut out pictures for these Valentines. Use the office glue sticks rather than wet glue on magazine clippings to keep them flat.

The Valentine at the top is made by folding white construction paper in half and cutting a heart shape, as I have shown in recent posts. Then, using a model car catalog, cut out a truck or car and paste it to the heart. Use whatever color contrasts the best with the vehicle color and makes it stand out the best.  Then, glue the white heart on to red paper, only on the left half. Cut out again around the white heart, leaving some red color paper to show outside the edges as you see here.

Fold a little piece of paper in half and paste one side of it down so that it opens like a book, and write the person's name or a greeting on it, as shown above.

Fold the unglued half over and put another view of the truck on it.

Decorate the edges by swirling colored glue or puff paint in a pattern, and then put some glue on the bed of the truck and fill it with tinsel hearts. If you have none, cut out some small hearts and glue them down.

Some men collect matchbox cars, which are not at all expensive (99c for hot wheels in some stores) and so you could include a gift of a collectible car with the card:

This next one has an outdoor scene from another catalog. Cover the catalog numbers or page numbers with a cut out heart, and cover corners that are cut irregularly, with more hearts if you like.  I've made another book like the previous one and pasted it on one side, so that it opens with the message.

Glue the heart on a bigger piece of paper of another color and cut around it with deckle edge scissors or plain scissors.

Instead of the old message "Be Mine," I've written "You're Mine."

Here are some samples of free Victorian clipart you can print to put on cards. 

This one would look great in the middle of a card,

and so would this,

but the ships look more adventurous.

Here's another piece of clip art from a catalog. I liked the tea set and used it to make a very quick card for a friend.

Not all Valentines have to be heart shaped. Try putting a scene in the middle of a folded card and just adding hearts from paper.

Another example of using catalog and magazine pictures for clip art. The paper is not as quality as the purchase art stickers and scrapbook clip art, but it is great when you don't have any fancy papers.

 Roses I by Fasani

Why not click on my playlist music on the left, while you view these cards and get some ideas for making your own? You can press the stop button any time you like.

Click on to get the full benefit of the wonderful glitter on this card. With a fine tip of a bottle of glitter glue, you can outline the embosssed roses and leaves which are on many of these paper doilies.

Find jewel stickers and place them as accents on your card. They make good dew-drops when placed on pictures of roses.

To make a picture for the center, you can either paste a cut out piece on a white card the size of a calling card or business card, or you can cut rectangles, squares, ovals and hearts from cards. Use older cards you have saved that are pretty, or just get a few from the dollar store for 50c or a package of 8 for a dollar. There are other sources of such clip art on the web at Victorian graphics sites that offer free printables like these. Print them off on card stock for best results.

Keys can be cut from printed scrapbook pages, glued on to the heart, and then embossed with glitter glue paint to give them a raised effect like real keys. You see here I have placed my picture first and then added

stickers and foam hearts around it. The red borders you see are made with glitter glue.

This is scrapbook paper on cardstock, from this package, which is only $5.00 at Walmart.  The heart was made by tracing one of the doilies with the scalloped edges, and then outlined with a shiny white puff paint, and a red glitter glue. The red heart above is also pasted on card stock.

This is paper, not cardstock, and is full of prints of roses, hearts, keys and more, which I am using for these crafts all week til the 14th.

The paper doilies are not expensive if you get them at dollar stores. You can also make your own by folding a heart shape paper in many folds and then cutting wedges and shapes from the folded areas, like you would a paper snowflake.

Inside each paper doily is a heart shape. Cut out one of them for a pattern if you want to trace around them to cut out hearts from printed papers. Then paste them over the heart area of your paper doily.

To make these scrap-hearts, first glue your paper doily on some card stock to give them a more stable surface on which to add other things.

Lay out everything you think you might like to use, thinking of colors and shapes.  I've cut some of these things right out of the scrapbook paper book to give myself some clip art.  A hint: leave the pages in the book, and just cut off pieces from the edges, rather than removing the whole paper. That way, you do not have stray pieces to deal with and store.

Experiment to get a nice look, by placing the main piece or picture on prepared heart shape.  Move them around and exchange them til you get what you like. 

Surround the main picture or object with other items that compliment it in color or theme, balancing the look as best you can.

Paste down the objects with an office glue stick, and outline them with glitter glue if you like.  I leave mine overnight before handling them the next day. As in the previous post, you can add the hanging ribbon on the back the next day, or do it in the beginning before you start decorating the card.  

These are the glitter glues and puff paints I used for outlines and accents in these hearts. By far the shiniest and most sparkly is the sticklers brand in the middle.  The dust glitter on the right is also very beautiful, but for the most part these days, I'm using glitter glue. Not all glitter glues are equal, however, and do not dry the same. Some end up looking more like glue than glitter, and others take too long to dry. Everyone has their preference. I put mine on a box in front of a blowing heater when I want them to dry quickly. That being said, these cards are perfectly lovely without any glitter at all. For children, just use the glittered stickers and glittered foam hearts, rather than the glitter glue, which needs to be more precisely applied, and cannot be touched until dry. Some of the glues take a long time to dry.

I hope anyone who wants to is able to snag the pictures for their files. You are welcome to put these hearts on pinterest or similar pages.  Also feel free to use these ideas for etsy. The only thing I ask concerning my   craft  ideas and patterns is that you do not copyright them, as I would like to let everyone use them freely.

You can preserve these by framing them behind glass or brushing on a layer of decoupage glue.  Try making some in the colors and styles to match your home decor and framing them. You can print photographs of your family and use them for the center of the cards.

Beautiful Decor

This craft looks complicated but is quite easy. It is made using a paper heart doily as the base. It has to be pasted on cardstock because the paper doily is too flimsy to work with.  Paste it on cardstock or heavier paper (construction paper will also work well for this),  and cut it out, either around the scallop edges, or just generally. Add a picture from scrapbook paper either in the middle or off to the side. This is the picture or object you build the other objects around. After that, paste glittered foam hearts, diamond stickers, iridescent  table confetti, buttons, butterflies, and a rope of sequins. My theme for this card is "white," so I tried to find as many white bits and pieces as I could.  

 Here  it is being pasted on the cardstock to cut out.

A length of ribbon is applied with white glue and a piece of paper is put over it on the back to secure it.

You can also just trace hearts on pretty scrapbook paper from a large cookie cutter. These look pretty placed around the dining table on a white table cloth. This one comes from the paper stack below, $5.00 at Walmart:

Click for a detailed view.

On a Sunny Day II by Fasani

Artprint from Allposters

Indoor projects can brighten the mood and lighten the load of housework.  I always look forward to getting out some bright materials and creating something with them.  Here you see a collection of heart-shaped cards made using paper doilies.  Outlines on the doilies are drawn with puff paints and glitter paints. You should be able to click on for a larger view, which really shows the brightness and the details. To save to your files, I think you have to click on first to enlarge, and then click "save."   The butterfly comes in a package of 3, in several colors, from Dollar Tree craft section.

A heart is cut from a decorative paper napkin and ironed on with saran wrap, to the doily in the center. Try using floral scrapbook papers for a similar effect.

First, glue the paper lace heart doilies to a cardstock backing of a contrasting color so that it shows through the lace.  After that, add a picture from a card, or some free Victorian printable cardstock images which you can find online. Use the picture as your center theme and then place the smaller pieces around it, being careful to use colors and shapes that enhance the image and make it stand out in a pleasing way.  If you do not have a key, you can always find a printed page of keys on scrapbook paper and cut one out, or, you can just trace around a key on some glitter paper, and cut one out of your own.

 Foam heart stickers are usually available at the dollar store, as well as stickers, novelty brads, diamond stickers, and other scrapbook and card-making novelties you see here. You can use things you already have in your collection of paper things, or you can get very reasonably priced things at JoAnns, Michaels and Dollar Tree. 

 If you do not have cardstock to glue the doily on to make a firm backing, try pink, white, red or black construction paper, which looks great if it is a contrasting color to the paper lace hearts.

These cards are not double-folded, but you can add a rubber-stamped or hand-written greeting on the other side.  If they are to be mailed, they should be sent in a padded envelope and weighed at the post office before adding postage. Ribbon or string can be glued between the layers before putting the doily on the cardstock,  to make hanging hearts.

I think it is important, especially on overcast days, to make something cheerful to keep or give away. I'm keeping these and future creations in a basket on the seat by the front door to give away to anyone who drops by and wants one.

Here is a very easy way to make Valentines using  paper and clip art from magazines or ads that come in the mail. The heart has a special country style shape, so if it does not suit you, just make your own shape by folding paper in half and cutting a half-heart shape, and using it for a pattern.  This one is designed to fit in the long business envelopes, as you see below:

I bought these envelopes at WalMart when they had a special pink office supply promotion.

This heart is made of white cardstock and a simple rose is glued on. Without much fuss, and no embellishments, it is still really pretty.

  

In the photograph above I have sketched a simple little scene of a path leading to a house surrounded by trees, with hills in the background and a clear sky,  which you can print and use to make the card like those old post cards.  This one is just done with crayons and a rose sticker is added at the lower end of the heart.

All you need is construction paper or thin scrapbook paper, or cardstock if you prefer. The clip art can be anything you have, such as stickers or pictures. The only equipment you need are scissors and white glue. Deckle edge scissors and glitter glue is optional. For children, this is very easy, since they only have about three things to put on the card. I've added stick-on diamonds and ribbon to some of these.

Print the template, above, on cardstock or glue to cardboard. Cut out the pieces and trace around them on various types of paper, for your heart cards.  These are just one layer. The personal greeting is written on the other side. 

If you sell things from your home, this would be a very easy and quick project. Line up all your supplies and get everything in order before you begin, and it will go fairly easily. The white cardstock hearts on the left are made only with cardstock paper and stickers. Just two ingredients are simple for children and still make a lovely impression.

Here is what the junk mail clip-art looks like on cards. The bookmark at the top of the picture made a lovely card, tied with coordinating ribbon. 

The smaller heart shape makes perfect little tags, which can be attached to gifts or gift bags. The construction paper comes from the dollar store.

If you do not have enough envelopes, just open a business size envelope from any mail you have, or use a new one, and glue it on to cardstock. Cut it out and use it as a pattern on thin scrapbook paper, putting the white side on the outside and the print on the inside.

To make a book or letter-card, just punch holes on the straight edge of the card and thread ribbon through it. Cut out extra pages but make them slightly smaller all around.

This one has a length of silver beads to tie it and is outlined in silver glitter-glue. I've made a guest book out of this one, just for one day. You can get quite a few pages in it for one postage stamp, for writing letters.

You can also trace this shape on fabrics, cut them out and glue them on the cards with a glue-stick.  The liquid white glue does not work as well with fabric.

While I think of it, I discovered something to share: Sidewalk chalk (that odd looking piece on the edge of the chalkboard) works really well on old chalkboards. Normal chalk seems to slide and not stick on the board when it gets older and worn out, but children's  sidewalk chalk is great, and you can get it at the dollar store. It erases a lot more easily too, and  it comes in large sticks in many different colors,  or in shapes like bunnies and ducks, etc. If you are not able to refurbish the black boards with chalkboard paint, cannot get any, or do not want to spend the money, this sidewalk chalk makes them look fresh and new.

Have a look around at things you normally would throw away and you will find quite a few things you never noticed before. For example, in the picture of all the hearts, the last card on the right of the top row has a rose on it made with a green stem cut from part of a brown paper grocery bag. Part of the bag was green.  You might find a little rose on your tea box or floral stickers from your junk mail, that you could use to brighten up a card. 

Although there are high quality products widely available today for crafters, it is always good to understand how to be creative and resourceful and to use what you have on hand,  to make something beautiful for someone else.