DIY valentines

Now that all the recipients have (hopefully) received them, I can share the Valentines I made last week.

This was a spur-of-the-moment project. I've been busy cleaning out my studio lately, so not a whole lot of creating art is going on right now. But I found some blank cards (leftover from making Christmas cards years ago) and had the urge to get creative, so I carved a couple of heart stamps and went to town stamping cards and envelopes. I have to admit I kind of love Valentine's Day for the excuse to go a little crazy with hearts and pink and red. I'm not typically a pink and hearts kind of girl (See: my dining room, painted black), so V-Day is a good reason to embrace some girliness once a year.



Also, Valentines are probably the most fun mail to send and receive. Who doesn't love getting something in the mailbox just to let them know they are loved? And since I never got around to sending out Christmas cards in December, this was my attempt at making amends.

I only had nine cards, so I had to pick just a few special people to send them to - a few of my closest girlfriends who I miss terribly (and who I've been very bad about keeping in touch with these past few months - sorry, Girls!), a couple of elderly great aunts, my parents, and my favorite three year old who I thought might like finding a little something in the mailbox with her name on it.

These were so simple to make, and turned out so pretty, that I can imagine popping the heart in a simple white frame and voila - instant wall art. They'd look especially cute in a little girl's room (or even in a black dining room)!

I had such fun with these, that I think I'll make sending out Valentines a yearly tradition!

P.S. I just remembered that sending out Valentines was #195 on my Life List. Check!