All Paper Arts

I have to admit I am very thankful for laptops and the internet today. If I had to write this blog by hand today I probably would have gone back to bed and cried. I just changed doctors and had to get a tetanus shot on Monday. I couldn't remember when the last time I had one was but I knew it was over 10 years. I should have listened when the nurse said optional. My left arm really, really (did I say really?) hurts. I thought I had gotten off lucky when I didn't even feel the prick of the needle. Nobody bothered to warn me that I would be in so much pain. It's not a pain as bad as a cut but that atleast that pain goes away. Instead it feels like my arm has been a sleep for a year and it doesn't want to move. Kind of like when you get the sudden urge to bench press when you haven't done any kind of weights in at least a year!

Okay, on to paper arts. Here is a scan of one of my favorite Valentine cards. I designed and made this last year for card party. I know what you are thinking but it really isn't as complicated as it looks. I started off with a 10" x 7" piece of cream cardstock. With the long side positioned horizontal I folded in almost 2 1/2" on both sides. That then gives you the "doors". I stamped each door with two different 1 1/2" stamps using burgundy ink. (There is no wrong or right way to stamp it just however you want). I cut a burgundy heart with one of my sizzilit dies. I then adhered one side of the heart to one door. Using a ribbon hole punch (it is a rectangle instead of a circle but you can use a classic hole punch) I punched two holes in the heart. On the other door I punched another hole lining it up with the hole on the heart. Then I threaded an 8" piece of ribbon through the holes. Tip start by threading it through the front of the door with the heart and then back through the other door. When you have finished the inside just tie the bow for the presentation.

The inside of the card is very simple. I just matted 3 pieces of paper on top of each other. On mine the top piece of paper is a petal paper, the second piece of paper is more cream cardstock stamped with the same stamps used on the front of the card, and then the biggest piece of paper on the bottom is a burgundy cardstock. The heart die I used actually makes a negative and a positive (or two hearts) the solid heart I used on front and then the scalloped heart frame I used on the inside. You can use stickers, a heart punch, or cut your own hearts if you don't have a die cut.

This card really comes out looking so very elegant in person. I appreciate every one being patient with me. I am still new and still experimenting on the best way to load pics for the blog.
click image for larger image of hole punches in heart