Today on the Jacquard Blog, we're very excited to introduce Scrapbook and Mixed Media Artist, Susan Brzozowski. Susan's beautiful cards and paper crafts have appeared in a number of publications, such as
Scrap and Stamp Arts, and multiple volumes of
Just Cards! Susan shares her ideas for creating a Valentine's Day themed card and tablescape. Make a pair of place settings to share with your Valentine, or a bunch if you're hosting a group!
Valentine's Day Margarita Card
Supplies:
Directions:
Take the metal heart brads, and color them with Piñata Alcohol Ink in Chilli Pepper Red. Let dry.
To create the heart overlay, stamp a heart background on to a square piece of white card stock. The dimensions should match the width and height of the front of the finished card. For clean edges, run all four edges of the card stock across the ink pad, to create a thin frame.Cover the entire square with a transparent glitter. Cut a heart out of the center of your patterned piece. A die cutter or craft punch is the quickest way to do this, though you can also use a craft knife to hand cut the piece out. Retain the center heart to use for embellishing the gift box project (shown next).
To create the card, apply the heart overlay to the front of your card, and center your Valentine's Day Stamps and/or a personalized message so that they appear through the center of your heart cut out. Then cut out a square of ExravOrganza and layer it over the top of the card, using the colored brads. You can also stamp or print directly on to the ExravOrganza, it is paper backed so that it can run easily through an inkjet printer, and treated to accept ink without bleeding. You may wish to fringe the edges, as pictured above. To prevent the brads from showing in the center of your card, apply a duplicate layer of card stock to the back of the card, before writing your message inside the card.
Valentine's Day Gift Box
Supplies
Create a gift box with a red lid and a white bottom. Before assembling the lid, punch a heart border along the edges of the top, allowing the contrasting color of the base to peek through.
To embellish the box, you can use the cut heart left over from the card project, and you may wish to create additional hearts in varying sizes. Use a foam adhesive for added dimension. To create the band pictured above, mount a strip of border-punched paper on top of a solid strip of card stock. Then layer a piece of ExravOrganza on top, and affix with metal heart brads that have been colored with Pinata Alcohol Ink. The "Happy Valentine's Day" message was stamped directly on top of the extravorganza, and the edges were fringed.
Valentine's Day Menu
Create a white card, and mount a slightly smaller piece of red card stock on it.
Cut three metal hearts out of embossing metal and dry emboss a heart pattern on each one. Apply Piñata Alcohol Ink to the hearts in Chilli Pepper Red, allow to dry.
ExravOrganza comes pre-cut in 8.5" by 11" sheets that will easily run through your home ink jet printer. Design your menu using any word processing software, and print directly on to the ExravOrganza. Depending on how large your menu is, you may be able to print multiple menus on the same sheet. Be sure that the final printout will fit within the heart cut out.
Once you have your menu printed, create a patterned sheet just as you did above, rolling the stamp heart background in crimson lake ink, over white cardstock. Apply translucent glitter over all of it. Then cut a large heart out of the center, where the text of the menu will peek through. Mount the glittered heart frame over the organza, and then mount both of those on top of the solid red card.
Finish the menu by attaching the metal embellishments, and add a knotted ribbon at the top of the heart.
Valentine's Day Place Card
Apply Piñata Ink in Chilli Pepper Red to two heart brads directly from the bottle, and allow to dry.
Print each guest's name out on ExtravOrganza, before cutting them out. Leave enough room around the names to fringe the edges.
Cut a small rectangle of red card stock, and punch a border out of the bottom and top of the sheet. Leave enough height between the two borders so that your printed name will have a solid background. Mount it on top of white card stock, before applying it over top of your heart background. Embellish with the red heart brads, as shown.
Valentine's Day Utensil Holder
Cut three metal hearts out of embossing metal and create a heart pattern by dry embossing each one. Color the metal using Piñata Ink in Chilli Pepper Red. Allow to dry.
Create a pocket out of red card stock. Before assembling your pocket, dry emboss a heart pattern on the front.
Using the same technique from the place card project, print a personalized message on a piece of ExtravOrganza, and cut it long enough to wrap around the utensil holder. Then cut a strip of red and white card stock in a matching size. Punch a heart border on the top and bottom of the red card stock, and layer the white card stock, the red border, and the ExtravOrganza. Fold over the front of the utensil holder at an angle, before embellishing with the metal hearts.
