My Crafty Valentine...
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, who says you need to hit the neighborhood pharmacy for a cheesy card (when you can make your own from the heart at home)?
I personally love Valentine’s Day. Chocolates. Flowers. Baked goods. Paper crafts… I mean, these are a few of my favorite things! I’ve always found it to be a fun holiday, not just a romantic one. When I was young, I remember one year that I wanted to hand-make Valentine’s cards to give to classmates, instead of just buying a pack. Though my mom wondered if I was sure I wanted to take the time to do this, I did. I set up a folding snack table near the couch in our living room and I got to work. For those of us who love making things (especially card-makers like me), Valentine’s Day is a time to get crafting!
As President of my University’s art club as an undergrad, I gathered materials and had us do a Valentine’s card making night. Everyone loved it and (as evidenced by these photos) really got in the zone as they cut paper, pasted photos, and added in song lyrics or poems to their creations.
Members of the art club working on some custom-made Valentines.
For any library looking to host their own craft night, adult/teen Valentine’s card making is a great place to start! This past weekend, I made a set of 10 cards with envelopes to leave inside a Ziploc bag for anyone to take at my nearest Little Free Library. It took time, yes, but it was also creatively satisfying and a chance to pay it forward. Plus, for a holiday that many blame for being too commercial, why not give something away for free? Checkmate, capitalism! ;)
Here are the two styles of cards I made, along with supplies and a basic step-by-step:
Style 1: The Socially Relevant Card
This punny Valentine was created using some very simple tools and techniques. Using a folded piece of construction paper cut to the size of my envelopes, I had a blank canvas to take anywhere I wanted. I decided to cut out little face mask shapes out of a fresh wrapping on a roll of my Who Gives a Crap toilet paper.
Deciding that the patterned side was too dark for the “lipstick” marks I wanted to draw, I turned it around to the plainer side and let a subtler pattern show through. Using a Faber-Castell Gelato watercolor chalk in Guava, I drew lipstick kiss marks across the little paper mask. You can also use real lipstick, provided you don’t mind dulling the edges of your stick, and let it dry enough on the paper so that it smudges as little as possible.
Next, I used the mouth of my largest water glass to trace a circle onto the center of the card in pencil. I used this as a guide to add my text to frame my central element, the mask. Tracing over the text and penciled-in mask straps with a Le Pen Flex, I then erased my circle guide lines. The little paper mask was taped in place, and voila! Bésame mucho, but make it masked!
Style 2: The Heart of Gold
Solid as a rock. Taking some inspiration from a decorative rock I’d painted a few years ago as the basis for this design.
This design shows off some of my favorite color combinations. The red and pink are a uniquely lovely Valentine’s Day pairing, while pink and gold are a personal favorite color combo.
To start this design, I roughly sketched a heart shape that would fit within the card’s dimensions, then took away excess gestural lines with my eraser. Alternative to free handing: cut a heart of the right size from paper, and trace around it in pencil.
Once the heart was looking good, I drew in three petal/drop shapes in pencil to give myself a good base for the pattern placement. This is also something that can be cut from paper and traced if free handing is not suitable to the person or group.
With the outline established, I took a red oil-based Sharpie paint marker to trace the petal shapes, adding in the rest of the details within each one at a time. A simple quick flick of the marker filled in the expressive lines between the shapes. Since the design on the card was slightly larger than my original inspiration, I was able to fill in the spaces with a gold metallic marker. Gold marker was also used to create fun and vibrant dots all around the heart itself. The end result is an illuminated line drawing that is sure to enchant.
As with any craft, the possibilities and variations are endless!
One year ago today, I volunteered with Fleisher Art Memorial for their 20th Annual Print Love-In where I headed up the typewriter station for the 21+ program. The typewriters were provided for the night by local partner Philly Typewriter. While I had to learn from one of their staff how to use the typewriter so that I could teach others, the typewriters were a fun and welcome blast from the past for many older adults in the crowd! Why not set out some books of love poems and an old (but functional) typewriter for crafters to create their own custom message to tape to the inside of their cards?
As with any craft, the possibilities and variations are endless! Libraries can even offer blank card pickups at the library to be decorated at home using simple supplies while participants tune in to create together via video conferencing or social media live hangout. Share the love, and have fun doing it!
All photos and designs: Lorelle S.
