. {I know, I know, who really needs a reason for something new and amazing}You might remember that I said I was going to participate in a Valentine Card Exchange. This was the perfect reason. I used my 40% off coupon at Michaels and bam. I now owned it. I plan on buying more embossing folders through amazon because they are a little cheaper. Or I might make some of my own using this awesome tutorial I found {here} from Mel Stampz. She uses a cereal box to make it! being green and thrifty. You have to check it out!
Anywhoo, back to how I made my cards for the exchange.
My materials:
♥ Sizzix Machine ♥ Paper Cutter ♥Paper of your choice ♥ Edge punch ♥ Skinny paint brush (I used it to crease the center of the cards for easy folding) ♥ The following stamps: LOVE; Happy Valentines Day; Handmade by: ♥ Stamp ink ♥ Adhesive foam squares ♥ Cricut (you could use a punch cut or hand-cut instead)
[caption id="attachment_478" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
some of my materials[/caption]♥♥♥My Paper started at a standard 8.5X11 so I cut it straight in half. This allows it to fit in an A2 envelope.
After I cut it in half I scored it in half again using my paint brush. I then punched the corners while it was folded in half so the corners would match.
Then I put the card into my Sizzix and turned the handle and presto change peanut butter and jelly sandwich....
And I had this!
You might have noticed my embossing folder {the plastic thing with cools swirls} is actually a Cuttlebug folder. You can use either brand as long as it is A2 size.
Then I went over to my Cricut
Then I used a stamp to say LOVE
It is much easier to stamp and edit all the hearts when they are still on the mat. I also decided last-minute to add some silver marker details. I added a line above and below the heart and dots around the edge.
I attached these hearts to the front of the cards with 3-d Dots Adhesive Foam 
I also stamped the inside with Happy Valentines Day. You could buy a stamp for just that but I have the Martha Stewart Crafts Your Own Stamp Set
I also Stamped the back of every card with a cute stamp I found that says Handmade by: and it has a little hand!
I tried to get a good picture but my silver marker didn't want to photograph well.
So there they are. Three different colors. Cornered punched. All stamped, signed and ready to be enveloped.
I am super excited to be putting these in the mail today. And I already got my first card of the exchange! a super cute post card.
Do you ever make your own Valentine Cards? What methods do you use? Any tips you want to share?