S&S Midweek Throwdown Challenge - Be My Valentine

How exciting for me to be selected to inspire my fellow OWH stampers on the S&S Midweek Throwdown Challenge! I am thrilled and even more motivated to crank out some last minute Valentines.  How about you?

As you know the deadline for Valentine cards, January 7th, is quickly approaching and with the great success of the Archway Challenge (thanks again Archway!) I am afraid that many of us have already mentally moved on to other themes.  However, the need for Valentine's Day cards has not diminished.  Many of our hero contacts are still on waiting lists for their next card boxes and time is getting short to get Valentine themed cards out to them.  So, hopefully this throwdown will give us all one last boost to turn out some sweet cards for our heroes.

My first card features the giraffe from Melanie Muenchinger's "Just So Hippy" stamp set - one of my personal favorites - which is available with Gina K Designs.  I stamped the image onto white cs with Stampin' Up! (SU) Pretty in Pink ink, colored the heart spots with the same ink and then used my blender pen to give it a soft look.  The dp is also from SU, one of the 6X6 packs that I earned as a hostess gift awhile back.  I cut the circle and shadow scallop with Spellbinders Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug.  The embossed background was also created using my Cuttlebug and an embossing folder.  Did you notice the partial image "tease" on the front of the envelope?  I just LOVE the over the shoulder look stance and the look on his face!  too cute!

For this second card I took inspiration from the Mojo Monday Sketch Blog  for October 5, 2010 Sketch #107 and cased a card made by Deborah Southard for Our Daily Bread Designs.  The sentiment is from Verve Stamps "Just for You" and the image is from SU "Garden Silhouettes." All cardstock, ink, brads, and the dp are also SU.   Once again, I cut the circle and scallop with Spellbinders Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug.  The embossed background was also created using my Cuttlebug and an embossing folder.

I would like to point out here that neither of these cards use the phrase "Happy Valentine's Day" but both are completely suitable to be used as Valentine's Day cards.  On the other hand, they could also be used even after the February 14th celebration is over...thus extending the useful life of the card.  Clever, eh?  Not an original idea but a great tip for OHW stampers like us, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by my relatively new blog.  I love to hear your comments and enjoy visiting others blogs so leave me your URL and I'll stop by and leave you some love too!

Happy Stamping & Merry Christmas!