Lace Heart Valentine

Lace Heart Valentine
by Judi Kauffman

Valentine’s Day is a papercrafter’s idea of heaven! (Not that we ever need an excuse to make cards.) The minute I saw the Lace Heart die from the ModaScrap collection I was ready to roll…

This is a super simple project. The card is flat instead of folded so you’ll need to choose whether to punch holes at the top and add twine or ribbon and a bead for a hanging loop, or skip the holes and send a Card Stand/Easel so it can be displayed on a mantel, desk, or table.

As you can see from the photo above, one of the negative pieces from the lace side of the heart looks great as an embellishment. It has a similar weight and feel to the lettering in the die cut word ‘love’ shown in the photo below.

If you are an experienced card maker, head straight to the supply list.

If you are a beginner, I hope the ideas below will be useful:

TIPS AND DESIGN STRATEGIES

The finished card is 6” x 6”. Vary the size by enlarging or reducing the size of the border layers.

Cut the outer edges with deckle scissors to continue the lacy vibe. Alternatively, leave them plain.

Choose a bold palette with strong colors and lots of pattern and contrast as shown, or customize to suit your taste.

I chose bright Red Metallic Shimmer Sheetz for the heart and backed ONLY the solid side (not the lace side) with Clear Double Sided Adhesive prior to cutting. Because Shimmer Sheetz is stiff and sturdy, there is no need to have adhesive behind the lacy left side of the heart.

Other Shimmer Sheetz colors that would look great on Valentines include Red Iridescent, Ruby Gemstone, Imperial Garnet Gemstone, White Iridescent.

The right (solid) side of the die cut heart was embossed with the Heart Strings folder before the heart was adhered to the red cardstock square. Skip this step if you want less pattern.

If you are new to die cutting Shimmer Sheetz, please review Els van de Burgt’s YouTube tutorial. A metal adaptor plate or a Big Shot with Precision Base Plate is required, the cutting side of the die faces the metal plate with the Shimmer Sheetz in between. The rest of the machine’s cutting sandwich is as usual.

Angle the two rectangles with the word ‘love’ and the year as shown to help relieve the formal symmetry of the card. Both aim upward and toward the heart (visual arrows without being actual arrows).

Add gem-topped brads to the upper left and lower right corners to balance the other elements.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody!

SUPPLIES –

Elizabeth Craft Designs:
ModaScrap – Lace Heart
A Way With Words – Baby Love
Shimmer Sheetz in Red Metallic or color of choice
Heart Strings embossing folder
Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet and Tape
Card Stand/Easel (optional, to display cards instead of hanging them)

Other:
Deckle edge scissors (optional)
BoBunny Double Dot Mocha gem-topped brads
BoBunny Kiss the Cook collection patterned papers, polka dot number stickers
Red, white, and black speckled cardstock
1/8” hole punch (optional)
Twine and bead (optional)