Close to Valentines!

     Long as I can remember, I have made cards. Can't say what motivates me- I just have to. The good thing is people like to get them. I have made Christmas and Valentine cards for almost 50 years (yikes). In grade school, I always made the classroom box and decorated it for everyone to put their cards in, trudging it to school a half a mile in February Buffalo weather. Gladly. I think my biggest complaint besides running out of time, is I can only make so many and I hit the wall. I try to keep up with birthdays as able.
     When you think of it, it is kind of like making quilts, but using paper so I guess I have following the same path longer than I think.
     Every year, I sketch and sketch fearing I have run out of ideas. So far, something emerges. This year, after many fruitless sketches, I drew and cut asymmetrical elongated felt hearts. 

     Using a pile of red, pink, white scraps, I sewed them onto the felt with black thread (Singer 301). Sometimes I added ribbon scraps, broke down and bought some lace and iridescent novelty mesh. No fusible was harmed. Every one is different. Once sewn, I trimmed them.  I wanted some dimension and stability so after experimenting, I bought cotton duck in natural, cut a rough shape, stuffed leftover batting on top and layed the felt heart on top. I outlined the heart twice with the black thread and trimmed leaving some cotton duck showing. After a couple of hearts, I remembered I have an old set of pinking shears (made in USA) and trimmed the rest with those. The hand did not like it.

Felt hearts trimmed

Felt heart plus cotton duck stuffed, pinked

      I buy card blanks with envelopes from Joann's or Michael's when they are on sale in packs of 50. Using a Fiskars roller with hearts left over from art teaching days, I inked red hearts on the front of the card. The 3M tape gun adhered the hearts to the card front. I hit the wall at 54 unable to eek another one out.  

All paired up with envelopes addressed

Ready for Post Office

     I was able to print address labels, stamp, and get the out of town ones to the PO last week, and the local ones yesterday. Last year, after I mailed the out of town ones, I had a heart attack. I was a bit gun shy mailing those out this year, but it was fine. 
     Hope you enjoyed another card blitz!