Materials needed:
Purchased cardstock ready-cut for cards, color of your choice; discontinued wallpaper books, ribbon, PopDots (used to give a 3-D effect-found in the scrapbooking aisles), Marvy or Zig gold metallic pen.

Directions:
Cut strips of varying widths and designs of wallpaper scraps. Starting in the center and working your way out, weave the strips in a pleasing pattern. You can use other materials to weave also, such as various ribbons and raffia. When the weaving is larger than the cover of the card (I just covered the front, but you can cover front and back if you wish), put a thin layer of white glue all over the cover. Carefully lift the weaving and set it down gently on the card. Check to be sure it is positioned correctly. Then press it down. Trim the stray ends to be even with the edges of the card. Glue down the loose ends with "not a lot, just a dot" of glue. Let dry.

Next, cut two hearts of one of the solid colors of wallpaper and 2 hearts slightly larger of another pattern. Glue each smaller heart on top of one of the larger hearts; let them dry. Using the gold pen, write "True" on one heart and "Love" on the other heart. (Or whatever you choose to write-you might want two first names) Then arrange the hearts in a pleasing pattern on the card and stick 3 popdots on the back of each heart. Stick the hearts to the card. Finish the card by tying a bow out of pretty ribbon and hot-gluing it in the upper right hand area of the card. Write your loving message inside and give it to your sweetheart!

















Materials needed:
140# hot-press watercolor paper, purchased cardstock ready-cut for cards, watercolor or gouache (opaque watercolor), wide foam brush, plastic wrap, salt, embroidery thread or purchased tassel, translucent vellum, PopDots, metallic gold Marvy or Zig pen, extra fine tip black pen.

Directions:
Cut the watercolor paper the size to fit the cardstock you have. Shown is 6 1/2 X 10, finished and folded. Place the paper on a smooth surface. Select two colors of watercolor or gouache that will blend nicely. Add a little water to one of the pigments, less water if you want deep colors, more water if you want pale colors. Using the wet on dry method (meaning your paper is dry, your brush is wet) brush on the color straigh, in curves, or simply in large areas. With a clean brush, apply the other color in the empty areas, overlapping slightly to get the color mixture. Next, lay plastic wrap over the wet painting and use your fingertips to squoosh it around and wrinkle it, pushing the paint around underneath it. Leave the plastic wrap there for 4-5 minutes. Work on painting and plastic-wrapping other pieces of paper, using different colors and designs, while you're waiting. Then peel off the plastic wrap. Every time you do it you will get a different effect, but every one is so pretty. Now quickly, before it dries, sprinkle salt in all the wet areas. Let it dry completely. Then rub the salt off, and you have even more of a textured look. When the whole piece is dry, glue it carefully to the cardstock card, and weight it down with a heavy book so it will dry smoothly. When dry, fold it in half. Use decorative scissors to cut a rectangle out of one of the other pieces of paper you painted. Outline the edges with gold pen. Cut a heart out of a darker piece. Use the fine tipped black pen to write I Love You on it. Use the gold pen to decorate the edge of the heart with swirls. Using decorative scissors, cut a larger heart out of the vellum; glue the darker heart onto the vellum heart. Use 3 PopDots to stick the heart onto the rectangle. Then use a popdot in each corner of the rectangle to secure it to the front of the card. Tie on a coordinating tassel and write your loving words inside.





















Materials needed:
140# hot-press watercolor paper, watercolor or gouache, Prismacolor art pencils, paper towels with pleasing texture, wide foam brush, purchased gold paper, optional rubber stamp rose, embroidery thread or purchased tassel, vellum, gold Marvy or Zig pen, calligraphy pen, black ink.

Directions: Cut watercolor paper in desired size. Place on smooth surface. Select two colors of watercolor or gouache that will blend nicely. Add water to the pigments; more water will give you softer colors as shown, but be careful because you don't want it dripping. Quickly use one color, then the other, to paint a soft wash over the dry paper. Wait 3-4 minutes, then turn the watercolored side over on top of a textured paper towel. Apply a soft wash of the same paint over the other side of the paper. Let dry. The side next to the paper towel will retain the texture of the paper towel; this is the outside of the card. Cut a rectangle of gold paper, glue onto front of card. Using decorative scissors, cut a slightly smaller piece of plain white watercolor paper; glue it to the center of the gold paper. Either draw or rubber stamp a rose or other design onto another small piece of watercolor paper; color it with Prismacolor pencils, cut it out, and mount it the the center of the rectangles with PopDots to give a 3D effect. Use the gold pen to write "friends" on each side of the rectangle. Add a tassel. Inside I have used calligraphy to write a poem to a friend. I wrote it on vellum that was printed with tiny white hearts, inserted it under the embroidery thread holding the tassel, and further secured it with a small amount of glue in the crease. A lovely remembrance for a dear friend! Below is the inside of the card. The verse is by Oliver Wendall Holmes.





































Materials needed: Purchase mulberry paper with embedded flowers, purchased cardstock ready-cut for cards, translucent vellum, black calligraphy ink, calligraphy pen, narrow pink ribbon, Prismacolor pencils, embroidery thread or purchased tassel.

Directions:
Cut the mulberry paper to fit the purchased cardstock. Glue it securely, being sure the edges are glues. Weight it down with a heavy book to be sure it dries smooth. Cut a rectangle of vellum. Using Prismacolor pencils, draw some simple flowers on each end of the rectangle. Using the calligraphy pen, write "To My Valentine" centered in the rectangle. Glue a strip of ribbon along the top and bottom of the vellum, and glue the vellum sideways onto the front of the card. Add a tassel and then spend the rest of your time composing the perfect love letter to your sweetie.