Thursday, February 7, 2013

Handmade Valentines for The Great Valentine Swap

Valentine's Day stamp
Valentine's Day, man. I fully acknowledge the consumerism inherent in the "Hallmark holidays," but even my cynical little heart can't help but love Valentine's Day.

What I really love is the opportunity to make someone feel special. I mean, obviously we can and should try to do that every day, not just on holidays. But let's be real; it's hard to remember to not only stop and smell the roses, but also pick one and give it to your sweetie when your mind is a blur of bills to be paid and errands to be run.

That's why I like holidays so much. They interrupt our routine. They encourage us to be generous with our affection. They allow us to express just how special the people around us are.

I felt pretty special today when I checked the mailbox, only to discover 3 beautiful handmade valentines addressed to me. But get this- I don't even know the senders!


This year I signed up to participate in a Valentine swap orchestrated by one of my very favorite bloggers, Aunt Peaches. We were all provided with the names and addresses of 3 other participants, to whom we sent handmade valentines.

This was so fun and I can't wait to do it again next year. I really lucked out with some sweet valentines, and one of them even included an adorable handmade pincushion with little flower pins. Thanks for the valentines, ladies! They were like little rays of sunshine on an otherwise very cold and rainy day.

For my valentines, I decided to do some fun watercolor backgrounds, accented with glitter. Check back soon, because I'm going to show you how to make your own watercolor valentines in my very first DIY post!


valentine's day craft

Sequins: Because sometimes glitter just isn't glittery enough.

handmade valentine card idea

(Sorry for the terrible photos. My camera is on strike, so I had to make do with my phone.)

watercolor envelopes
And the envelopes, because I didn't want these puppies getting mixed up with bills or junk mail. They are far too fabulous for that! I hope my recipients enjoy these as much as I enjoyed mine.

So what's the best valentine you've ever received?



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