Hi Everyone - Lowri here. There have been so many fabulous LOVE projects on the blog - this is the first chance I have had to post a couple of my Valentines ideas! I hope you like them and please don't forget to enter into our LOVE challenge....  Email us any project you LOVE to artfullcraftsdt@gmail.com

Valentines Deck of Cards - FULL DETAILS HERE
This was the last of my Valentines/Love projects - and it might just be one of my favorites.







Spellbinders Treat Bags

Okay - so first off I want to say I am NOT a Spellbinders expert. In fact this post came about because apart from the circles - I only own ONE Spellbinders Set- the Labels One and I really wanted to come up with some ideas on how to use them other than just the plain shape.


This really is as simple as it looks!

Perfect for any party, class treats etc all you need to do is buy some cello bags, cut a plain pieces of card for the background and then use a smaller piece for the decoration. It's a great way to use up scraps and I just added a rub-on for extra detailing


Spellbinders Mentos Favors

I thought I was so clever coming up with this - but I have actually seem something really similar this week on the Spellbinders blog!

1. You need ribbon, 2 x pieces of pre-cut paper (one larger than the other), double sided tape, small hole punch, some means of scoring paper (board not necessary - use a ruler!)
2. Score 1cm either side of the "peak" of the larger paper
3. Repeat on smaller paper
4. Using adhesive tape – glue smaller piece onto larger piece
5. Punch small holes in either side
6. Thread ribbon through holes
7. Tie ribbon
8. Stuff in your mini-mentos!

Spellbinders Banner
OK - so this was my first attempt at a banner! Nothing really matches but it was a good way to show another use of the spellbinders die! 

This picture shows where I placed the die on the paper to get the shape. I repeated the placement for the smaller dies to get the layered effect. 


All of these projects use the Echo Park Be Mine Collection but you could adapt this idea using any papers for any occasion!

Valentines Deck of Cards
This was the last of my Valentines/Love projects - and it might just be one of my favorites. I cannot in any way take the credit for this idea! I saw this project on the A Day in my Life blog and thought it was wonderful!  Here is my version - it was a Valentines Gift for my husband

It's made from a deck of cards, and this blog here (Peppermint Creative) even has some downloadable templates you can use for the insert. I used the Bicycle Series 1800 cards (bought on Trade Me here in NZ)


I printed my inserts onto photo paper, cut them out and stuck them on using a little double sided tape and some tombow glue - which I never use generally as I find it wets and warps the paper - but this time I wanted that to happen to add to the aging effect.

The cards have an antiqued/aged look so I scuffed them up randomly with some sandpaper to make them look less new.

The book is bound together with some Kaisercraft Album Rings. I simply punched holes twice in each card using one of the spare cards in the pack as a template to ensure all the cards had holes in the same spots!
It was a little time consuming - but the hardest part (like others who tried it said!) was coming up with 52 things I loved about my husband (hmm - did that come out wrong?!?)

I hope you give this a go - it's really fun! Again - the idea could easily be adapted to any occasion - it wouldn't have to be a Valentines Book. What about an "I LOVE YOU" book for a wedding anniversary...

Lowri :-)