Valentine's Day bits and pieces all jumbled in one box...

...hmmm, they kinda are, but they look good there.

It's my display for Photo Continental this month. I do one around once a month - no specific date or time, just when it happens and when it all comes together.

Creativity is like that, yes? I used to be a school teacher and creativity does not live in the 9 to 3 slot! It's one of the hardest things I've had to allow for, be okay with, work with and adapt to.

It's the life of an artist. It's the way it is and the way it has to be.

Ah, pretty. You gotta give it to pink, red and white (or cream in my case) - they really look good together, don't they?

But wait...pink, red, cream and baker's twine? Well, just wipe me up off the floor with a stick. Fabbo.

Garland using paper doilies folded in half.

I saw paper doilies folded in half on a garland on the internet somewhere and decided I liked them and would use them in a garland of my own.

So glad I did.

And to you out there who folded those doilies in the first place, thank you.

Thank you very much.

As you can see I added punches to my garland. The original doily folder did not do that. I don't know what she did. I'm not even sure if she did anything besides folded doilies. Still, punches and doilies make a good match.

And note the butterfly theme with the hearts this year.

Don't know where that came from. I really don't. Actually, it mighta been from my drawers when I was looking for punches to use...yep, that's it.

Oh, here comes the baker's twine.

This stuff is amazing.

It was all over the Christmas stuff and now it's jazzing up the Valentine's Day stuff. I've also used it with cupcakey stuff, birthday stuff...so much stuff!

Honestly, if you don't have any, get some. Get it and get a lot.

(I buy it on Etsy - make sure you've got Supplies in the drop down menu and then search for red and white baker's twine. I've bought from The Twinery before - it's thicker - and I've also bought Divine Twine - it's medium. Divine Twine is the one in all these pics)

What are these?

Lollypops?

I just call them sticks. I just like 'em.

Onto the little cards...

Two words - hello, simple.

Folded with a Scor-Pal. The Scor-Pal is my pal, for sure. Makes everything so neat and easy to fold.

Ever tried to fold something a 'ruther small and it creases beyond belief?

Well, no probs if you use a Scor-Pal. No probs at all.

Scor-Pal-ed heart with twine with Eyelet Lace Martha border punch with Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Mist, which you can't see.

And now I'm doubting myself that it's even sprayed with the Glimmer Mist because I can't see it either. No, I'm sure it is. I just reached far into my brain and remembered the Glimmer Misting I did. I remember now because I sprayed it on the heart too and didn't like that. Flick that bit if you do it. Just do the background and stick the heart on top.

The heart punch is the Sullivans Blue one.

Here we have a de-embossed special.

You see, I embossed that cream ornamental shape (Mini-Ornamental Tim Sizzix die) with Swiss Dots and didn't like it.

I know, when do we ever not like Swiss Dots? Well, that day was the day and I said no way.
Can't explain it. Just needed to be simple, so I kept it simple.

Honestly, these things look like they take five minutes, but they don't take five minutes, you know?

Okay, I'll admit it.

This one took five minutes.

But that's because I had the card base cut out already. And it was probably scored too.

And those bits were already made and sitting on my desk for another project that wasn't working at the time.

And the faux stitching around the edge with glitter on the top was a no-brainer, so I did that without using my brain.

I used my brain when it came to the little heart there at the bottom. I liked the two things, but decided a tiny heart would kick a goal. And it did.

Total time: 4 minutes and 57 seconds.

Another idea I saw somewhere on the internet - a handcut love word with a heart for the o. Well, I have a heart punch, so I've gotta do that, I thought.

So I did, and I'm admitting that this wasn't my idea. Thanks again to the person who did it. And kudos to you for handcutting a lower case e. I couldn't manage that neatly and was about to flick the whole idea until I realised I had another (easier) option with the upper case E.

My heart has Dimensional Magic on it. "Original lower case e cutter's" did not.

Another de-embossed special.

This one had the roses background on the cream bit and it almost burnt my eyes. It hurt. It was bad. It was too much.

Would now be the time to tell you that the sum total of the jewellery I wear is one ring (combined engagement/wedding), gold sleepers (365 days a year) and that I add a watch only when I go out?

That's it, that's all the jewels I wear.

Everything else seems too much on me, just like the embossing. It's the way it is.

One of my favourites in the box - heart lollypops with tulle.

I think the myriad of 3D Christmas ornaments that I made for the craft tree in Dec were still fresh in my mind...hey, got a good idea? Just repeat it. You're allowed.

I had some tulle in the drawer and out it came, so cute tied under there.

I just popped this photo in here again, so you can see the scallop heart lolly pop in the background there. Nice, hey?

And to think I thought scallop hearts were so dodgy a few months ago. First the scallop heart Santa beards and now these...cuuute.

(It's the Sullivans Blue Scallop Heart)

Note there's no use of glitter on all these things. I thought about it, I really did, but I just didn't have the time and half the stuff was already in the box when I thought of it too.

If you like glitter, glitter away, they'd love it.

These are lollypop flowers - all up in the back row there.

More sticks, more tulle, more hearts and circles and scallops, more doilies.

What's new here is the crepe paper. It only appeared on these couple because it's really hard to cut into a circle!

Try it and you'll see what I mean. It stretches and makes life interesting.

I just wanted a bit of texture in the first place, so I achieved what I wanted, but it took more than five minutes!

This one's the double-doily special.

Two had stuck together accidentally, so I stuck them together permanently. It's extra frilly.

I got the doilies from a packaging place that sells bags, take away containers and things like that. I also bought some in a cheap shop yesterday too - that surprised me, never thought to look there. Some big oval ones caught my eye and then I saw some smaller circle ones that I liked and bought.

I was in there buying yet another ball thrower for the dog. We're onto number seven and he's 17 months old.

He's chewed two, I've broken one, one was hopeless and now we have one out the back, one down the front and one spare. Yep, we love our ball throwers. And so does the dog :o)

And here's a final pic of the little Valentine's Day garden. That's what I was kinda going for, but it's always interesting to see how it turns out. This time the verdict is good.  

Oh yes, the crumpled paper was Andrew's idea. Worked!

Last two things.

I have the two sizes of the Baroque and Ornamental dies and when you cut them together they make a frame. I had a couple of 3D shapes left over, so I hung them inside the shapes. I like hanging things. Now I'm looking at them, a bit of tulle wouldn't go astray, hey?

Last thing: I took the display over to PC on Monday and hung a garland above it. I took some photos to share, which I'll do if they worked out - haven't downloaded them yet.

Okay, well, that's it for now - long post :o) Hope you enjoyed the Valentine bits and pieces and are maybe inspired to maybe make something of your own. We don't usually go into it in a big way over here, but this year I'm really loving the whole pink/red/doily thing. It's fun.