save the date (2)

You may remember my post last fall about save the date cards --a concept that was new to me at the time. I had been asked to design a set of cards for a couple who were planning a vow-renewal ceremony (another concept that was new to me).

I knew they loved coffee, but hadn't realized the extent of that passion. As it turned out, they were rather keen for me to use a coffee theme in my design, and asked me to try to include the phrase "all you need is love & another cup of coffee."

It's been almost a year since I designed their cards. They were professionally printed and sent off a couple months ago,  and the event itself will soon take place. Now I can post the images without fear of ruining the surprise for those invited to the event. May they enjoy many, many more years of the love and commitment that led to this celebration, and I thank them for letting me play this small part in it.

more scrappy valentine cards

I thought I was finished with Valentine cards for this year, but I learned a lovely new poem about the heart and decided I couldn't go on to any new projects until I had expressed this short poem in etegami form. The poem is by Juukichi Yagi (1898 -1927), and it basically repeats two lines that translate roughly to: "Dear heart, go out into the world. But come back someday because this is the best place to be."

I chose the image of a heart traveling on a cloud (the Japanese version of a flying carpet), and followed the same steps described in my previous post: Scrappy Valentine Cards.  But while I was doing this, I started thinking about clouds in general, and how they are used in English expressions. And I started wondering: What does the expression "cloud nine" mean? And where did it come from? (google it yourself) This led to the English version of the scrappy etegami in the photo above.

glued scrap fabric onto one side of a card

painted clouds on washi cards with sumi ink, cut hearts from chiyogami

added words and name seal

glued scrap sheet magnets to back of each card

the result: refrigerator magnets!

scrappy valentine cards

I made these valentine cards from scraps that were destined for the trash: (1)  stiff paper board from a pack of printer paper, (2) an old blouse, (3) chiyogami (brightly patterned washi paper) left over from another project,  and (4) printed flexible magnets advertising a plumbing company.

I cut the stiff paper board into  2" x 3" cards, glued the fabric onto one side of each card,  cut hearts out of the chiyogami and glued them onto the fabric, then trimmed any cloth or chiyogami that extended beyond the edges of each card. I wrote the words directly on the fabric with a white gel pen.

Finally, I cut up the flexible magnets and glued them onto the back of each card so that the printed side was hidden and the black, magnetic side faced outwards. Hopefully the glue will be strong enough to keep the materials together even after lots of handling. I tested the strength of the completed magnet cards on my refrigerator and they didn't disappoint me. Magnetic Valentine cards made from recycled scraps!

hand-painted frame #2

I painted this frame with Valentine's Day in mind. Hearts and the color pink are not my usual style, but I kind of like this frame. Heh heh. Next thing you know, I'll be dotting my "i"s with little hearts. Oh dear oh dear.

you're the pickled plum in my rice ball

 Do you think this is getting out of hand?

more corny valentine cards

With these last two mini-cards, I've used up my stock of used "love" stamps. (sigh...). Hey! I have an idea! If you happen to have any old "Love" stamps lying around and are willing to send them to me, I'll make and send you your own mini-Valentine card, to keep for yourself or to send to someone else. My postal address is in the box at the top of my mailart gallery blog.

corny valentine cards for my family

Every once in a while I get inspired to use old postage stamps to make etegami collages. Today I was sorting through some nearly forgotten art supplies and came across a bunch of used American love-themed stamps. I immediately whipped up some very simple, half-sized (3 x 2 inches), somewhat corny, Valentine cards. The furthest thing from Great Art, but something fun to give my nearest and dearest. I used sparkly gel pens for the colored parts, but you can't tell from the scanned image.

not-your-ordinary valentine card

Shiba Shrimp Heart "I love you"

Salmon Love