Also, Ez from Creature Comforts has done her own downloadable Valentine round-up- she's found some real gems!

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1 Merrliee of Mer Mag made these for her son's classmates. They're harrrrrrd to resist! http://mermag.blogspot.com/

2 Another fun Valentine from Mer Mag! You'll have to check out her site to find out what it is that will make your sweetie blush... http://mermag.blogspot.com/

3 These cute animals are a collaboration between Freshly Picked (http://freshly-picked.com/), The Alison Show (http://www.sheblogssheblogs.com/), and Fifth & Hazel (http://www.fifthandhazel.com/)

4 Print them out as cards...

5 or make your own tattoos!! http://www.sheblogssheblogs.com/2012/02/share-love-day-5-temporary-tattoo.html

6 These arrow pencil holders are from Sweet Muffin Suite- http://sweetmuffinsuite.com/

And if that's still not enough instant Valentine gratification for you, check out this great printable that Amanda Jane Jones has created for Oh Happy Day!

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While that Valentine will appeal to the board game enthusiast, this one from Mini Eco may be more appropriate for the techie in your life-

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They are quick and easy to make. All you need is pixie sticks, card stock, colored markers and double stick tape. I had my son write 'let's stick together' once, and printed it out 25 times (yes, his class is big). My son wrote all the names on the copies.  I scored the papers so that folding would be easier, and cut them all (2" wide for each of the 3 folding parts for a total of 6" wide and  1 1/2 " high). I added a piece of double stick on the inside so the sticks wouldn't slip out, placed 8 sticks on each paper and stuck it down on the back edge.

Finished ! Happy Valentines Day to everyone, young and old.

"I made this valentine using tape as a stencil on a small silk screen. I love bright red ink on natural colored linen. The motif was fun and spontaneous. I like the idea of giving a cut of fabric as a valentine "card" instead of paper."

We used the attached clip-art to make our own stencil of Lena's design - see below!

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1 Lena's printable template (click above for the PDF).

2 We taped our Martha Stewart Crafts stencil paper over top, and began cutting out Lena's design.

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5 Pretty!

6 Our version of Lena's lovely valentine!

Hello, I'm Jane Buck and I am the Illustrator behind Foxy & Winston. I own and run a small Shop and Print Studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn where I sell my hand printed Stationery and Textiles alongside hand made goods by dear friends and Artisans from around the globe. I usually take natural elements and the creatures that I meet on my travels for inspiration, but today's project was inspired by a colorful collection of Vintage Perfume bottles. I hope you enjoy this mix and match Valentine card project as much as I enjoyed designing it for you!

These Valentines are inspired by Vintage Perfume Bottles. There are three different bottles, greetings and patterned designs to cut and collage with for a fun, mix and match project. Happy Valentines Day!

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2 One printable option for your perfume bottle...

3 ...and another!

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5 Print your favorite pattern above as the backdrop for your air bubble (next slide).

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Step 1: Choose some good quality 8.5 x 11 (A4) cover stock. I used Pure White Cover Stock from Paper Source (sold in 10 packs) because it's not too thick to feed through the printer but still stands up nicely once made into a folded card. You could also choose a lightly colored or patterned similar weight cover stock in the same size and experiment with printing the perfume bottles on different backgrounds - though it may change the color of the bottles.

Step 2: Download and print the 5 page PDF.

Step 3: Use either a paper cutter or a ruler and a craft knife to cut the cards to the correct dimensions using the printed crop marks as a guide. Your card will ideally measure 8.5" wide and 5.5" tall once cut.

Step 4: Take a bone folder to score a central line up the middle of each card and then fold them in half. Now it will measure 4.25" x 5.5"

Step 5: Select a 'spray bubble' silhouette and cut inside the black outline. Then trace around this template onto one of the patterns. I drew on the reverse so that my pencil marks did not show on the front. Experiment with mixing and matching the patterns, air bubbles and bottles. You could also try using a compass or a circle punch instead of the templates. Once you've chosen which way to go, stick the bubbles down on to the card with PVA or another clear drying adhesive, using a glue brush for even coverage.

How to Make Hug + Kiss Stationery Set

Tip: "I like to print these out at the local copy shop because I don't want to use up all my pricey inkjet printer toner and they have a variety of color card stock options."

SUPPLIES:
(2) 8.5 x 11" Templates (2 Pages) printed on card stock - download for free here!
Scissors
Craft Knife
Rubber cement

Instructions (once you've printed your clip-art!)

1. Using scissors or craft knife to cut out card (top right on printable) outside purple line + envelope (page 2 of printable).
2. Use craft knife to score along dotted lines of envelope.
3. Turn envelope over so printed design is on back.
4. Fold flap A + flap B over along dotted line and crease.
5. Fold flap C + flap D over along dotted line, crease and unfold.
6. Apply rubber cement to flap A and flap B.
7. Fold flap C over flaps A + B and press firmly until cement sets.
8. Write message on card and place in envelope.
9. Apply rubber cement to flap d and press firmly until cement sets.
10. Rub excess rubber cement away with fingertips.

Bonus: Cut out gift tags above. Punch out gray hole with hole punch and string with ribbon or twine.

Best,
Chris

Today's guest post comes from Erin Jang of The Indigo Bunting:

When it comes to creating paper goods, I love bright colors, and working with unusual formats and folds. I also love old-fashioned rebuses. So my valentine design incorporates this combination of pictures and words ("Dear, please be my valentine"), an accordion fold and a colorful palette to charm your loved one. Enjoy!

SUPPLIES:

Ruler

X-acto knife

Pen

Clip art printout - download it for free here!

A small jewelry box (1.5"x2.5"x.75" box from Michael's), or a business card sized envelope (2 1/4" x 3 1/2")

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2 Print out the card design on an 8.5x11" mid-weight sheet of paper. Two sizes are provided -- one to fit into a small matchbox-sized jewelry box, and a larger size to fit into a business card sized envelope.

3 Using an x-acto knife, metal ruler and a self-healing mat, cut out the provided design.

4 Score the card in four places, where the colored panels meet.

5 Fold where the card is scored to get an accordion-fold look.

6 The smaller size fits perfectly into a small matchbox-sized jewelry box. (I found mine at Michael's; they are 1.5" x 2.5" x .75")

7 If you print and use the larger size design, it will fit perfectly into a business card sized envelope measuring 2 1/4 x 3 1/2."

8 (I used a Gravel colored baby envelope from Paper Source (www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/color/baby-envelopes/2506.001/101.html).

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For more from Erin, be sure to check out her blog and shop!

We're kicking off this week with a quick and cute project from our February issue of Living (inspired by Silke, remember these and these!?). This project is perfect if you've got to make 35 Valentines (yes, homemade!) for each kid in your child's class. Download the clip-art here. We got our bananas, gumballs and rock candy here.

"Go ahead, get love struck.  We made these colored pencil arrows to share with any target your heart desires.  Follow our steps and practice your aim, these guys are sure to be a hit

You will need:

1. (x3) black and white turkey quills

2. Wooden pencils

3. Colored acrylic paint

4. Xacto blade

5. Super or hot glue

6. Paint brush"

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2 Step 1: Paint a pattern of stripes on your colored pencil and let them dry.

3 Step 2: Cut the feather down the spine, splitting in two.

4 Step 3: Snip off the rounded top of one half of the feather. Measuring from the new top, cut off two-inch segments of the feather to attach to the end of your pencil

5 Step 4: Glue (x3) pieces of the cut feather to the top of the colored pencil.

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Fancy Felt (10, 9 x 12 inch pieces available here).

*note: I recommend 3-4 hearts & 1-2 leaves to make each flower, but don't be shy to use more to create fuller stems. (I used Rhubarb for the hearts & Moss for the leaves in the tutorial.)

Scissors

Found twigs & branches

Tracing pen

Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Templates -  they're free! Print the hearts and leaves here.

Floral tape (optional)

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1 Gather supplies & plug in your glue gun.

2 Print the templates and cut out the shapes. Trace hearts & leaves onto different colors of Fancy Felt, then cut out the fabric pieces.

3 To make the flowers, place a small dot of hot glue at the bottom of a heart, then pinch it to the top of the twig. Be careful not to get any hot glue on your fingers!

4 Repeat Step 3, turning the twig slightly when gluing each petal until the flower has been formed.

5 Fold the petals back to make your blossom bloom.

6 Using the same process as in Step 3, add leaves to create greenery. If you'd like a few pieces of filler, use leaves instead of hearts.

7 For a clean finish, on your freshly picked posy, secure the base of the flower with floral tape.

8 Now that you've planted your first seed, continue to grow your garden until your heart's content.

9 Give a single stem to your sweetheart or an entire bouquet to someone you admire this Valentine's Day.

A couple of years ago I started a tradition of mailing a Valentine to my honey starting February 1st, till the actual day of Valentine. Yup, 14...sent by real mail. In the past it's been a collection of great cards I have found by talented folks, and some made by me. But this year I gave myself the challenge to make all 14.

I'm only sharing half of the collection since I've already started the mailing process, and haven't actually completed all 14 yet.

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1 Grouping of some. I used blues, pinks and reds as my color palette.

2 Clearly influenced by the magazine

3 "You are one in a million"

4 Kristin's Birthday Banner Card was the inspiration for this one

5 "Owl be yours"

6 Maybe a little too much glitter?

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8 A pretty rub on.

9 Printed text and punches get this sentiment out.

I only have few more to make, but I did score a beautiful card by Rosa Clifford, who is going to be on the show February 6th demoing this sweet love bird card. I know it's cheating on my challenge a little, but 13 out of 14 cards made by me is still pretty good.