My husband has always scoffed at Valentine’s Day, declaring
it a conspiracy between florists and candy makers, but since it’s one of my
favorite holidays (I love chocolate!) he gives in and celebrates. Of course,
this leaves me with two tasks: Making a special dinner and a special card.
Masculine Valentines can be tricky. The usual color combination
often skews too far toward feminine. My solution: Start with Suzanne Cannon’s
elegantly hand lettered word die – Love. Combine it with simple motifs – hearts
and stars – and a quirky color combination. I chose speckled red cardstock for
a weathered feel and mixed it with ivory, gray, and bright orange!
The cards are 5.5” and 6” top-fold squares. I used black ink
to stamp a striped background, creating a wonky plaid when it’s turned
crosswise. Good alternatives include crackle pattern or wood grain.
